13/07/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Tsuwano to Hagi　津和野、萩

April 2022, From michi no eki Goutsu we drive to Tsuwano. Even on a weekend, these Shimanae/Yamaguchi roads winding through mountains are an empty delight. Tsuwano Tsuwano, we wander without real enthusiasm. Years ago, I was impressed by this place with its whitewashed buildings and carp filled drains but now it just seems lifeless. Perhaps I am just jaded. We find ourselves eating a convenience store lunch a railway bridge close-by on our right. There is another person hanging around, whom we suspect to be a railway buff, waiting for a train to cross the perhaps Meiji era bridge. D. checks the timetable, but the next train is not due […]

10/07/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Kurayoshi-White wall warehouse　倉吉

April 2022, The morning in Nishi Inaba Kirari is overcast with the sun trying to break through the clouds but it has abandoned the project by 9am. Kurayoshi We had planned to hike on Daisen, but the rain is forecast to begin before we reach the mountain, so we wander around Kurayoshi. This has an area of preserved houses and white plaster walled warehouses (Kura). These run along a shallow canal crossed by stone slab bridges. It is not as picturesque as Hida Furukawa nor as interesting a place in itself but pleasant enough for a wander. By the time we leave Kurayoshi and head towards Daisen, the weather is […]

26/05/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Kanazawa Walk　金沢歩き

7th. April, 2022 Kenrokuen　　兼六園 A beautiful, fine morning as we walk a few hundred metres to Kenrokuen a large park in the city centre. It is adjacent to City hall and a large, modern art museum ‘Kanazawa 21century Museum’. Kenrokuen is one of three famous Japanese gardens (The other two are in Mito and Okayama), it was created in the Edo era by a Daimyo in Kaga. There is as a rule an entrance fee to Kenrokuen but, unusually, in cherry blossom season this fee is waived. There are various paths to follow, a couple ponds and blossoms everywhere. In a separate area there is a plum grove, but these […]

26/05/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 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 […]

17/12/2020 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 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, […]

22/10/2020 / Last updated : 10/10/2021 d.d Extra Edition-Okinawa

Ruined Shuri castle and izakaya 首里城

January 2020 Shuri Castle From the Naha airport, we take the monorail to Shuri Station and, after dropping our bags in a coin locker, walk to the famous castle. On the way we have a Family Mart. Picnic in a small park by a pond with many demanding ducks, snapping turtles, a mongoose? And a cat. It is hot, in January, much hotter than we expected but when we get to the castle hill there is a pleasant breeze. Even though it is not really tourist season and the main building recently burnt down, there are a surprising number of people at the castle but not crowded by any means. […]

18/08/2020 / Last updated : 20/11/2022 d.d Shikoku - Nara Road Trip '19

Yusuhara – Architectural wonders in the mountains – and Yasui Gorge 梼原、安居渓谷

October 30th. Yusuhara michi no eki Yusuhara michi no eki , against expectations, transpires to be a good shachuhaku spot. The upper part of the onsen car park, just below the hotel, is quiet and dark and not really so far from the toilet. A good night, with a very beautiful, starry sky. The stars are one of the pluses of getting up in the night. No, there aren’t any others. Update. October 22nd. 2022 This Michi no eki no longer exists as a shachuhaku spot. The 24-hour toilets have been demolished and one is referred to the public toilets about 200 metres up the hill. Yusuhara Town In the […]

30/04/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Nishi-Izu, Matsuzaki and Dogashima　西伊豆

July 2019, Shimogamo Onsen Yunohana is not a bad place to stay but it is low lying, backs on to a river and is surrounded by foliage. In the rainy season it is hot and full of mosquitoes. Our night was not as bad as I make this sound and we both slept well. The dismal weather is a problem. This area is famous for views of Mt. Fuji and that is out of the question. As we drive the coast road R.136, the glimpses of the cliffs and coastline urge us to stop and admire the scenery. However, as in many areas like this, where the land drops abruptly […]

town walk