After days of navigating Osaka’s bright lights, buzzing stations, and endless escalators we were ready for something slower. This morning, we packed our bags, said goodbye to takoyaki stalls and towering cityscapes, and jumped aboard the Shinkansen headed for Hikari a small coastal town we’d barely heard of until planning this leg of our trip.

We started our journey at Shin Osaka Station, where even the vending machines are exciting, and boarded a Shinkansen to Shin Yamaguchi. Georgia was glued to the window as we zipped past rice paddies and misty hills, while Dotty was happily munching snacks (and occasionally sharing them with the floor). A quick transfer later, and we rolled into Hikari Station, where the pace of life immediately felt different. Calmer. Softer.

The air here smells like the sea. Not city smog or train grease but clean, salty sea air with a whisper of pine trees. We’re staying just steps from Nijigahama Beach, and it was the first place we walked to no maps, no schedule, just instinct. The beach is wide and peaceful, framed by pine trees and completely uncrowded. Dotty squealed with delight the moment her toes hit the sand. Georgia collected shells. Ali and I just… exhaled.

The rest of the afternoon was a mix of exploring the beach, chasing each other through the shallows, and just being. We didn’t do much and that was exactly the point. No crowds. No timetables. Just time together, in a town that seems to breathe a little slower.

We’ve got a week here in Hikari and we’re already falling for it. Tomorrow, we might hike up to Kanmuriyama Park or visit the little temple up the road. Or maybe… we’ll just come back to this beach and do it all again. Sometimes, the best travel days are the ones that don’t feel like travel at all just living somewhere new.