jesychen 
On the morning of the second day of our 10-day, 9-night self-driving trip in Shikoku, we started by visiting the ruins of Takamatsu Castle, one of Japan’s three famous water castles, at Tamamo Park. Afterward, it was time to pick up our rental car for the afternoon drive to the Naruto Strait, where we had … Read more
Takamatsu Castle, one of Japan’s three great water castles, has its moat filled with water from the Seto Inland Sea. Our first stop on the second day was Tamamo Park, which sits on the former site of Takamatsu Castle. After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to this must-see park. Near the Tamamo Park parking … Read more
On the first day of our 10-day, 9-night self-drive trip around Shikoku, Japan in 2024, we didn’t have any scheduled activities. Since we took an afternoon China Airlines flight to Takamatsu Airport, it was already evening when we arrived. After taking a bus to Toyoko INN Takamatsu Hyogocho, we dropped off our luggage and went … Read more
On the first day of our 10-day, 9-night self-driving trip around Shikoku, Japan, we took a flight and bus to get there. After checking in at Toyoko Inn Takamatsu Hyogo-cho in the evening, we were ready to have dinner. Besides grabbing McDonald’s for lunch, we had an in-flight meal on China Airlines in the afternoon, … Read more
In the summer of 2024, as family members were busy with working holidays and participating in service learning programs, we planned a family trip for late August—a roughly 10 day self-drive tour in Shikoku, Japan. China Airlines offers four flights weekly to Takamatsu, Shikoku, and we took the Tuesday flight. One benefit of an afternoon … Read more
Since we didn’t have lunch, after enjoying the scenic views of the Northeast Coast of Taiwan and Turtle Island in the afternoon, we parked near Toucheng Sesame Noodles in Toucheng Township, Yilan County, intending to grab some snacks. However, it was closed, so we headed to Lucky Soup Dumplings(Jixiang-Xiao-Long-Bao), located by the railroad crossing on … Read more
Below the main building of Brown Castle Café in Toucheng, there is a scenic spot called “Looking Towards Turtle Island (Guishan Island).” It was previously marked on Google Maps, but the marker has since been removed. We came here to watch the passing trains from above, as the railway runs below. This elevated viewpoint not only … Read more
After sightseeing at Magang Fishing Harbor and Sandiao Cape Lighthouse in New Taipei City, we skipped lunch because we had a filling breakfast. The lighthouse is quite close to Yilan, and it’s only about 10–15 minutes from Tou Cheng in Yilan to reach Shicheng. So, we decided to head to Yilan for dinner in the … Read more
In addition to strolling around Magang Fishing Port, located at the easternmost part of Taiwan, I also took the opportunity to visit the famous Sandiao Cape Lighthouse. It’s been a long time since I last came here. Driving from the coast to the mountains was quick, and after parking near the lighthouse, I walked in … Read more