My latest short trip to Japan was a pretty regular one; being in Korea, so close to the Land of the Rising Sun has its privileges: I was out of my office in Korea and touching down in Fukuoka within 2 hours.
For traveling, an under-utilized 5-day railway pass for Hakata-Hiroshima area was still a good choice: for the cost of about 100 $, I did more than three times that in "regular" travel costs.
My first station was Onomichi, where I took a ferry early in the morning, which took me past Onomichi Dockyard
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705616to Tsuneishi, also with a large shipyard:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705628.
Then, within 5 minutes of returning to Onomichi, I took a bus over Manami Kaido highway, the one that goes south, to the island of Shikoku, over many smaller islands and bridges, to arrive at Imabari. There are also some shipyards along the way:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705653...and some traffic can be seen:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705658Imabari shipyard is at nearby Hashihama, I took a cab there to save the time, only to see that the main access path was closed to all traffic, cars and pedestrians alike, due to some construction work. I guess I made a very convincing disappointed face, as the old worker (god bless him!) who was guarding the site decided to let me through, only really quick.
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705663Then a short train ride to Onishi, with Shin Kurushima Dockyard, and its trademark K-Line red car carriers:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705252Then, a train to Matsuyama, followed by a 2-hour ferry ride to Kure, with the possibility to see the Inland Sea traffic (there was almost none during the passage), and with the opportunity to see all the ships under construction at JMU shipyard in Kure:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705192...and also a major naval base:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705257...and that was all for the first day.
I have returned to Kokura on the northernmost tip of Kyushu Island for the night (because there were no rooms available at Shimonoseki, Saturdays are always tight in Japan as far as hotel rooms are concerned!).
In the morning, a short train ride to Moji, and a cab ride to Kanmon bridge, to enjoy the ever busy Kanmon Straits' traffic:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705822...and than by a pedestrian tunnel under the straits, to Shimonoseki, and its Mitsubishi shipyard, stopping by one of the most famous fishing markets (Karato), to enjoy some sushi, before taking a tour boat to Ganryujima, a place of a famous samurai duel, but also an excellent spot for seeing everything that goes on in Mitsubishi shipyard:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2706180Then, a train ride to Ube, to see the local port. I've never been there, so why not?
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2705578And that was pretty much it, for then I went back to Kokura, to see some Kanmon traffic again and, finally, to Hakata station and Fukuoka airport.