<Happo-en>
Happo-en is a purely Japanese-style garden created 300 or more years ago. There is a large number of bonsai within the garden, including some trees that are 500 years old or older. The garden is now used to hold wedding ceremonies and take wedding photos. It also has a restaurant and cafe, and enjoying a meal while soaking up Happo-en’s atmosphere is superb. The garden is just the right size for exploring on foot, and the purely Japanese-style landscaped garden is perfect for people wanting to drop by for a rest.

<Enju>
This time, we ate lunch at Enju, a Japanese restaurant inside Happo-en. The dishes here utilize seasonal ingredients. The set menu, which featured tempura and sushi as the main dishes and concluded with a Japanese-style dessert at the end, was just the right amount and was delicious. People who love eating Japanese cuisine while enjoying the atmosphere of a Japanese-style garden should visit here at least once.

<TOKYO SKYTREE>
I went up to the Tembo Deck observation deck for the first time. Usually I just take photos out the front and stroll around the shopping mall inside, but this time I went up to the top and enjoyed the beautiful 360-degree views of Tokyo. Here you can take in the Tokyo landscape, as well as commemorative photos before returning home. Next, we purchased tickets to go up to the Tembo Galleria. There is a see-through elevator that connects to the top, allowing you to take in the outside view as you travel up or down. On the day we visited, there was an Ultraman exhibition on at the Tembo Galleria featuring replicas as well as actual filming equipment and other items on display that we could look at as we walked about. The exhibition was arranged so that we could read the history of Ultraman in chronological order as we walked. Descending to Floor 340, you can stand on top of a glass floor and can take high-angle photographs.

<Sumida River Cruising (Hotaluna)>
After the Skytree, we used Tokyo Cruise Ship Co., Ltd.'s services and took a 50-minute cruise from Asakusa to Odaiba on a sightseeing boat. The boat we rode this time was the Hotaluna, which can carry 261 passengers. The boat’s transparent interior means you can look out at your surroundings, such as the view of the Sumida River. We headed downriver to Odaiba and arrived at just the right time. The ceiling of the boat can be opened so that passengers can go out on deck and enjoy the atmosphere, and after waiting for the ceiling to open you can go up on top. The boat then arrives at its final destination (Odaiba Seaside Park). This seashore is also a place that becomes crowded with beachgoers. A shopping mall and Fuji Television Network, inc. are also located nearby.

<Walking in Odaiba>
After we arrived in Odaiba we walked to a Tokyo television station. It is a walk known to those in the know. At the entrance to the building there was a Chibi Maruko Chan Cafe. This charming cafe features a diverse food and drink menu, and it is cutely decorated in the manner of the famous manga. Furthermore, it is possible to look around inside the building. The spherically-shaped “Hachitama” Spherical Observation Room is this building’s symbol.

<Dinner in Shinbashi>
Today we ate dinner at Otakou, an oden restaurant in Shinbashi. This oden restaurant has been in business for 84 years, having opened in 1932 in the Showa period. The oden menu consists of ingredients stewed in soup made using Odako’s special recipe. Many people who work in Tokyo like to drop in for a drink here. If you go on a weekday, you will undoubtedly be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of chatting office workers who have accompanied each other here on their way home from work.

<Accommodation: Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome, Tokyo>
The hotel we stayed at this evening was the Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome, Tokyo in Shinbashi. The guest rooms were just the right size, and were contemporarily decorated and well fitted out with equipment. The beds were soft and comfortable, and were very rejuvenating after the exhaustion of the day’s sightseeing. The hotel offers two options for breakfast, Chinese or Western. We opted for the Western breakfast, and we enjoyed the sausages here in particular. They were really delicious.

<Domestic flight>
On this trip to Okayama we decided to travel by airplane. This time we chose ANA, and Okayama Airport was an hour and 15 minute flight away.

<Streetcar>
It is possible to get on an Okayama City streetcar near Okayama Station, and to pay with an IC card or cash, just like on a train. We boarded the streetcar in front of Okayama Station (Okayama-Ekimae) and headed toward Okayama Castle, and then walked from there to Okayama Korakuen Garden.

<Lunch at Shikisai restaurant>
After entering Okayama Korakuen Garden, before we admired the park we stopped by the Shikisai restaurant for lunch. Okayama City is close to the sea, and is famous for its seafood. We decided to eat a conger eel rice bowl here. Conger eel is similar to eel, but not so chewy, making it easy to eat. Our meals came with hot buckwheat noodle soup, which made a very delicious accompaniment.

