Vacations = Exhaustion

Using the Seishun 18 ticket, Aaron and I headed for Shikoku waaaay back on the 17th. This ticket is a great deal, but you hafta stick to the non-reserved trains. Which means once we hit Shikoku, our travelling time was slow going. Let's just say that our first day was some 8 hours on the train. But spending a fair amount of time in and around stations led us to this glorious poster! Yep, this is the movie Aaron was an extra for. We found Aaron's hat, but his face was hidden by the guy in front of him. Damn gaijin extras are too tall!

Our first day took us over the Seto Bridge. This isn't the longest suspension bridge, but it is massive. Massive enough to support a train. The views were fantastic-- the Inland Sea is studded with small islands that beckon with picnic day possibilities.

We ended up in Matsuyama and went to the Dogo Onsen. Dogo is the oldest onsen in Japan, and accordingly, is pretty simple and crazy packed. I had to wait 5 minutes for a shower before I could get into the pool. Our onsen in Wadayama is really new and has multiple bathing choices, so Dogo seems a bit tame by comparison. Still, we have bragging rights!

Then we asked around for a cheap business hotel or love hotel. I might've scandalized a desk lady, but I'm just giving her fodder for her girlfriend chats! We found a place and crashed.