Today was primarily a travel day, but even so, it was very enjoyable.
We drove to a town called Takamatsu, on the smallest island on the inland sea.

These hazy, misty shots were taken from the bus as we went over the bridge to the island.

Then I saw this spoiler for my next holiday in 9 days.

We were at Ritsurin Garden, a lovely place right at the foot of the mountain. Ben talked to us of the concept of “borrowed space “, where a garden uses vistas from beyond its borders to create a feeling of more space.

This garden does it with the mountain. I remembered the zoo I went to in Alice Springs last September. It also used the mountain behind it to add to its appeal.

We saw the famous pine tree on rocks, looking (apparently) like a crane on the back of a turtle. This imagery was also used in the University in Hanoi, only in that case it was a sculpture and was WAY clearer than here.

If it helps, the turtle’s head is to the left.

The tree is over 300 years old.

Cherry blossom!

Aren’t these amazing? By the size, they’re around 10 years old.

The superstition is that the carp are not just pretty fish. When they get big enough, they swim upstream and become dragons.

Soon after the stream, there was a rocky set of steps to the left. At the top was a viewing platform with this view of the lake.

This is the water source for all the six ponds in the garden. It once served in the past as a place for holding an elegant ceremony in which poets sent newly written poems floating on a gentle stream.

I didn’t write that. It was on the information board nearby.

The lake had a huge number of baby dragons. There is a festival day every year where kids make flags shaped like carp and they’re hung outside the house. It dats back hundreds of years, when they hoped that their children would grow up to be strong and brave like a dragon.

I stayed by the lake for some time, just letting my thoughts drift.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. One of the women from our tour asked me if I had airdrop.

Now I know what the heck of my head looks like!

There were a couple of boats sailing along.

By far the biggest feature of this garden was the pine trees, all professionally shaped and maintained by bonsai experts.

This was taken from the bridge over the lake.

Here’s a bonsai-sized one.

I airdropped this one to his mother.

There was a grove of plums towards the back. Pretty, aren’t they?

Then we were on the move again, this time to an udon noodle making class.

It was all as you’d expect, until the tambourine came out.

This made it so much fun. We rattled those babies around to ‘encourage’ the people mixing the dough. Then it was time to press the dough down hard.

This was done by dancing to ‘Gangnam Style’ on top of the dough. Then it was music was loud, everyone was shaking their tambourines and laughing.

it was so silly but it was so much fun.

We had our noodles for lunch. I was meant to cut mine smaller, like the width of a chopstick.

oh well. They tasted good anyway.

Cue lots of jokes about balls from the group…

He allowed me to taste one of his balls.

A few days ago we went through the longest tunnel in Japan. It was 10 kms long.

This bridge isn’t as long, but at almost 4 kms long, it’s the world’s longest suspension bridge.

The city we were heading towards was Kobe, on the way to Osaka. I couldn’t remember why the name Kobe was so familiar until Ben mentioned the earthquake in the 90s.
Over 6,000 people died. Kobe wasn’t considered at a high risk of earthquake, so the building regulations weren’t as strict as in more high-risk places. After this, the whole of Japan now has the same strict regulations in place.

Once we were in Kobe, with all of its towering buildings, I felt a little odd. All of the talk of earthquakes started to seem a bit dangerous…

It was a long drive to Osaka. As we were waiting for the traffic to move, someone noticed something odd about this building.

If you look closely, there’s a black shape that’s probably the cat.

Lots of us walked to the department store for dinner. There, like a good little quilter, I bought some Japanese fabric.

Dad Joke of the Day:

Itsukushima Shrine is on the island of Miyajima, just a 10 minute ferry ride from the mainland. It was a sunny day but it was COLD! I came downstairs with 2 merino tops under my jumper, felt the wind and marched straight back to my room to grab another one. It turned out to be a wise decision.

This island has always been worshipped by the locals and is considered to be Kami. So, to avoid hurting the land and bringing bad luck to the people, in 593 they built a Shinto temple on the seashore. We saw the gate at high tide, and it was beautiful.

Can you believe that I’m seeing all of this stuff?

This is only the gate to the shrine, which is built over the beach.

The vermilion colour is a protection against evil spirits that could hurt the people.

It didn’t hurt that people brought their dogs along with them…

This arched bridge was only used by the emperor’s messengers.

And then suddenly, as we were walking on the beach, the sun came out and I was able to capture the brilliant shade of Orange I was unable to get with my photos. Here is the colour I was seeing!

This is what I had for lunch. Hiroshima is famous for its oysters, but they don’t eat them raw. They cook them.
I know… talk about ruining a perfectly good oyster! But these weren’t too bad.

Then we wandered around the shops.

I quite liked the humour here.

This one’s been busy shopping.

The island has wild deer that roam around. There are many signs and recorded announcements asking people not to feed them, but they do it anyway.

They also remove the antlers to keep the tourists safe.

Our next stop was Hiroshima.
This morning on our 2 hour bus ride, Ben told us the story of Sadako. 

She was one year old when the bomb dropped, and she was 5kms away and inside. It looked as if she was ok, but when she was a teenager she developed leukaemia.

There’s a Japanese superstition that if you fold 1,000 origami cranes, you can make a wish and it will come true.

She used the paper wrapping from her medicine to make the cranes. Sadly, she didn’t get to make the thousand cranes, but after she died her classmates got together and finished the job. Now, people bring paper cranes here. In the bus on the way into Hiroshima, we all made paper cranes.

It’s lucky it was a two hour bus ride, because there were a few tricky bits. Ben had his hands full teaching us what to do. We’re a large group!

This is the Dome monument; the building that was almost directly under the atomic bomb when it went off 600m in the air above the city. It’s left as it was, even with bricks and debris around the outside, as a stark reminder of what happened that day.

