26/05/2022 / Last updated : 18/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Daigo Temple Cherry Blossom　醍醐寺の桜

5th. April. 2022 Daigo Temple Cherry Blossom　醍醐の桜 This is Kyoto day, so we take the Keihan train from Hama-Otsu to Daigo Station on the Tozai (subway line). Daigo Temple is a world heritage site. Its garden has been famous for cherry blossom, at least, since Toyotomi Hideyoshi held a sakura viewing party here in 1598. There is a 1500-yen entrance fee, that I thought a bit steep, but it gives you entrance to 3 sites. I was amused to note two men with padded ladders carefully holding weeping cherry branches clear to allow a couple of large trucks to edge past without disturbing the blossoms. Diago Temple is large and […]

16/02/2022 / Last updated : 18/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

South West Kagoshima Drive　南西鹿児島

December. 2021 Kiire michi no eki　　喜入 Our first shachuhaku night in a long time and we choose a very cold and windy one. Driving down on the west coast of Kagoshima prefecture, we stop for lunch at Izumi. Here, car rocking in the strong wind, we watch tsuru (common and hooded cranes) banking as they come in to land. We planed to visit Fukiagehama to see the longest dunes in Japan but the gale means it is not the right weather for sand. So we just try to find the place for the night. Our first choice of michi no eki, Kinpo Konohanakan, proves to be very open and exposed […]

10/08/2021 / Last updated : 19/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Yamanami Highway, Daikanpo and Nabegataki　やまなみハイウェイ

July 2021, As the pandemic slithers on, long distance travel seems inappropriate, but some relatively local excursions can be excused as contact free. In this spirit we head for Aso. This volcanic vent in central Kyushu is really outstanding and the surrounding area is spectacular in different, calmer ways. Today, we skirt the edge of the Aso caldera and visit Daikanpo. This is a viewing spot on the edge of the caldera that provides a view of the active volcano that is the centre of Mount Aso with all its attendant peaks. The most identifiable being the ragged skyline of Neko-dake. From this viewpoint, one can gain a clear idea […]

19/02/2021 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Kunisaki Peninsula – Antony Gormley　国東半島

December 2020 Kunimi michi no eki was a very peaceful place to stay. We were the only vehicle staying overnight and the road itself was almost as silent as the bright, cold night, stars and half-moon hanging overhead. Itsutsuji Fudoson – Antony Gormley 　五辻不動尊 Our first stop of the day is to be Itsutsuji Fudoson. This is a shrine clinging to a rugged crag high in the Kunisaki Peninsula. Since the 2016 Kunisaki Art Project, the shrine has shared this outcrop with an Antony Gormley figure “Another Time XX”. The figure stands on a rocky ledge, just below the shrine, staring out over a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape […]

03/02/2021 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Matama Beach sunset, Kunisaki Hanto 真玉海岸、国東半島

December 2020 Considering a trip to Kunisaki Hanto (peninsula) and checking places to visit, we discover that today, forecast to be bright and sunny coupled with a low tide, is an optimum time to check Matama Beach. This beach in Kunisaki is famous for its spectacular sunsets. So, at short notice we load the van and set off, heading first for Kita-Kyushu and then taking the Higashi Kyushu highway towards Oita. This is mainly a one lane highway which makes for boring driving, but the traffic is light even on a fine Saturday. Matama Beach We exit the Higashi-Kyushu highway at Koge Parking Area and follow local roads to Matama […]

22/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Taketomi island, snorkeling and cycling　竹富島

Jan. 2020 Up at 7 am on snorkeling day. A quick, convenience store sandwich breakfast as the diving school guy is picking us up at 8, outside our hotel. At the port, we find there are only two other people on this trip. They are planning to dive whilst we are only going to snorkel. We set off and, surprisingly far from the shore, we finish pushing into our wet suits and take to the water. Snorkeling This is my, indeed our, first experience of wet suits and it was colder than I had anticipated. Not seriously uncomfortable but a periodic shock as a wave sloshed down my neck and […]

17/12/2020 / Last updated : 23/02/2023 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Ishigaki island, glass bottomed boat trip 石垣島

Jan. 2020 We have the complimentary breakfast. D enjoys this and says I shouldn’t complain as it is free. She is right, of course, but I can’t really enjoy miso soup in the morning, free or not. Pottery Street 　壺屋やちむん通り We have some time to fill before our flight to Ishigaki-jima. Not enough to do very much, but too much to ignore. We opt to wander, with laden rucksacks, and visit the pottery street ‘Tsuboya Yachimun Street’. This is, obviously, located not far from where we were staying. The street is cobblestones with old shops and houses, good for wandering. It is still too early for most of the shops, […]

06/08/2020 / Last updated : 01/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Uchiko and Shikoku Karst 内子、四国カルスト

October 2019, Tenku no sato Sansan and Uchiko Fresh Park Karari michi no eki Tenku no sato Sansan michi no eki is a good place to stay. It is not the first time for us to stay here so it holds up on a second visit. This, despite the torrential rain all night that remains solid in the morning. There is extremely heavy, low cloud all around. Absolutely no chance of climbing Mt. Ishizuchi today, though the weather is forecast to clear by the afternoon. We set off for Uchiko, a town with a preserved historical district. On arrival, we park at Uchiko Fresh Park Karari michi no eki. This […]

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