FRIDAY 19TH MAY - NORBORIBETSU

Well here we are. Having been collected from our hotel in Kyoto at 6:00 am this morning for the almost two hour road trip to Kansai airport followed by a further almost two hours flight to Chitose Airport, we collected our little pedal car, a Toyota Vitz allegedly able to carry five and are now settled at the Norboribetsu Grand Hotel.

The car is flat out carrying us and our luggage but it got us here. Collecting it was fun in that the staff member looking after us had very little English but, fortunately a staff member with a little more English came to our rescue. The good news is that the GPS talks to us in English and is programmed by inserting the phone number of our destination. Very clever.

This afternoon we explored the reason the resort town exists, the thermal area. Jigokudani apparently means Hell Valley. There is a network of tracks easily accessible from our accommodation which transverse the area.

Lake Oyunama is a seething mass of sulphurous water, apparently a source of tons of sulphur in times past.

It came as no surprise that this is a volcanic area.

An unexpected bonus today was the cherry blossom tree we found.

Before moving on to Hakodate tomorrow, we will explore the local area a little more widely by car but I suspect that what we saw this afternoon is the most interesting.

Because it is a thermal area, each of the hotels has an onsen. I will be exploring the one in our hotel later tonight, appropriately dressed of course. I am fairly confident that I won't bump into anybody I know. Apparently there is an outdoor pool. Sounds great.

THURSDAY 18TH MAY - FREE DAY IN KYOTO

 

As previously stated, there were no planned activities for today so we went off exploring on our own, attempting to master the Kyoto rail system as part of the process.

 

Our first stop was at Saga Arishiyama from where we walked the Bamboo Grove.

That led us to the station for the Sagano Scenic Railway, a railway formerly used for transporting timber which followed a very scenic river in mountainous country. We were in an open carriage. Great fun.

 

From there, back to Kyoto station where we headed off in a different direction to Demachiyangi where we got on board what can only be described as a form of rail motor as far as Yase-Hieizanguchi.

We then swapped to the Cable Yase.

Followed finally by the Eizan Ropeway. That took us to a plateau 812 metres above sea level from which we had a great view of Lake Blwa, the largest body of fresh water in Japan.

Tonight we had a very pleasant farewell dinner and said goodbye to Maya and our new found friends. Tomorrow Hokkaido and some independent exploring.

WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY - KYOTO

 

Today was our last structured day in that, while the tour doesn't officially finish until breakfast time on Friday, tomorrow is a free day apart from a farewell dinner tomorrow night so we will have some fun on the Kyoto public transport system tomorrow.

 

The day was very much an ABS day, another bloody shrine. But it worked out better than I was expecting it to be. We started at the The Golden Pavilion – Rokuon-Ji Buddhist Temple. It is a relatively simple building by temple standards dating back to 1397 but located in a very picturesque garden. Its notable feature is the fact that its exterior is finished in gold leaf.

 

From there, we went to the Shimogano Shrine. It was a much more impressive complex of buildings but its feature of note is its garden. Again very well done with the usual network of water channels running through it.

 

On the way to lunch, we walked through a geiko district (as the geisha girls are referred to here) and we happened upon two of them walking down the street. The one on the right is a geiko. The one on the left is a meiko, an apprentice geiko.

Lunch was provided today, but in a very Japanese buffet restaurant where they didn't even provide English descriptions for the wide variety of food on offer – but we managed very well. Seven 11 salads for dinner tonight.

After lunch, we were treated to a Japanese Tea ceremony, a much more complicated ceremonial event than one might expect.

Our last stop was the Sanjusangen-do Buddhist Temple dating back to 1164 where there there are 1000 statues on display. As you might expect, the building is very large but photography is not permitted, so no photos. 

This evening, we went exploring the railway station building itself. I have a vague recollection that we were told that it was designed by the same architect who designed the Umeda Sky building in Osaka. It certainly has some similar features.

Railway stations in metropolitan Japanese cities are mini cities in their own right.

It has a light show feature built into a vast set of steps which go up about ten floors of the building above the station.

 

 As you walk down the stairs, you have no idea that you are in the middle of a light show but, from the bottom it is spectacular.

I am having another go at uploading a movie.

Nearby is the Kyoto tower, the highest structure in Kyoto, built in 1964 to celebrate the opening of the Shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics.

TUESDAY 16TH MAY - HIMEJI

A leisurely start today. This morning's meeting time was 9:30 at which time we went to the station to get on a bullet train to Himeji. Having spent most of the day there, we are now back on the bullet train heading for Kyoto, our last ride. We are in Kyoto for three nights before heading for Hoddaiko for our independent adventure.

 

Our first activity in Himeji was a tour of the Himeji Castle, said to be Japan's most beautiful surviving feudal castle. Construction commenced in 1647. What is different about the castle is that it has never been the subject of any attempt at destruction so, apart from necessary maintenance work, it is in original condition.

