Japan
Sept 2018
Tokyo
Around the Tsukiji fish market
Meiji Shrine
Nezu Shrine, known for its
Torii gates
The cool Sunny Fields
pineapple tart Tokyo store, constructed
from interlocking timber…
Plastic food…
Pampered pooches at their
salon in Roppongi Hills.
Nakasendo Way
The Nakasendo
Way is an ancient pathway between Kyoto to Tokyo, dating back to the
Edo period from the
1600s.
We spent 6 days walking (and catching the train) along this
path, staying in traditional
guesthouses along the way.
Day 1: Yokokawa to Karuizawa
This 18km walk nearly broke
us. It was humid and uphill 800m. Along the way we had to remove around 15
leeches
from our legs and
feet.
A view from the train
Overnight in Matsumoto
Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto is the hometown
of Japan’s famous artist, Yayoi Kusama
Day 2: Kiso-Hirasawa to Narai
The beautiful main street
of Narai
Everyone loves a good
stamp to mark your travels
Day 3: Narai to Yabuhara
Are there really bears in
“them there hills”?
Where’s Katy?
Bells are placed along
the way to ward off those pesky bears (or it alerts them
to a tasty human snack)
Day 4: Nagiso to Tsumago
The impressive Momosuke timber and cable suspension bridge
Tsumago – another gorgeous little
village
Persimmon sorbet
Such a beautiful meal
prepared by our guesthouse
Crickets. Surprisingly sweet and
delicious!!
Day 5: Tsumago to Magome
A welcome little tea
house at the top of the pass
providing free refreshments
Arriving in Magome
Competition is hot
amongst the little guesthouses. We didn’t go hungry.
The amazing Shinkansen bullet train.
At over 280km/hr our ride
to Kyoto was over pretty quickly.
Kyoto
A slipper for every
occasion…even at the coin laundry
We found this amazing
little sushi restaurant
The sushi master was this
beautiful 65 year old man. He has been making
sushi for 47 years. It took
him 17 years of training to become a sushi master,
after starting at the age of
17.
Ginka-kuji, the
silver temple.
Some experimenting with
the tilt-shift setting
Another Yayoi Kusama exhibition. She loves pumpkins.
The twin dragons ceiling
took two years to paint.
More tilt-shift
experimentation…
Our first okonomiyaki
Kinka-kuji, the
golden temple.
The beautiful gardens of Taizo-in Temple
Arashiyama bamboo grove
Fantastic little yakitori
restaurant
A pilot’s licence is
needed to work this out
Naoshima
Naoshima is a little island,
within the inland sea, renowned for its art.
More fast trains to get
us there
Shinkansen picnic
The little local train to
Uno Port
Arriving at the port of Naoshima, another pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama
Another expert preparing
okonomiyaki for us
Guess which umbrellas
Katy & I put back.
We did a day trip via
ferry to Teshima Art Museum. No photos allowed, so
here’s a link
to see its fantastic
underground art installation:
https://www.designboom.com/architecture/ryue-nishizawa-teshima-art-museum/
Naoshima bath house is an
eclectic art installation in itself.
Purchase tickets before
entering the bath house
World’s best ramen while
waiting for the train at Uno
Osaka
Delicious (and huge!)
oysters
Osaka Castle
Shitenoji Temple
Lion’s head temple
Moss covered Buddha
caused by the water people throw during their prayer.
Chef’s knives for every
occasion, including sashimi of course
Can you guess what they
serve here?
Up bright and early for
the 4:15am tuna auction. Yes, 4:15am!
A fast-paced frenzy of
bidding.
Tied bids bizarrely decided by rock, paper, scissors.
[Click here to see the action]
Back on the Shinkansen to Hakone
Hakone
Gora Park
A bonsai exhibition
Matcha tea
The Hakone Open Air
Museum punches above its weight in terms of international artists
Loads of Henry Moore
We named this Antony Gormley piece Splat Man
Gora Brewery. Beers in the outdoor footbath,
fed from the hot spring
A modern interpretation
of Monet’s waterlily pond
The little train up the
mountains (steepest in the world), complete
with multiple switchbacks
