The Backpack Adventures

Connecting the island of Awaji and Kobe City which are both in Hyogo Prefecture, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge  ( 明石海峡大橋 )  is the longest bridge in Japan to date.  Akashi Kaikyo Bridge History Prior to the construction of the  Akashi Kaikyo Bridge , ferries carried passengers across the Akashi Strait. However, the strait is known to be a dangerous waterway that already took countless lives. The most famous of which was in 1955 when two ferries sank in the strait during a storm. This tragedy claimed 168 lives and was said to be what convinced the Japanese government to develop plans to construct a bridge. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge as seen from Awajishima Crossing Akashi Kaikyo Bridge from Kobe City Akashi Kaikyo Bridge  ( 明石海峡大橋 ) However, it took almost 30 years for the plans to come to reality. Construction of the bridge started in 1988 it involved 100 contractors and hundreds of laborers. The bridge finally opened to the public 10 years later on April 5, 1998. The total cost of

Day 10 May 26, 2018 Awajishima - Naruto Whirlpools Greetings from Osaka! The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) predicted that the Kansai Region would be experiencing cloudy to fine weather today. Sadly, my wife and I did not plan anything today as we were still finalizing our plan to visit Universal Studios Japan sometime this week. Someone woke up quite early for this trip... However, this day suddenly became special when Mr. Toshi surprised us with an announcement that we're going on a road trip to Awajishima (island) in Hyogo Prefecture and then head to Naruto in Tokushima Prefecture to see its famed whirlpools. Crossing Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Upon hearing this, my wife and I immediately prepared, and in less than an hour, we were already on the road. Together with Mr. Toshi's wife, daughter, and their dog Yomogi we drove from their house in Kumatori in Osaka Prefecture to Awaji Rest Area in Awajishima Island   in Hyogo Prefecture. Before reaching it we

Day 9 May 25, 2018 Back to Osaka Greetings from Osaka! Today is a very sunny day. Perfect for exploring the outdoors.  Good morning! However, we decided to just stay mostly at home in the morning to rest and wash the clothes we used in Kyoto. My wife also used this opportunity to cook her incredible macaroni soup dish for our Japanese family.  Time for some eye check-up Time to go home... Preparing our monggo and pork chop dishes ... and of course my wife's special soup. Ella enjoying her hot bath. While she was busy in the kitchen, I accompanied Mr. Toshi to the eye doctor for his checkup. After this, Mr. Toshi and I both excitedly drove back home to try out my wife's dish. I was so happy to hear compliments from Mr. Toshi and his wife while they were trying out the dish. They probably enjoyed it much that they invited us to go to Lalaport (mall) to buy more ingredients to cook more of it that afternoon.  Strolling inside Lalaport (Ma