Here’s what it looked like before.

There were 300,000 people in the city of Hiroshima in 1945. Most of the young men were gone, so it was mainly the elderly, women and children.

170,000 people died after the bomb fell. This hill in the Peace Park is where the ashes of 60,000 people who died in the area were buried together.

The bomb was dropped at 8:15 AM. There were hundreds of schoolchildren outside that day, as they were helping to demolish certain houses, to stop the spread of fire racing between houses when conventional bombs were dropped. No one expected what was to come.

I snapped this photo of the tree and the river, but caught the building in the background. This was another building that partially survived the bomb. At 8 AM that morning, a guy went down to the basement to check on some documents. Out of 48 people who worked there, he was the only survivor.
The top two stories collapsed on top of him. Imagine his bewilderment and horror when he got out and saw what had happened? He ended up living into his eighties.

Before we went to the museum, we dropped off our cranes. See Sadako with the crane over her head?

People drop paper cranes off by the tonne. They’re sewn together and then dropped off into storage.

There’s a bell beside the Sakako memorial. I tested it out. It rings.

The memorial was full of symbolism. The front is shaped like a bunker, with the words roughly translated to: Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.

There is water here. After the bomb exploded, black oily rain fell. The survivors were greatly injured and craved water, so most of them drank this rain. It was highly radioactive, of course. Many thousands of people died asking for water, so they have it now, so they may rest in peace.

Behind the pool is an eternal flame, like the one we have at the Shrine in Melbourne. This flame in Hiroshima will burn until the last nuclear bomb in the world is destroyed. Then it will be turned off.

And finally, in the far background, you can see the Dome.

I took a few pictures inside the museum.

The day after the bomb.

The sign says: A melted statue of Buddha.

Between the war museum in Saigon a month ago and now this one today, I’ve seen some very confronting stuff. It’s saddening, of course, but when you go outside and see the bustling city as it now is, I am heartened by the resilience that ordinary people show.
I deliberately chose a tour to Japan that included Hiroshima. My grandfather was a Tivoli performer and came here after the war to entertain the troops. After coming here today, I wish I had’ve thought to ask him about what he saw.

Dad Joke of the Day:

Mishima Inari Shrine.

3,000 gates. Oldest one 200 or 300 years old. Youngest one could be made yesterday.

The biggest and oldest Inari shrine in Japan is this one. Inari shrines are all over Japan, with around 8,000 of them. It’s a harvest-based thing, so the farmers support them by bringing a share of the harvest each year.

These shrines always have huge barrels of sake. Back in the day, before we knew about alcohol and its effects on the human mind, they used to believe that sake opened up the worlds of the humans and the gods to each other. If you drink too much, you can talk to your ancestors, right?

Just to prove that I’m actually here. Both sites that we saw today are places that I’ve seen pictures of, but never actually visualised myself going to.

This is the main gate. There are statues of foxes on either side. Foxes are everywhere here. They are the messengers to predict how the harvest is going to be each year.

We got here first thing in the morning, so although there were a fair few people, it wasn’t too bad. My friends Matt and Andrew, who are Blogless Sandy’s son and husband, are a week ahead of me on this trip and we’ve been messaging about what we’ve seen. They got here later in the day and were inundated with people.

Wanda has been sticking close to me on this trip, but I think she found her spiritual home.

I decided to walk as quickly as I could to reach the lake. This temple is on a hill, so it was a bit of a workout.

The lake was a disappointment. Murky and dull. I chalked it up to experience and Lyn and I made our way back to the bus.

I was so pleased to have seen this place. Then it was off the see the White Heron Castle.

But not before I located a Baku for my blogging friend Spo.

I saw this outside a shop at the temple and immediately thought of Spo. Here’s your Baku, my friend!

HomeKit Castle is over 500 years old. Although it was a target in the war, thankfully it escaped a direct hit.
This castle was a target for bombers during the war, but it was lucky and it survived.

This castle was one of many that was built in a time of great unrest in the 14th and 15th centuries. The family of Shoguns who were ruling were the 2nd Shogunate – the guy who built the Golden Pavilion was the founder- but over the intervening couple of hundred years, the family had gotten weak.
Lords all over Japan started building castles, with an eye toward possibly being Shogun in the future.

The Monkey Shogun owned this place. He was originally a farmer, but somehow managed to become a samurai and the right hand man to the Shogun. When the shogun was assassinated, he moved into the top spot and stopped all of the fighting.

He didn’t sire a son until he was 50, which was getting on a bit in those days. When he was dying at 60, he asked the 5 top men to be regents and look after his son.

”No worries, “ said the men. Tokugawa was one of them.

But instead, he invaded Osaka , killed the boy, his mother and 40 other kids and concubines.

Tokogawa was the one who established the longest Shogunate in history. He’s the one in ‘ Shogun’, both the Clavell novel and the Netflix series. He’s portrayed as a hero, but clearly, he got his hands dirty to get hold of the power.

I had no idea about this place until we were driving towards it. I was sitting at the front of the bus and I had the perfect view. “Ohhhh, it’s THIS castle!” I’ve seen pictures, but again, never put myself in there.

Because it’s authentic, a lot of period movies and dramas were made here… until they shot the second James Bond movie here. They needed an explosion, but they misjudged and blew up part of the wall. That’s why the stones are different colours.

It’s possible to climb to the top of the castle. It’s 8 stories, with no lifts. I looked at it and thought there was no way I was going to climb it.

But we started climbing. We passed through this doorway. It’s designed so that if the Shogun’s troops are chased through here, they’ll shut the gate and fill in the space with all of those rocks at the sides, thus blocking the way.

