Bucket List

Since our time is getting short here, Ian and I decided to write down achievable goals before we leave.  (I say “achievable” because there’s no use in putting “go to Hokkaido” on the list.  There’s no way that we’ll make it to Hokkaido in the short time we have left, and we don’t want to fail at items on the list.)  Without further introduction, here’s the list (in no particular order);

1) Visit Aoshima one last time.  Aoshima was my FAVORITE Japanese beach that I visited, and it’s only a mere 2.5 hours from us.  The beach is natural—not a short man made strip of sand like what many Japanese beaches are like.  It’s gorgeous and has the island of Aoshima with some crazy rock formations to explore.  When the tide rolls out, there are TONS of fun tidal pools to explore.

2) Take the 219 to Miyazaki.  I’ve never been past Yunomae in a car on the 219.  It’s supposed to be a beautiful drive that winds through the mountains to Miyazaki City, and I’d like to drive it….just once.

3) Take the Hitoyoshi looped bridge to Ebino.  This is also supposed to be a rather beautiful drive.  If it’s one weak spot that I have here, it’s a gorgeous mountain drive.  I want to soak up all of the pretty mountain views before returning to flat Kentucky.

4) Hike in Ebino one more time.  The Ebino highlands were a fantastic place to hike, and I wouldn’t mind returning there for one last hike.  Plus, it’s not terribly far from Hitoyoshi.

5) Beach camping.  With rainy season approaching, I feel like this goal might be a little more on the difficult side to achieve, but we’re certainly going to try!  The night we camped on the beach was one without much sleep but still one heck of an experience!

6) All day picnic by the river.  I enjoy spending lazy days by the Kumagawa, and as long as we have a couple of nice weather days, we can eat, drink, and be merry for a whole day.

7) Swim in our swimming hole at the pretty bridge place.  We’ve had countless fun times at the swimming hole, and I want to spend at least one more day there.  The water is probably beginning to be warm enough for swimming, and even if it’s not, who cares??

8) Find One Tree Hill.  Ian and I have a nickname for one of the hills that we pass by on the Fruity Road, One Tree Hill.  As you might imagine, it looks like a pasture with only one tree on it.  From a distance, it looks easy to find.  However, the road twists and turns to the point where it seems impossible to actually locate it.  However, this is our goal!

9) Rainy season rafting.  This one is Ian’s idea.  We rafted the Kumagawa before, and that was enough for me.  What’s exciting about rafting it during rainy season is that the river is swollen and currents are stronger, so it’s much more of an adventure.  While it was a fun adventure when we did it, it’s rather pricey, coming in at nearly $200 for the both of us. 

10) Eat at Everest.  Dare I call it our favorite restaurant?  I can’t count the number of times we’ve eaten at Everest in the past two years.  The Nepalese food is delicious, cheap, and the owners are always so happy to see us in there!  Currently it’s closed for renovations, but it’ll open up again at the end of June.  We must go at least one more time!

I’m almost certain that this list isn’t complete, but these activities will definitely keep us busy for a while.  We’re crossing off the first two items on the list this weekend when we go to the beach, so I feel like we’re making great headway!