From there, we went to the adjacent Koko-en Japanese garden. While not as impressive as the garden in Kanazawa, it was well worth a visit.
 

We spend tomorrow touring Kyoto with the following day, the last day of the tour, a free day to do our own thing. I tried an experiment of uploading a movie of a bullet train accelerating as it leaves the station. I wonder if it will work.

MONDAY 15TH MAY - HIROSHIMA

Another very active day. The picture above is from our hotel room on the 14^th floor of the Hotel Granvia, again virtually part of the railway station so transport is easy.

 

This morning we headed by train and ferry to the World Heritage listed Miyajima Island where the signature attraction is the Itsukushimajinja Shinto Shrine, originally built in 593.

A particular feature is the O-Torii Gate situated out in the water The present gate, which is the eighth, was erected in 1875. Note the paddle boarders passing by.

Needless to say, the island also has its shopping area with numerous exotic food and souvenir stores. It also has a community of deer who like pinching food or, in my case, a brochure I had protruding out of my back pocket.

The island has many other temples, some of which are accessible by a ropeway which gives access to Mt. Misen, the highest mountain on the island.

It has spectacular Whitsunday like views.

 From there, we went by ferry, train and tram to Peace Park and the Peace Memorial museum – very sobering. It is estimated that 140,000 died at 8:15am on August 6 1945 or within a year thereafter.

It is also estimated that the remains of 70,000 people who could not be identified are buried under a mound within the Peace Park. Hirohima's deepest wish is the elimination of all nuclear weapons and the realization of a genuinely peaceful international community. Quite ironic really with North Korea just across the water.

We are back on the bullet train in the morning to Himeji for a tour of the Himeji Castle and Koko-en Garden then on to Kyoto for the final three nights of the tour.

 

SUNDAY14TH MAY - MOTHER'S DAY IN OSAKA

It's been a little cool these last few days but we are back to 27 degree weather as we head a little further south. This is the view from our Osaka hotel window on the 23^rd floor, right next to and virtually part of the station.

 

As we approached Osaka in the train yesterday afternoon, we passed an enormous statue perched on top of a hill. The photo doesn't show the scale but it was perhaps a 100 metres high. We have no idea what its significance is.

Our first activity this morning was to visit the Osaka castle. It is virtually a museum to Japanese shogun history but the building and grounds are pretty interesting. The current castle is the third on site, the first two having been destroyed and rebuilt as a result of disputes between warring factions hundreds of years ago. The current castle was built in 1951.

It has distinctive rock walls as part of its defences with very large rocks put in place centuries ago with only the assistance of very primitive technology.

The contrast between the ancient and the modern is striking.

 

From the castle, we went to the shopping area of Osaka. It didn't sound very attractive in prospect but incredible to observe with a very nice little river running through the middle of it.

 

Finally, we visited the Umeda Sky Building, an award winning building designed and built in the 1990's. It has a unique roof top structure promoted as floating garden but there is nothing horticultural up there. The viewing platform is 170 metres high, about half the height of Skytree in Tokyo but the views of Osaka are extensive as you would expect.

The Osaka Castle is clearly visible.

As was a solitary water skier on the river. It doesn't appear that much recreational boating activity takes place here.

This afternoon, we got back on the bullet train (Shinkansen) heading for Hiroshima where we are spending tonight and tomorrow night. We will be doing some sightseeing here tomorrow. No doubt it will be a sobering experience.

 

This evening, we did our usual trick of finding somewhere to have a beer and a wine, then went looking for somewhere pleasant for dinner. Once again, we found a very Japanese restaurant with a translated English menu and enjoyed pork, vegetables, salad, rice and miso soup. We are getting pretty competent with the chopsticks being the only utensils offered.

 

 

SATURDAY 13TH MAY - KANAWAZA SIGHTSEEING

After arriving in Kanazawa yesterday afternoon we visited the apparently famous station with its very large glass dome roof and impressive structure out the front. I don't recall whether we were told the significance of the structure but it is hard to miss.

And it has a very clever fountain.

We vacated our very luxurious hotel this morning and headed for the Higashi Chaya District, a tea house area frequented by geisha girls where we visited a gold leaf factory with an associated retail outlet. We didn't see the process of turning small gold bars into microscopically thin gold leaf but we did see how they trimmed random sheets of gold leaf into precise square pieces for gold plating.

They gave us an insight as to how the gold plated effect is achieved in temples and other decorative areas. They even had gold plated walls in their toilets.

From there we went to the very impressive and famous Kenroku-en Garden developed about 300 years ago.

As is so common in this part of Japan, it has numerous waterways running through it, originally constructed for fire fighting purposes after a major fire several hundred years ago.

 

We then went to the Naga-machi Buke Yashiki District, the home of high level and medium level Samurai in the Samurai era. We gained an insight into how they and their servants lived.

 

As I am typing this, we are on Thunderbird #30 heading for Osaka. Before catching the train, we spent some time in the local fish market – similar produce to what we saw in Tokyo but much tidier in presentation.

Osaka tomorrow.