We kept getting higher, right up to the point where Ben said, “ If you go any further you have to take your shoes off.”

Can you believe there were men in our group saying, “I don’t want to take my shoes off. I tied double knots this morning.”

Like, real dude? Are you three years old???

So I took my shoes off and started climbing.

The stairs were insanely steep, but it honestly wasn’t so bad.

The views at the top were worth it.

These windows have no glass, so there was quite a breeze blowing in. I walked from window to window feeling proud of myself. It would be too easy to turn back, but now, every time I see a picture of this castle, I know that I’ve been there at the top.

These upside down fish are all over the rooftop.

I stood at the bottom and looked at where I’d just been. It’s designed so was very satisfying.

After a group of us had lunch together, we drove to a town two hours away from Hiroshima. That’s where we’ll be tomorrow…

Dad Joke of the Day:

1.3 million people in Kyoto. It’s the second biggest city after Tokyo. And this morning, those people were COLD. It was strange day, weather wise… a very Melbourne day with all sorts of things going on.

”No matter what the weather is outside, inside is always sunny!” said Ben on the bus. As we passed by yet another Starbucks, I asked him if this was a traditional Japanese eatery.
“It’s US temple, “ said Ben “They’re everywhere.”

Our first stop was Ninensaka street. There’s a temple here, but Ben says that the street is more interesting. It has a pagoda that has 5 stories.

Lots of tourists from Korea and China hire the traditional dress. It makes for fabulous photos.

According to Ben, there a local curse lasts a thousand years. If you fall in Ninensaka, you’ll die in 3 years. I’ve never walked so carefully in my life!

“If you fall, don’t worry. There are lots of anti evil shops here where you can buy an amulet,” said Ben.

The Japanese think of everything!

The temple was here before the city.

Longevity, prosperity and happiness are symbolised by 3 streams around the temple.

A thousand years ago, monks used to stand under the waterfall to meditate. This is really hard, so over time they switched to the streams instead.

You drink from whichever stream you feel you need. They all sound good to me!

I passed by this place. Here’s a close up:

It’s a shame that it was closed. My garden is crying out for a baby coming out of an alien’s head.

There was an incredibly colourful temple across the street from the pagoda. Zoom to the top of the gate. It’s the three wise monkeys.

This sign made me laugh!

Ten what?

Here’s the pagoda from the other side.

There’s always plants around in Japanese streets. In Vietnamese streets, too, come to think about it. Even on major city streets, all concrete and glass, people nurture bonsais in pots and create small gardens. It’s very nice.

Remember that I brought incense and a holder a couple of days ago? I saw this little plate and thought it would be perfect to catch the ash.

14th century. 3rd shogun of the Ashkarga family. He was the richest person in Japan.

When he was Shogun, there were 2 emperors but he persuaded them to settle to decide on one, to bring everything back to normal.

He was a very astute politician.

Top roof is like pagoda Buddhism.

Second story like a samurai style of building… square.

Ground floor unpainted , in the style of the aristocracy.

Showing that the Shogun controls all of society.

Golden phoenixes on the top. In Japanese culture, phoenixes are only in paradise, so the Shogun built his version of paradise.

The pine tree boat is 600 years old and it was planted when the Shogun who built the golden temple was alive. Basically, they’re saying that because you put your heart and soul into bonsai trees and you train them, you don’t just let them grow, that the soul of the Shogun is still alive today in the boat.

I wonder how he feels about all of the commoners and tourists flooding the place?

Again there were so many small things to observe. It would have been a stunning place to wander in when it was a private garden.

There were a couple of places where people were throwing money at the statues, trying to hit the cup. I don’t know why, but they were pretty invested in it, in both meanings of the word.

The Golden Pavilion from further away. This is a replica. A mad monk burned the original in 1950. It’s been painstakingly recreated, with 20kgs of gold leaf.

It’s surrounded by extensive gardens and ponds, which the ducks appreciate.
How did I feel about the pavilion?
Not as impressed as I should have been, I think. It’s certainly spectacular, especially when you first see it, with the reflection in the lake. But honestly, it seemed a little gaudy…

This little ceramic man came home with me. I looked at him and I knew exactly where he’d go in my lounge room.
It was only when I got to the cash register that I realised that he was an incense burner. I guess, like Canada turned out to be the holiday of the eagles, this one will turn out to be the holiday of incense.

More blossom.

Then it was off to the Bamboo Forest.

You could say there were a few people there.

From ancient times, the lord of each area would choose a female virgin to serve in the temples for the next year. They would be sent to live in the middle of the bamboo forest for a week, to be purified before they began their task. It used to be a house in the middle of the forest. Now there’s a shrine.

We had two hours to spend in this place before we had to meet back at the bus. I decided to walk further into the forest, then make my way to the river and then back to the Main Street.

I walked with a few different people from the group. We made our way back to the Main Street and we still had over an hour. Once lunch was bought… I had fried chicken on skewers for $5… there wasn’t much left to do. Around 95% of the shops were food places. Not being a food-motivated traveller, there wasn’t much to interest me.

The street was jammed with-packed full of people and I was glad when I could finally get back on the bus.

When I booked this trip, I picked the last week before high season. It was $600 cheaper and I was only a week out from the high season weather. But this made me realise just how crowded Japan was going to get during cherry blossom season. It’s going to be insane.

An optional tour was to go and see the Shogun’s palace.

This is an original building. The Shogun’s primary residence was in Edo/Tokyo, but he would come here for ceremonial reasons once or twice a year, as the emperor lived in Kyoto.

Again, like with the Golden Pavilion, I was a tad underwhelmed. It was interesting to see how the Shoguns used perspective and decor to create a feeling of mystique, but honestly? The most memorable thing was the squeaking of the floorboards as we walked over them in our socks.

