24/02/2021 / Last updated : 10/10/2021 d.d Kyushu 2020-21

Rakan-ji, one of our favourite temples, and the Yabakei Gorge　羅漢寺、耶馬溪

December. 2020 Nakatsu michi-no-eki Wake in Nakatsu michi-no-eki (roadside station) on a cold bright morning. This is the second time to spend the night at this michi-no-eki and it stands up well to a return visit. Parking, at the far end, from the truck park, by the side of the information centre is quiet, secluded, to some extent, and near the toilet. Good clean facilities but I don’t recall any flowers. This michi-no-eki has a restaurant that also provides take out and a large market selling local vegetables, meat, fish ,specialty, Bento and so on. So large, in fact, that they provide shopping trollies something unusual in a michi-no-eki. D. […]

19/02/2021 / Last updated : 29/10/2021 d.d Kyushu 2020-21

Kunisaki Peninsula – Antony Gormley　国東半島

Dec 2020 day two 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 […]

16/09/2020 / Last updated : 30/10/2021 d.d Drive Kansai Area

Yagyu Kaido Takisaka-no-michi　柳生街道　滝坂の道

November 2nd. Bus to Enjoji-temple We leave Resti Karako Kagi early. We have to catch a bus to Ishiuchi from in front of Nara Kintetsu station at 9.15. This bus will take us to Ninnikusan bus stop. A fare of 660 yen. This stop is next to Enjoji Temple which has a splendid garden, a pond and a very famous statue by Unkei. On this occasion, we do not visit the temple but cross the road in front of it and take the Yagyu Kaido Takisaka no Michi back to Nara where we have parked the car. This is a walk of about 12 kilometres. At this point the path […]

07/09/2020 / Last updated : 30/10/2021 d.d Drive Kansai Area

Onaruto Bridge to Horyuji　大鳴門橋、法隆寺

November 1st. Hina no Sato Katsuura michi no eki A very quiet night at Hina no Sato Katsuura michi no eki. Ours was the only vehicle in a very large car park and the road, after the evening rush, was largely devoid of traffic. The facilities are reasonable but during the morning busy period prove to be rather too small. This is because the adjoining JA vegetable market is very popular. This area of Shikoku we have explored on previous trips, so after filling up with fuel, (for some reason I cannot fathom, Tokushima-ken has significantly cheaper fuel than most other places) we head out on the highway across Awaji-shima […]

03/06/2020 / Last updated : 11/10/2021 d.d Drive Kansai Area

Ohara Sanzenin to Miyama 大原三千院、美山

June 14th. Leave Nanamori Kiyomi michi no eki with an end of trip feeling. We are definitely heading home. Nanamori Kiyomi michi no eki, however, deserves some recognition. It is a good place to stay. The toilets are clean and relatively modern, and the flowers are changed daily. (This is always an excellent sign.) The vegetable shop is cheap and popular. The michi no eki is also very convenient for Takayama, as a short, free highway leads directly into the town. We, on the other hand, now head for Gujo Hachiman on the Seseragi Kaido (R.257, R472). This is a good road to drive and far from busy in the […]

11/05/2020 / Last updated : 11/10/2021 d.d Drive Chubu Area

Obuse, Hokusai’s Phoenix ceiling 小布施

July 9th. Obuse michi no eki Obuse is a strange michi no eki in that there is parking underneath the main building. This is good in the rain. Unfortunately, the elevator from the parking area to the toilet stops at 8 pm. After that you have a long trek outside and up some steps. A long way in the wet. It is also noisy, as the road, just off a highway interchange and at a crossroads, is very busy. On the other hand, the toilets are very good and rubbish bins are provided. There is also a park and a restaurant. On this visit it was all under wraps as […]

25/04/2020 / Last updated : 13/10/2021 d.d Drive Chubu Area

Eirinji Temple and Ishikawa Uncho 石川雲蝶, Michelangelo of Echigo

June 24th. Eirin-ji Temple and the Echigo Michelangelo　永林寺 The morning at Minami Uonuma michi no eki is dismal wet. Relentless rain and heavy, dark clouds piled up around the mountain as we set out for Eirin-ji temple. This unprepossessing, out of the way temple is home to the works of Ishikawa Uncho. A late Edo and early Meiji period artist, he was a master of wood carving, painting and plaster relief. He worked mainly in Niigata so became known as the Michelangelo of Echigo, the old name for Niigata. His work impressed us in various ways. The incredible skill of his 3-D wood carving, some incorporating perspective and some double […]

01/12/2019 / Last updated : 17/10/2021 d.d Drive Kansai Area

Wakakusayama and Unkei statues　若草山

November 20th. Resuty Karako・Kagi michi no eki Resuty Karako・Kagi, proves to be a good place to stay and with easy access to Nara. A look around the shop shows it offers a wide range of produce, vegetables, meat and a few bentos. It also has a bakery, a restaurant and sells clothes and trinkets. Also, within walking distance, are the Karako Kagi Remains, now a park featuring the Yayoi era. Wakakusayama　　若草山 We leave, and make for the Nara Okuyama Driveway. This is not what we expected at all and we find ourselves in a car park at the top of Wakakusayama overlooking Nara. This is a viewing spot but if […]