Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

As this trip we where visiting the famous island of Miyajimacho, we decided to do something the hordes of other tourists didn’t and stay the night. We seleceted the Miyajima Seaside Hotel as they had a nice offering of bed and breakfast and where located a bit further away on the island, pushing us to discover more of the island. Luckily they operated a complimentary shuttle service between the ferry port and the hotel, evading a walk over the hill in the hot and humid 30c weather while we where there.

Upon arrival with the shuttle at the hotel you are quickly whisked inside, but before you can enter properly you are asked to take off your shoes as is customary in Japanese homes. The hotel has a closet with the shoes of all guests in the hotel lobby and provides slippers to use inside.

We received a very large room on the top floor of the hotel. at the entrance there is a small room with the toilet at the right side and another small room with the bath, shower and sink at the left side. Both looking very tired and dated, but very clean and well-maintained.

After the entrance you enter into the main room, with two sofa’s.

To the left you have a separate bedroom with 2 western style beds.

To the right you have the Japanese style room with tatami on the floor.

At the far end there is an enclosed balcony overlooking the sea.

In the evening we where served a multi-course Japanese dinner in our room, for a full Japanese experience. This was very lovely with a delicious meal and nice atmosphere.

In the morning the breakfast was served downstairs in the restaurant. This wasn’t a typical buffet but brather you got a standard breakfast set. You also had to tell at what time you would have breakfast so the staff could set it up. It was very Japanese themed and as I’m not too fond of Japanese food for breakfast I only ate some bits and pieces of it. The quality of the food was outstanding however.

The hotel also offered it’s own onsen, which was very basic, but overlooked a nice interior garden.

The hotel felt like a time capsule back to the late 1970’s, early 1980’s and could do with a refresh. While everything is very clean and well-maintained a good refurbishment to bring it up to the latest standards could really improve the experience.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.
33. KANSAI | Osaka Castle ft. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
34. OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious.
35. REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.
36. REVIEW | Candeo Hotels Hiroshima Hatchobori.
37. JAPAN | The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum.
38. JAPAN | Himeji Castle.
39. JAPAN | Itsukushima Shrine on Itsukushima aka Miyajima.