It’s called a hummingbird sound, and although it’s so loud that you’d swear it had to be intentional, it isn’t. It’s rust on the nails holding the floor together.
The murals in the empty rooms are reproductions. Pretty, but not the real thing.

So today was feeling a little bit like a fizzer. Until we went to the geisha dinner. omg so good.

I nearly didn’t go to this. I’m doing so much travel this year and it was nearly $400… that’s a lot of money for one person to have dinner! I ummed and ahhhed, but in the end, when was I going to get the chance to see real geishas again? I might as well just do it.

I’m so glad I did.

There are 5 Geisha streets in Kyoto.

270 active geishas today. In the 1970s there were over 1,000. In Kyoto, they aren’t called geishas, but ‘meiko’ for apprentice geishas, and ‘geiko’ for fully qualified ones. The girl on the left is a meiko called Kotono, while the girl on the right is a geiko.

The language they speak is ancient and they live in the ancient ways. 

5 years of training in singing, dancing, tea ceremony and language. Meikos are not allowed to even hold a mobile, let alone use one! They are not paid a wage as a meiko, but once they become a geiko, they earn money, can date and can have a phone. A bit like an apprenticeship, I suppose.

The meikos keep their hair and have to have it styled once a week. To keep it looking good, they sleep on very high pillows to keep it from being mussed up. Geiko swear wigs. Much easier. The girls do their own makeup, which takes around an hour and a half.

Here they are, introducing themselves and giving me their business cards.

Ben said that it is believed that if a geisha gives you her business card, you put it straight in your wallet because it brings good luck. So now I have double good luck.

Also pictured are the cards I’m currently using. I’ve used UBank as my travel card for years, as they don’t charge international fees. I got the Wise card before Vietnam and it’s my backup card. It’s ok, though I’m not rapt at how you have to allocate funds to a specific currency. Still, it worked fine in Vietnam and I’ll use it on my last few days in Japan to get rid of the yen on it.
Anyway, back to the dinner!

The Japanese consider a long neck to be a sign of beauty, so she’s painted her neck this way to appear longer.

Kotono stayed at our table and although Ben stayed to translate, she had learned English for the couple of years she was at high school, so we could converse.
Someone asked her why she decided to pursue this career.

”I was at the shopping mall when I was 13 and some geishas were singing and dancing. They looked so beautiful. I knew I wanted to be like them.”

She’s now 16, and has been a meiko for a year. She has a younger sister and when someone asked if her sister would follow in her footsteps, she laughed and said, “Oh no. She is a tomboy!”

Kotono has two hours of trading each day, then she and the other 10 girls in her house rest until 4. Then they start getting ready for the night’s work. Their clothes are heavy. They weigh 15 or 20 kgs so they need help getting them on.

They go from tea house to restaurant until around 1AM. Then they go home, remove their makeup and sleep until 8. This is 7 days a week, with only a once a year holiday at New Years to go home and see their families.

If they don’t marry, they can keep doing this until their 70s.

They never used to perform for foreigners but the state of the economy changed that. Now, people like me can see them.

Earlier in the conversation, Kotono said that she liked to watch sumo wrestling. When someone asked if she wanted to get married someday, she shook her head and said, “Not for 10 or 20 years.” When someone then asked, “What about if it was to a sumo wrestler?” she laughed and mimed putting a wedding ring on her finger.

They performed 2 songs, but I had to cut down a video for you, because the wifi couldn’t cope with a 2 minute video. Look at Kotono’s precise movements of her head and hands. This dance has been passed down from a very long time ago. It made me wish that I knew Japanese, so I could follow the song.

It made me wonder how they feel about training so hard to be perfect in everything they do, then coming out every night to perform for tourists who can’t appreciate the subtleties.

Anyway, before they left to go to their next appointment, we played the geisha game. It’s simple, but it’s fun.

I didn’t play. I knew I’d had too much sake to be any good at it!

It was a fascinating glimpse into a world that’s so very different from ours. These girls are living history. This is something I’ll remember forever. It was so very interesting.

Dad Joke of the Day:

We only spent the morning here, before taking the afternoon to drive to Kyoto, but I could have easily spent longer here. It was fantastic.

This is one of the iconic sights in the famous Kenrokuen Garden – the Kotoji Lantern. It has two legs instead of the usual one.
This garden is one of the top 3 gardens in Japan. It was built beside the castle. The first fountain in Japan is here.

It’s famous because it encapsulates all 6 excellent elements of a Japanese garden. This is extremely difficult to do because the 6 elements cancel each other out.

Spaciousness is the opposite of Seclusion.

Artifice is the opposite of Antiquity.

Watercourses are usually low, while Panoramas need to command the heights.
This garden has them all.

The garden was established in 1676, when the 5th lord of the Kawa domain shifted here and built a garden beside his castle. The family kept the garden until 1874, when it was given to the public.

Every winter, ropes like these are suspended around the trees so that the heavy snow won’t break their branches. We’ve been seeing them all over the place.

Stones representing the seven gods of good fortune have been placed here. The 12th lord created this so he could see it from his study.

“It’s best to see the beautiful garden under the light spring rain, “ said Ben in the bus this morning . Of course, it’s raining, so he would say that.

This is the first non-Buddhist bronze statue made in Japan. This place was a samurai stronghold and there was a rebellion in 1877, 9 years after the emperor Meiji took power away from the Shogun. It didn’t go well for the samurai, but at least they have this statue of one of their leaders to comfort the spirits of those who died.