<Okayama Korakuen Garden>
With our stomachs full and our energy restored, we moved on to admiring Okayama Korakuen Garden, which has a three-star rating from the Michelin Green Guide Japan. Korakuen is one of the oldest gardens in Japan, having been created some 400 years ago. Because the trees and flowers undergo beautiful color changes with the seasons, it is a beautiful garden that can be visited in any season. In addition to the beautiful garden, we also took in Okayama Castle, a well-known sightseeing spot here. On top of that, there was also tea and Japanese sweets available for purchase. You can choose to drink the tea outside or inside the old house, and so we decided to sit inside the house so we could enjoy our tea while taking in the garden from inside. We took in the garden through the windows, from inside the house. Framed by bamboo, the view was like a work of art. It was beautifully attractive and most enjoyable. Incidentally, various events are held here at Korakuen throughout the year.

< Okayama Castle>
Okayama Castle is a castle that was built in the 16th Century, meaning it counts as an extremely old castle even in Japan. Like other castles in Japan, this castle was destroyed by fire during World War II, but it has been newly restored. Within the castle, ornaments that were used to decorate the castle and the castle’s history are on display, and going up to the top level will give you an unbroken view of Okayama City. Furthermore, there is also a service available that enables you to see the cityscape more clearly using a telescope. And within the castle here is a corner where you can put on costumes from that period and dress up like a feudal lord and a princess together.

<Oshiro Chaya>
After looking over the castle, it was time for a snack. Inside the old castle is Oshiro Chaya, an ice-cream shop. It is summer now and July, the peach season, but when we arrived in this “town of peaches” that has an affinity with Momotaro we were unable to sample them, so we enjoyed the peach-based desserts at this shop. The sweetness and aroma of peach and ice-cream in the peach parfait go perfectly with jelly. This shop is also one location that appears in the Detective Conan manga series. For true Conan fans, it cannot be missed.

<Oshiro Chaya>
After looking over the castle, it was time for a snack. Inside the old castle is Oshiro Chaya, an ice-cream shop. It is summer now and July, the peach season, but when we arrived in this “town of peaches” that has an affinity with Momotaro we were unable to sample them, so we enjoyed the peach-based desserts at this shop. The sweetness and aroma of peach and ice-cream in the peach parfait go perfectly with jelly. This shop is also one location that appears in the Detective Conan manga series. For true Conan fans, it cannot be missed.

<Lunch at AEON MALL Okayama>
In the early evening we went to AEON MALL. We had an easy going dinner at the food court. We chose katsudon (pork cutlet with egg on rice).

<Accommodation: ANA Crowne Plaza Oyakama>
Following that we checked in at the ANA Crowne Plaza Oyakama, a hotel next to Okayama Station. The hotel’s guest rooms were neat and tidy, and we could rest comfortably on the soft beds. The hotel breakfast is a buffet-style Western breakfast, but there is also a Japanese menu that uses local ingredients.

<JR>
Travelling from Okayama Station to Kojima Station was easy.

<Visit to the Betty Smith Jeans Museum>
When we arrived at the Betty Smith jeans workshop and museum, considered to be the birthplace of branded jeans in Japan, we also tried to craft objects using jeans ourselves. We created key holders out of jeans. After choosing fabrics and buttons that we liked, we combined them using a button press. We visited the museum next. Here we listened to an explanation about the emergence of Japan’s first generation of jeans and how they were manufactured, as well as the journey that Japanese jeans followed from the outset through to the present. Finally, we went to the Betty Smith outlet shop. Here you will find a variety of jeans products, as well as jeans at accessible factory prices.

<Lunch at Setouchi No Aji Seika>
Because we were still in Kojima at lunchtime, we went to Setouchi No Aji Seika, a steakhouse only a few hundred meters away from the train station. The steak here is really delicious and you can choose how well-done you want your meat to be grilled. The meat smells delicious, and it is tender and easy to chew, so it is heaven for someone who loves beef.

<Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter>
After we arrived in Kurashiki City, we visited the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, an old village of the Edo period. Originally it was lined with the warehouses of Edo period merchants, but today they have been remodeled into a variety of shops and museums. When we arrived at the village, to begin with we stopped by the Kikkodo Bikan Historical Quarter store, a confectionery store, in order to have a go at hand-making the store’s famous “murasuzume” confectionery. Here, you can sit in the cafe corner and eat confectionery or have a go at making it. It costs 600 yen. Staff are on hand to give you advice while you make the confectionery. Following that, we went to the Momotaro Karakuri Museum. There are Momotaro-related on display here, as well as fun attractions featuring characters from the story. The entrance fee is 600 yen. After that we went to a dessert cafe called Parlor Kudamono Komachi. The menu here is extensive, and naturally we chose items that use the peaches the district is famous for. The dishes are delicious and go very well with ice-cream, and they are also a perfect match for the atmosphere of the cafe, which is arranged like a bamboo grove.
*Prices are for travelers at the time of use.

<Domestic flight>
There were shops and a small restaurant at the airport, so we bought a few souvenirs before returning. We used ANA for the return flight, just as we had to get there. In just an hour and a half we arrived safely back in Tokyo.