On our second day in Sasebo, we woke up bright and early to fit as much in before we departed in the late afternoon, definitely a whirlwind visit! The main reason I had chosen Sasebo as a destination was to see the Kujuku Islands, so we headed to the train station to catch the shuttle bus to the Sakai Pearl Sea Resort.
We had wanted to do a bit of kayaking around the islands but one of the kayaking businesses that offered short trips did not operate on Sunday and the other looked quite serious with longer trips on offer. Instead we bought tickets on the 'Pearl Queen' a boat that toured through the islands with commentary. Like Lake Ashi in Hakone, the Kujuku Islands didn't need a regular tour boat, but a pirate ship.. they love their pirate ships! The trip was about an hour and cost ¥1,200 pp. The scenery was stunning and reminded me a lot of Halong Bay in Vietnam, although the islands were much greener, smaller and the water clearer.
There were also many other options to enjoy the islands besides kayaking and the sightseeing ships. You could also hire out yachts to sail, eco cruises, sunset cruises, eco matsura boats (traditional japanese boats) or go on an eco tour and walk around the islands.
After our little cruise we had lunch at the pier and tried one of the 'famous' Sasebo burgers, apparently the recipe of the burger came from American sailors in the 50's and is now popular all over Japan.
We didn't get much time to spend in Sasebo but the scenery was definitely worth it. The City itself had nothing to offer but I am sure we would have been able to spend a lot more time there exploring the hundreds of islands, going to one of the beaches or one of the many observation spots - one of which appeared in 'The Last Samurai'.
As soon as we finished our burgers and picked up some souvenirs we jumped back onto the shuttle bus and caught the train to our next destination - Hiroshima!
We arrived in Hiroshima fairly late and headed out to have some of the local specialty - Okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style. It was kinda cool sitting right next to the hotplate and watching the chefs prepare the okonomiyake. Just like the teppanyaki chefs they displayed such skill! If only everyone had such pride and passion in their jobs!
Late night snacks :)
Kujuku Islands
Web: http://www.pearlsea.jp/english/
Most Kujuku Islands activities can be accessed through Pearl Sea Resort.
Accommodation
Hotel:Mitsui Garden Hotel Hiroshima
Price:¥12,000 for Moderate Double Room, No-smoking plus Breakfast for 2 people.
Web: http://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/eng/hiroshima/">Mitsui Garden Hotel
Booking: We booked through the hotel website.
We have been thinking about taking our kayak to Kujuku islands for some time to explore these little islands and enjoy kayak-fishing, and we seriously started to make a plan after having seen your pics and article! Thanks for sharing. And thanks for featuring our island images in your blog!
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful to know! I would love to go back to Sasebo to spend a few days kayaking around the islands - little private beaches, wildlife, secret steps - I was so jealous of the people I saw with kayaks! I hope that one day I see some more detail of those islands in your flickr stream. Meanwhile you have me obsessed with the Ogasawara Islands and I am desperate to see them, along with a number of the other islands you have featured! Thanks for taking wonderful photos and bringing these places to light :)
DeleteHi! Just wanted to say thank you for this blog! I know it has been years since these were posted, but they are still so incredibly useful. Your enthusiasm is getting me pumped about planning my own first trip to Japan. Also, thanks for sharing some of those funny personal stories. I loved the Pikachu one, lol! :) Thanks again! (and please excuse my silly username)
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