Now, I’m not one to like getting rained on but even with the rain and huddling under my Hampton Court Palace umbrella that I got in England back in 2015, I like it here. It’s a place where it’s designed for people to slow down and notice the little details; the trunks of trees entwined together, the moss on the trunks, a splash of a flower, the artful arrangement of rocks on an island…

You could spend all day here, you really could, and I probably would if it wasn’t raining but it is a very beautiful place.

I was taken by the swoosh of the tree trunk here.

This is the oldest fountain in Japan, built in the 1860’s. It works by natural water pressure caused by a difference in elevation between two ponds, which was very difficult to do, back in the day.

Then, I walked over the bridge to see Kanazawa Castle.

For some reason, as soon as I walked through these massive gates, I was captivated.

Look at this gate! You’d be bashing at this for a good long while before you’d break through.

Zoom in on the stones in the wall. The little ones were put there to stop invaders being able to use the gaps between the big stones for footholds to climb the wall.

This gate has been here for over 300 years and is one of the best preserved ones in Japan.

It’s spacious in here.

It doesn’t take much imagination to picture soldiers being trained here.

I don’t know why this place grabbed me so much. Was it the crows flying, calling overhead?

The door opening onto nothing. Imagine trying to get up there to attack it?

All I know is, if I’m ever back here again, I’d like to be taken through with a guide so I can find out more about it. But we were racing the clock.
Our next stop was a gold leaf class.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much enjoyment from this activity, but I ended up having a lot of fun.

99 % of the gold leaf work is now done here. In olden times it was made in Kyoto.

Pure gold isn’t very durable, so the gold is mixed with silver and copper.

1 gram can make 60 pieces, so it’s pretty thin.

I chose a cat and a star from the stencils provided. Al, one of the guys at our table, was by far more adventurous.

I don’t know how he had the patience.

After we cut the stencil out and put the sticky paper over the lids, the gold leaf was smoothed on over the top.

Look how mine turned out! I was pretty happy.

So was Al. After a month, we have to put clear nail polish on the top to preserve our good work.

We had half an hour to wander around the shops. I saw one of our group stepping out of a shop, clutching a gold leaf ice cream. 

“The gold leaf tastes like plastic wrap,” someone else complained. I was happy to let others try it out. I can’t see the sense in eating gold that will simply travel right through me.

I enjoyed looking through the shops here. There were a couple of ceramic places that had some exquisite pieces. Again, only having carryon luggage helped, because I have to keep in mind both weight and space. Also, my rule of only buying things you absolutely love helps too.

I heard a guide talking about how sake makers would hang a green ball like this outside the shop when they had new stock come in. By the time the ball turned brown, the sake was ready.

After this, the rest of the day was a long bus ride to Kyoto.

This should be interesting. Kyoto was where all the emperors lived for over a thousand years. It wasn’t bombed during the war because of all the history.
I’m looking forward to the next two days. Hey, I’m going to see a real geisha tomorrow night!

Dad Joke of the Day:

Today we cross the alps to the other side. 

Baseball is the top sport here, as we learned when we saw a field full of kids in uniforms on a Saturday morning. “China is not good at baseball,” said Ben. “Even got beaten by Thai. Great shame. 1.4 billion people and they can’t find 11 people to play the game?”

We all laughed.

At a rest stop, we saw monkeys! This shot was taken by Julie. I only saw the baby monkey:

I promise you that’s a baby monkey.

After so much travel in snowy areas over the last few years, Japan is different. I think that her forests are monochromatic.

They have a different feel…

Today was a travel day, but we had two stops that were both interesting in their different ways.

After travelling over hills and dales… (whatever dales are)… we arrived at the town of Takayama Old Town, so called because there are 3 streets that weren’t bombed to oblivion during WWII, and so have a feel of what old-style Japan was like.

The three streets are a mixture of shops, restaurants and other businesses.

Ben took us to the red bridge to anchor us, then we had nearly 2 hours to wander around and see what we could see.

Some people chose to walk from food place to food place, sampling their wares. Me, not being a goody, chose to walk away from the old are at first, because I wanted to see what was along the river.

But of course I ended up sampling something Japanese for lunch. Ben had mentioned that this area was known for its beef, so I decided to try some beef sushi.
I tried to get rid of coins, so I ordered the cheapest one. It wasn’t great. The dot of wasabi was the only thing that saved it. Seafood sushi is definitely preferable.

There were some pretty vignettes.

Plus, Japan is insane about cats. I had to take a sneaky shot of this shop that was almost totally devoted to them.

Now, you know me and my love of useful souvenirs that don’t clutter up the place. Well, it occurred to me that it might be nice, when I’m reading on the couch on the front verandah, to burn a stick of incense. It won’t stink the house up, and it’ll remind me of the temples in China, Vietnam and Japan.

So I bought a little cat incense holder and a couple of boxes of incense sticks. They’ll probably last me for YEARS.

I accidentally took this shot in the incense shop. You can see the useful souvenir I bought in Central Australia last year- my bag.

Then omg guess what happened as we got into the bus?

It began to snow!

I’m going to show you a few shots of the alps I took from the bus. These forests are definitely different than the others I’ve travelled. They have LINES in them.

Tell me I’m not imagining it.

See? It’s not just the soju I bought for old times’ sake and had with dinner.

Anyway, soon we arrived at a fabulous little place.

It was high in the mountains, where the people live in thatched cottages, like in the Cotswolds.

Ok, so maybe not exactly like there.

Shirakawa-go is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it’s only one of two villages that still have the traditional farmhouses, some of which are 250 years old.
Once there were hundreds. Some of these houses are bed and breakfast places, and Ben said people report that it’s very cold. After seeing the snow here, I’m not surprised.

