25/07/2019 / Last updated : 01/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Noto Hanto Art and Tiny Rice Terraces　能登半島

October 2017, Well, what a wet night at Himi michi no eki and, sadly an equally wet morning. We are marooned in the car as the rain lashes around. About 10 am the rain begins to ease, and it is possible to venture outside in the, still, intermittent rain. And so begins our tour of Noto Hanto (peninsula). We drive, in a very leisurely fashion, as there is little else to do. Pulling into the michi-no-eki at Noto Shokusai Ichiba, we look at fish. We leave around lunchtime and head on up the peninsula. Mitsukejima　　見附島 At Mitsukejima or Gunkanjima (warship island) we make a stop, so called because the steep […]

21/07/2019 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Tateyama Caldera Sabo Museum and Shomyo Falls　立山称名滝

October 2017, Tateyama Caldera Museum We wake to bright sunshine around 7.30 after a quiet night at Tateyama station. To start the day, we visit the Tateyama Caldera Museum or exhibition centre. This does not open until 9.30 but a friendly gentleman allows us in, even though it is barely a quarter past. Once inside, he explains to us the geological features of the caldera and the reason the government, local or national, both perhaps, I am not sure, have been working for 100 years to minimize the devastation that will occur if another eruption and destructive lava flow happen. It is obvious, from the scale models, that such an […]

01/07/2019 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Ainokura Traditional Houses in Gokayama　五箇山

October 2017, Michi no eki Alp Hida Furukawa Last night’s michi-no-eki Alp Hida Furukawa is, in retrospect, worth recommending as a Shachuhaku spot – large car park, spacious toilet and rubbish bins provided. It was also quiet but that may have been due to the incessant rain. The rain persists and we wonder how to spend the day. Finally, we decide to drive towards Shirakawago, as this is a scenic route, and visit Ainokura. Ainokura has houses similar to those of Shirakawago but fewer in number and in a less picturesque setting. It also has far […]

27/05/2019 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Sanjusangendo and La Collina at Omihachiman　三十三間堂、近江八幡

October 2017, Sanjusangen-do　　三十三間堂 After an uneventful and unexpectedly quiet night, being right on Route 9., we left Gareria Kameoka around 9am. for the drive into Kyoto.We follow R9 into the city and find the free car park in front of Sanjusangen-do. This parking is for the temple and free for 40 minutes but although we stayed for an hour and a half the attendants did not seem bothered at all. The temple is one of the very famous Kyoto temples and is well worth a visit. A very long main hall houses the thousand Buddhist images flanking the main large seated Kannon. Of these 1000 images 124 were made in […]

21/05/2019 / Last updated : 12/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Susa Hornfels, Toyota Lake and Shimonoseki Fish Market　須佐、豊田湖、下関

Day 94, December 2016, Very unsettled weather this morning, blustery with patchy sunshine and very dark, threatening clouds around. D. is on-line, doing some research, so I go for a short stroll to the nearby river. I notice two rainbows and, as I am admiring them, I realize one is between me and a nearby clump of trees. I make a break for the car but I am too late and am caught in the downpour. We sit in the car, in the pouring rain, wondering where to go as our destination for the night is only a couple of hours away. We decide to head for Hagi and then […]

27/04/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Criss-crossing Lake Biwa to Hieizan Enryakuji　琵琶湖、比叡山延暦寺

Day 84, November 2016, Lake Biwa Ohashi Yet another chill morning, the sun is up but not very effective, as we set off for Hieizan. The countryside is flat and the roads straight, as we approach Lake Biwa. The landscape is mainly agricultural with large factories dotted about. Closer to the lake, we can see the mountain peaks rising above the clouds on the other side. After crossing the toll bridge, to the Kyoto side, we stop at the michi no eki ‘Lake Biwa Ohashi kome Plaza‘ to take a look at the lake. Sadly, the lake cannot really be seen. After taking the wrong exit out of the car […]

09/04/2019 / Last updated : 19/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Koyasan – Kongobuji and Jisonin　高野山

Day 81, November 2016, Due to the revving of car engines and people chattering, I wake early on a damp misty morning to discover that michi no eki Kudoyama is a meeting point for Suzuki Jimny fans. More and more of the 660 cc. jeeps were arriving every minute, I had no idea they were so popular. We leave the michi no eki and head for Koyasan as the rain arrives. I can feel my muscles complaining as I swing from side to side, winding the car round the incessant bends. I don’t think I have ever felt that sensation before in all my years of driving. Is it the […]

29/03/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Tamaki Shrine and Tanize Suspension Bridge　玉置神社

Day 80, November 2016, Another damp, chilly morning, the hills are draped in mist but the higher peaks are in sunshine. Unfortunately, we are deep in shade in a river valley. The river itself is mostly lost in the sea of gravel that forms its bed. We depart, heading for some elusive shrine up the hillside. Tamaki Jinja (Shrine) When we arrive at the spot where the footpath to the shrine begins, the road is very narrow and there is absolutely nowhere to park so, we give up. As we descend, we pass a local bus going up and realize that the only way to access the shrine is by […]