How would you spend 20 summer days in Japan? Here’s a log of highlights from my latest trip, day by day. Follow along this Blaugust as I recount my adventurous July!

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Bright and early on day 8, I boarded my first shinkansen!

Our train bound from Tokyo to Okayama in Japan’s southeastern region would take 3.5 hours, meaning I had plenty of time to soak in the views of the green countryside flashing before my eyes. And WOW did I savor every second of this trip. Riding the shinkansen is just as effortlessly smooth and silent as passengers say it is. Were it not for my eyes being glued to the window, I wouldn’t have been able to tell when we stopped and took off again at the various stations along the way.

Our first destination off the train was a quiet shrine bordering the road that ran alongside a river. My friend and I had made this unintentional habit of starting each day with a shrine visit. Since shrines are everywhere in Japan, it’s easy to pause by on your walk for a moment of zen before catching the busy winds of traffic. The green roof of this shrine in Okayama was particularly eye-catching to me.

Since it was actually closer to afternoon than morning, we went straight for a cafe for a drink and dessert before deciding to stroll across the bridge to Korakuen Garden on the opposite side. Hailed as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens and established over 300 years ago, the garden was mostly deserted on the summer day of our visit. Therefore, we pretty much had the whole expanse to ourselves, and so we took our time delightfully admiring the careful landscaping.

When we reached the open hilltop of the garden, we were exalted by this arresting view of light rays bursting through the clouds. I remember joking that we’d been visited by the gods that day. Really, we felt lucky to witness such a view. The giant leafy plants reinforced the otherworldly feel of Korakuen.

It was then onwards to Okayama Castle! While neither of us felt strongly about entering the castle (since it had apparently fallen into one of the tragic renovation trends of having an interior that resembled little of the original site), we did walk the river surrounding the castle to capture a 360-degree view. At the tip of the islet, we were treated to a statue of peach boy Momotaro. The mini amphitheater he sat in had fallen into disrepair, which made the statue feel more odd than sad in its otherwise remote placement.

After a creamy carbonara dinner, we decided to return to the castle for its exquisite nighttime view. This is where it pays to be a monochrome structure; the white strips practically glowed in the moonlight!

Okayama City is technically one of the largest in its area, but it manages to offer a significant countryside landscape befitting its “Land of Sunshine” moniker. Certainly in the garden, the sun seemed to have descended just for us! In the second day of our Okayama adventure, we revel in ever more beauteous sights. ‘Til then, thanks for reading.

– Takuto