You make your way to the village over a swing bridge made of concrete. Yes, it’s weird and does strange things to your head when a concrete-looking bridge moves under your feet.
We were here on a Saturday and Ben said later that he was expecting it be be jam-packed. The last time he was here on a weekend, the bridge took 10 minutes to get over. But Fortunate Frogdancer ensured that there weren’t too many people at all.

There’s no denying that it’s a picturesque place.

Garrett and Timo were friends we met in Antarctica, and a month or so later, they came to visit me for lunch in Melbourne. A couple of days ago, Garrett asked me to record a birthday message for Timo. Look at all the snow. Of course I had to make a subtle reference to Antarctica!

Look at this snow. I don’t know how people do it.

I mean seriously… it’s the beginning of Spring.

Some joker made an igloo. Bloody cold.

Back in 2018, a photographer called Pierre was on our North Korea trip. After a while, I noticed that he was always facing a different way to the rest of us when we were taking pictures. I asked him why.

”Always take photos of the people, Frogdancer,” he said.

I don’t always do it, but I try and keep an eye open for good shots of the locals. This one was a beauty. The little girl in navy was laughing uncontrollably.

What makes it even better was, when the mum got back to the footpath with her girls, I was able to airdrop that moment to her. She was so happy!

Like, seriously, why do people insist on living in this climate? You can’t tell me that this is convenient.

It was at this point that I realised that I’d walked too far in the wrong direction. Zoom in and you’ll see the people on the suspension bridge. I hot-footed it back. I never want to be THAT person. You know, the one who holds up the whole bus.

Then it was back through the monochromatic hills to reach Kanazawa, which has the train station voted the most beautiful for the last 3 years.

Listen to the guide.

As I was driving through the alps, my sister Kate and I were talking over Messenger. Isn’t technology amazing? Dad’s not doing great…

Dad Joke of the Day:

I took many photos of Mt Fuji today, and this is the best one. It is also the first one.

I would have saved myself so much time and energy if I’d realised that at the time!

“Sometimes Fuji is shy. She hides her face behind the clouds like a quilt. We see the Fuji twice on this trip, so we have a good chance to see her,” said Ben.

Fuji is actually 4 mountains and it has 2 craters. It last erupted 300 years ago, from the crater on the side. It was so large that the sand on the beach is still black. 

There’s an 80% chance that it will erupt in the next 30 years. People in Tokyo have regular drills on what to do when it happens.

Of course, Mt Fuji is big Kami.

Fortunate Frogdancer is on this tour! It’s cloudy, but the top of Mt Fuji can clearly be seen.

We arrived at the museum and raced to the top floor to see Fuji.

I’ve got to admit, I was more moved than I expected to be. It was so beautiful!

After I’d snapped a couple of shots, I went downstairs and watched a 10 minute video about the mountain. They did a good job – it was actually interesting. 

I spent more time in the gift shop looking for a decent souvenir of Fuji than I actually spent looking at her, so after I selected the least hideous magnet, I went upstairs again. Clouds were beginning to sweep across the top of the mountain and it looked very different, even in such a short time.

Our next stop was Lake Kawaguchi, where we were to grab lunch and then jump on a boat to catch the best views of Fuji.

Barbara, Lyn, Robyn and I went to a cafe called ‘ The Apple Pie Lab’ which seriously had the best apple pie I’ve ever eaten. The coffee was strong, too. If you ever see one, you could do far worse than to grab a lunch here.

We wandered around afterward, and discovered this sculpture that an artist who was 101 made. Isn’t it beautiful?

We had a little time to kill before the boat ride and as I walked beside the harbour, I was suddenly filled with happiness. The sun was shining, I was looking at a snowy place with not even a jumper on, I could hear birds in the air and my little black ducks with the white faces were swimming in the water. It was all so peaceful and lovely.

The boat ride on the lake was amazing. The view of Mt Fuji was incredibly impressive. However , I couldn’t get a decent view on my phone for you, and believe me… I tried. In the end, I put my phone away and lived in the moment.

The photos are wishy-washy but the view in real life definitely wasn’t!

This was me thinking I’d left it too late to get a decent shot of the mountain, but it actually isn’t too bad. Anyway, once we were on dry land, we were in the bus and away. It was a full- on driving afternoon.

I slept on the bus after this, but every now and then I surfaced to see the view. This reminded me of the Alaskan/Canadian trip, with snowy mountains by the road. Admittedly, the Japanese ones were smaller and were further away from the road, but the echoes were still there.

A view from the wrong side of the bus. Hey, I can’t be Fortunate Frogdancer ALL the time!

We arrived at Nagano, a town high in the Alps region, at around 4:30.
Ben said that our rooms would be small by Australian standards…

There’s no window behind that curtain.

I appreciate how, despite the lack of floor space, the toilet still has everything I’ve come to expect.

If there’s one thing I’m beginning to appreciate, after being on so many trips, is that if the guide recommends something, it’s probably a good idea to check it out.

I knew that if I went and got dinner immediately after checking in, I was going to end up with lots of time on my hands. Even with writing this post – these travel posts take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to put together – I’d still be left with nothing but a book to read.

As we drove into town, Ben recommended going to see a “very famous” shrine a kilometres walk from the hotel.

Now, you all know how much I hate exercise. But I thought of my tens of readers and decided to take that walk. It was up a hill, so I hope you appreciate it.

Actually, it was terrific. Always listen to your guide!

As I walked, I snapped a few photos.

I liked the look of this garden. Did I mention that this walk was uphill?

I knew this place would be awesome when I saw this.

How whimsical!

This is a close-up of the statues in the first gate.

Then there was a row of shops. Luckily for me, most of them were already closed for the day. The Art shop was shut. Phew! I still haven’t quite recovered from buying the silken embroidered piece from Hoi An 2 weeks ago.

