So a friend of mine I used to hang out while he was getting trained at a acupuncture place in Nagoya. He is back in his hometown and I decided to visit him to see his face to make sure he is doing okay, and also there is a lighthouse in the town so it would be nice to check it out.
Getting up at 5:00am, stretched my body, packed items and left home at 7:00am under sunny sky. Drove on Route 302 to Nagoya IC for Tomei Expressway under not so congested traffic. It was much easier than I was expecting despite of the holiday weekend. Getting on the expressway at 7:20am, began driving at 100km/h.
Driving on Tomei
Expressway at 7:46am
Yuri Tunnel,
crossing into Shizuoka Pref. at 8:05am
The drive to Omaezaki was smooth, it was sunny and the road was mostly clear of traffic. Entering Uri Tunnel at 8:05am near Shinshiro city, crossing into Shizuoka Prefecture, which is my first time driving out of Aichi. Crossing over Lake Hamanako, and I kept going. Getting off at Sagara-Makinohara IC around 8:45am, and drove on Route 473 to south toward Omaezaki. The road did not have posted speed limit so it was assumed to be at 60kmph. There were cars lined up behind me so I occasionally used emergency evacuation zone to let them pass. The road ended and entered into local road. I drove to my friend's place.
Driving on Route
473 south to Omaezaki, I can see windmills...
After getting there, I let my friend drive his car to take me around since I am not familiar with the locations. My friend took me to the lighthouse, which we paid 200 Yen each to enter, going up spiral stairs and spent 20 minutes up there looking around. It was a bit hazy so I could not see Mt. Fuji from there but I can look over the Pacific Ocean, I can see rocks in the water, no wonder many ship wrecked in there.
Lighthouse at Omaezaki
View from Lighthouse to west, I can see Hamaoka Nuclear Plant in far
Another view from the lighthouse, it's rocky under the sea
There is a house right by and the exhibit shows there was a movie shot at this place. I did not know.
After this short trip, my friend took me to a local market and we killed some time until close to 11:00am by looking at fresh fishes and other locally grown vegetables. When the nearby restaurant start taking names, we drove up there and got the 6th slot for the day. We had lunch together at a local Japanese restaurant.
Lunch Set for
about 2,000Yen
The lunch was good, probably some of them must have come from the local market. It was also fun looking over the kitchen people preparing dishes and thinking of how to maximize their efficiency. After the lunch, my friend took me to Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. There is a building with many exhibits, and the air-conditioning was totally working. We walked into the building and took a tour. There is an observation deck which I can see the whole power plant (but you cannot take pictures).
A couple of
buildings adjacent to the power plant are open to public
Mock up of
nuclear reactor
Coming back to Omaezaki, I bid farewell to my friend and left the place around 2:00pm. I began driving back on Rout 473, which is now I need to go up hill so not much fuel efficiency is expected. The cars lined up but I did not care much since I was keeping the pace. However, I get overtaken once at no-passing zone by a couple of crazy drivers going down the hill with full speed. Arrived at the IC entrance at 2:20pm for Tomei Express Way and I drove under sunny sky. As I was recommended, I made a stop at Lake Hamanako Parking Area to buy some snacks. It was just hot and even I was taking a walk, it made me sweat.
3:10pm at
Lake Hamanako
Resumed my returning trip, getting off from the Expressway at Nagoya IC at 4:00pm and took Route 302 home. I relaxed at my apartment but I had a reunion party of middle school in the evening and I stayed there until 9:30pm, come home, going to bed around 11:00pm.
Cost
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