13/05/2020 / Last updated : 16/08/2020 d.d Drive Chubu Area

Hida Takayama Museum

June 11th. Hida Kaido Nagisa michi no eki is a large place with little going on. There is a sizable information centre with a stuffed serow, a couple of tanuki in comical hats and very little else. From a shachuhaku point of view it is fine, apart from the lack of rubbish bins. Minami Hida Osaka michi no eki We start the day with a drive to Minami Hida Osaka michi no eki. We were hoping to walk to a couple of waterfalls before the rain that is forecast for later in the day. On the way, we are pre-empted and by the time we arrive the rain is relentless. […]

02/05/2020 / Last updated : 07/09/2020 d.d Drive Chubu Area

Hakone Okada Museum of Art and Oshino Hakkai 　岡田美術館、忍野八海

July 4th. Taking the Tokaido A wild, wet and windy night. Torrential rain and the van rocking in the gusts. The morning brings no respite as the rain is still relentless and forecast to be so until lunchtime. There is not a lot we can do, so decide to take a look at the Okada Museum of Art in Hakone. We set off along the coast road, strewn with leaves, branches and the occasional rock, detritus from the storm. Of course, all the places along here that boast a Fuji view are overly optimistic. Finally, we take Route 1., the old Tokaido. This is the route to Edo (modern Tokyo) […]

27/04/2020 / Last updated : 13/09/2020 d.d Drive Kanto Area

Nikko Senjogahara 日光戦場ヶ原 and Tokyo Odaiba お台場

June 25th. Oze Katashina michi no eki, as expected, was an excellent place to stay. The toilet facilities must be the best of any michi no eki in Japan. I have never seen better from Kagoshima to Wakkanai. Unfortunately, due to panic induced by a sudden, torrential downpour, we forgot all about the special toothbrushing room, so that remains untested. Nikko Senjogahara We set off for Nikko, following R.120, to walk at Senjogahara. We have walked here before, in winter, but that did not prepare us for the huge number of school groups. When we returned to the Akanuma car park after our walk, there were 18 tour buses parked. […]

14/02/2020 / Last updated : 17/08/2020 d.d Drive Hokkaido Area

Cape Erimo and “Thoroughbred Ginza”　襟裳岬とサラブレット銀座

June 17th. We were the only people to spend the night at Sarabetsu michi no eki which is a fine place to stay, very quiet despite the proximity of ‘Tokachi Obihiro airport’. The morning is bright and sunny with a stiff breeze, so we take the opportunity to air the car a little before setting off for Cape Erimo. After leaving Sarobetsu, but before hitting the coast, we spot a pair of Tsuru in a meadow. This is a surprise as we are some distance from the Kushiro wetlands and Tsuruimura. Ogondoro or Gold Road The coast, we find, is rocky and wild. The road is known as Ogondoro or […]

12/02/2020 / Last updated : 17/08/2020 d.d Drive Hokkaido Area

Hosooka Viewing Point, Rokka no Mori 　細岡展望台と六花の森

June 15th. Hosooka Viewing Point The morning at Takkoku Campsite is damp and blustery but the only rain is an intermittent sprinkle borne on the wind. For an overall, last look at the wetlands, we set off for the Hosooka Viewing Point. From here there is a good scenic vista of the marshes and the meandering Kushiro River. There is a visitor centre near the viewing point, but parking is limited so it is better to park in the much larger parking area a little lower down. This large car park serves the tiny Kushiro Shitsugen station. The visitor centre is large and provides comfortable armchairs around a huge wood […]

01/02/2020 / Last updated : 17/08/2020 d.d Drive Hokkaido Area

The Taushubetsu Rail Bridge emerges from the water　タウシュベツ橋梁

June 11th. Minami Furano michi no eki is a good place to stay. The parking is flat, the toilets are modern and clean, and it is away from the main road. It is busy in the morning and there are no rubbish bins, but a good place nevertheless.. Shikaribetsuko – Lake Shikaribetsu We head off to Shikaribetsuko but on the way we run into fog at the Karikachi-pass on R.38 and when we drop down to the lake it is mostly covered in mist. The only access to the lake, we find, is by a large hotel. There is a jetty with boats to hire for fishing but little else. […]

01/01/2020 / Last updated : 17/08/2020 d.d Drive Hokkaido Area

Yoichi Nikka Whiskey and Hamanasu no Oka Koen　余市ニッカウィスキー

June 3rd. Yoichi Nikka Whisky Museum Being a Monday, the space museum is closed so we opt for the Nikka Whisky factory/museum instead. This is, surprisingly, busy quite early in the morning. The popularity of the place is probably due to an NHK drama based on Taketsuru Masataka. And his Scottish wife Rita. Taketsuru is the father of Japanese whisky. By chance, we stumbled upon his birthplace (also popular) Takehara in Hiroshima on a previous trip. I had expected to see a working factory as the Nikka Yoichi factory is operational, but the public viewing is confined to historical or replica buildings. Hamanasu no Oka Koen From Yoichi we move […]

26/12/2019 / Last updated : 17/09/2020 d.d Drive Tohoku Area

Bense wetlands-yellow Nikko Kisuge and Takayama Inari Shrine　ベンセ湿原、高山稲荷

May 31st. Bense Wetlands and Nikko Kisuge We leave michi no eki Namioka on a cloudy but dry morning, heading for the Bense Wetlands. On arrival, we are pleasantly surprised to find, that the Nikko Kisuge are in bloom. D. thought it would be too early in the year. Nikko Kisuge are a yellow, wetland flower that romantically bloom at dawn and die at day’s close; to be replaced by another bloom the following morning. They are June /July flowers but were well established and beginning to form an expanse of yellow here at the end of May. They are normally followed by irises that change the carpet from yellow […]