There was something fabulous here that I didn’t notice until I was on my way out…

Looking back the way I’d come. It was getting cold and I had to tuck my hands into my sleeves to try and keep them warm. But I was very glad I’d come.

Walking up towards the last building.

These buildings were all original. They’d escaped being bombed in the war.

Look at his expression! I’d find a place for him at home in a heartbeat.

This was a sneaky shot.

How could I have missed seeing the cat?? 😂😂

I may have quickly stepped into traffic to take this shot. I like the way the buildings relate to each other.

And another echo of Canada. I was reminded of Banff when I saw the mountain at the end of the street.

I bumped into Lyn and Barbara at the supermarket and we bought our dinners. I’ve demolished mine, and I’ll finish my little bottle of sake while I finish my book.

Tomorrow it’s another early start.

I’m enjoying this tour. Even though it’s a large number of people, everyone is chilled, on time and agreeable. There’s no one who’s annoying.

Unless… oh god!… maybe this means that it’s ME??? 😳

Dad Joke of the Day:

This morning I woke up and I could see Mt Fuji from my hotel window. I was so excited. We travel to see her tomorrow, but even if the weather turns bad, I’ve seen her with snow.

Today was an optional tour, costing around $100 AUD. It was money well spent as far as I was concerned. I have no idea what to see here. If you were a more independent traveler, or had friends you wanted to catch up with, then the flexibility to choose would be great.

Our first stop was a Buddhist temple.

Shinto temples, like the one we saw yesterday, are empty. Buddhist temples are very different.

It’s very common in Japan to believe in both religions. Buddhism came from China, originally from India. If people believe in the same faith, it’s easier to control them, so the government built lots of temples.

In olden days, if you were sick, you’d go to the temple first. Buddhism explained everything, which was a comfort to people before science. As we walked towards the temple proper, I could smell the incense so strongly. Lighting incense, then waving the smoke towards where you feel I’ll, is a tradition from the oldest times that still exists today.

During the Meiji restoration, there was a resurgence of nationalism and they tried to ban Buddhism because it came from China. They tore down a few temples but met with great resistance from the local people. After all, it had been here, entwined with Shintoism, for hundreds of years. So they separated the two religions, which is how it is today. 

China is intolerant of other cultures. Ten years ago, it was safe to wear Japanese kimonos on the streets. Now, people will point and question why you are wearing a different culture’s clothes, which is a bugger for Chinese kids who like anime. If you don’t take off the clothes yourself, they might “help you “. Ben is from China, so I believe him. “It’s a worrying sign,” he said. “It’s very bad.”

Here is one of the two shoes that are periodically made for Buddha. The Japanese believe that he is very, very big.

Pagoda has a huge column suspended from the top floor to absorb earthquake tremors. The Japanese learned how to do this centuries ago.

This temple also has its fund-raising efforts.

You can buy little fortune-telling things that tell your luck. If it’s bad luck you can leave it here and Buddha will cleanse it. If it’s good luck though you can bring it home with you. Isn’t that convenient?

Before he set us loose for a half hour’s free time, Ben took us to see the koi. He told us of a lovely custom.

Buddhism famously believes in reincarnation, where, depending on how you behave in your current life, you may come back as a human or an animal. On October 15 every year, people go to the market and buy a fish and then return it to the water. It might be your grandmother or your brother…

As I was walking around, I noticed lots of young women dressed in traditional clothes. Was this a thing that people did? Was this a special day?

Later, as I was walking back through the market, I saw rental shops for the clothing. Apparently, it’s a thing for young people to do.

Just like the churches in Europe, you can light a candle. I lit two, wishing with all my heart that Mum and Dad would stay upright and breathing for years to come.

Look up! Something Scott taught me in England…

After I battled my way through the crowd, I bought a good fortune charm for my Christmas tree. That’s Japan done!

I have to say, the Japanese don’t seem to mind mixing religion and commerce. The market, right outside the temple, was doing a roaring trade.

I didn’t buy this bag, but maybe I should have.

I DID buy this dachshund key ring for Georgia.
Scout is her favourite housemate, after all.

Zoom in on this dog’s cheek. Can you see the crocheted flower? 😂

I liked the contrast of the traditional figure in front, with the huge tower behind.

I’m not exactly sure why these cats are shaped the way they are. They remind me of something…?

This looks like a fabric shop, doesn’t it? But it’s paper.

Here is a sculpture that the Japanese affectionately call’The Golden Poo.’

It’s supposed to symbolise the eternal flame of life that burns within us all… but yeah. Giant golden poo.

Our next stop was the old fish market. I didn’t expect to enjoy it all that much, but it was great! It helped that I had the freshest salmon and scallop sashimi for lunch for around $6. Talk about living the life!

This place was packed with tiny shops, some selling ingredients while the rest were selling all sorts of things to eat. Barbara and Lyn called out, “We’re coming with you, Frogdancer!” as I set off in search of lunch. Ben had directed most of the group to a shop that sold a very popular beef stew, but to my way of thinking, if you come to a fish market, you really should eat fish.

The only exception to this is if you go to a banana market, in which case you should stay on the bus and avoid all contact with that disgusting fruit.

Barbara and I chose to eat sashimi, which was absolutely delicious, especially the scallops.

Lyn doesn’t eat fish market, so when I saw these rice dumplings dipped in soy glaze, she dove right in.

Before we got off the bus, Ben warned us about checking the prices.
“People think that because it’s street food, it’s cheap,” he said. “That’s not always the case.”
With Japanese yen, you wipe off the last two digits and you’ve got a good swap for the Aussie dollar. Now admittedly, these strawberries were almost as big as my fist, but I’m not paying $12 for one!

Look at the marbling on that steak!

Afterwards, we had some time to kill before going back to the bus, so we walked a block to see a shrine that had an early flowering cherry.

Our next stop was a garden that reminded me in some ways of the Butchart Gardens in Canada. It’s centred around a lake and it’s very beautiful, though in a very different style to the Canadian one.

It’s called the pure and clean garden. It used to belong to the founder of the Mitsubishi company. He used to hold meetings there after he bought it from an old samurai family early last century. He donated it to the government to become a public garden.

It was a lovely place to wander around.

I still have Wanda with me.

We were set the task of finding the three wise monkeys. They were here, amongst these very old sculptures.

In the group chat, this was posted with the caption, “Found them!”

This park is all about the rocks. The Mitsubishi guy shipped back rocks from all over the world to place in the garden. As I was stepping along the beautifully manicured trail, it occurred to me that these boots and I have stepped on many different trails; from cobbled streets in London to the rough climbs in Central Australia to the carefully crafted paths in Japan.

How wonderful life is!

And just like that, we were off to something completely different.

Godzilla, anyone???

Today we went to Shinjuku, Tokyo’s biggest station, where an average of 3.6 million people A DAY commute. It must be hell during peak hour.
We were here to see Godzilla, the 3D cats and the red light district.

This is only part of it, it was the silliest and most impressive thing I’ve seen.

And here’s a bar advertising the young men available for women to buy a drink for them.

Prostitution is illegal here, and the conservative attitudes coupled with the insane work/life imbalance means that some weird things are big business here.

“Liquid business” is huge. This is a description of bars where men and women go to flirt and talk with gorgeous young things who get them to buy drinks at hugely inflated prices. There is no sex involved… yet to lonely people these liquid workers can seem like a boyfriend or girlfriend.
The first time you go to a place, you can choose which girl to see. After that, every time you go back, you have to see the same girl. You can see how people will feel like they have a relationship with that person after a while.
Apparently, it’s acceptable for married people to do this. After all, they’re only talking…

It’s a bit sad.

Some more of Ben’s Fun Facts:

Fermented beans for breakfast is a traditional dish. . “You try once. Once is enough!!”

Curry with rice. The Japanese curry is sweet. 

Beef wasn’t eaten until the Meiji restoration. Beef comes from working animals, so for an agricultural society, it’s too expensive to use cattle for eating. They ate fish almost exclusively.

Now, Japan’s wagyu beef is the best in the world. The farmers bring up the cattle to feel no stress. For 2 years, the cattle are fed feed mixed with leftover sake products. They definitely feel no stress!

Horse meat is considered a delicacy and is eaten raw.

See the squares on the roof of each balcony? They’re designed to be able to be pushed through in case there’s a fire and people need to escape. I never would’ve noticed them if Ben hadn’t have pointed them out, and yes. They’re everywhere.

The city of Tokyo has been destroyed twice. In 1923 there was an earthquake and typhoon on the same day. Then, WWII.

There are two professions that are the living history of Japan – the geisha and the Sumo wrestlers.

There has only been one foreign geisha and she was Australian. She came here to make a documentary about the geisha year she can they allowed her to run a geisha house.

Girls who decide to become a geisha have to lead a very traditional lifestyle. They cannot even hold a mobile phone. The hairstyle is very elaborate and takes 1.5 hours to do and it gets done once a week. They have to sleep on a very high pillow. “ They say you get used to it after 2 weeks.”

Contrary to what some people think, a geisha is not a call girl. She sings and dances only.

If you become a champion sumo, you are now Kami and people can worship you. You don’t live as long as most people, though. The life expectancy is 60, due to the weight and diet.

Tomorrow we head out of Tokyo to see Mt Fuji up close. It’s been an action-packed two days and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.

Dad joke of the day:

Our plane was bang on time to Tokyo, but then we had to wait 2 hours to pick up people from Brisbane, who were delayed because of the cyclone. It was ok… I found a quiet corner and read half a book.
It’s called ‘Fourteen Days’ and is edited by Douglas Preston and Margaret Atwood. It’s good. Over 30 different writers have written a story and they’re interwoven into one narrative. Only at the end can you find out who has written which story. Already, I can’t wait to find out!

Ahhh, travel! I’ve never seen this in an Aussie airport.

Here are some snippets about Japan that our guide told us on the way to our hotel:

Less than 50% of the land in Japan is habitable. The whole of Japan is 5% the land mass of Australia. And they have 130 million people, as opposed to our 26 million.

8,000 convenience stores in Tokyo. 

7/11 atms are the best places for money.

Cut 2 zeros off the yen to get the Aussie dollar value.

Toilets are designed to be in the strongest part of every building. You can even drink the toilet water… this is designed to be helpful in case of earthquakes. You need water to survive…

Sashimi is raw fish. Sushi is with rice.

Mt Fuji is a third again higher than Kosciusko. It nearly killed me to climb our mountain- no way I’m trying Fuji!

One thing I noticed was that Japan drives on the correct side of the road! This was a nice surprise.

I had my first taste of the toilet culture in Japan when I reached the hotel. Warm toilet seats! And I’m already a fan of the bidet function. When my ensuite toilet needs replacing, I’m getting a Japanese one!

80% of trash here is burned, to provide heat.

38 people are on this trip. This is the largest group I’ve been on. I met a couple of people, Barbara and Lyn, who invited me for breakfast. Later, I walked to the nearest convenience store and met some more people in the group. That Aussie accent is very distinctive!

The photo is from a wedding we saw at the first place we visited, called the Meiji Shrine.

There are vending machines everywhere, even at a sacred place like this.
“There are even vending machines at the top of Mt Fuji!” said Ben, our guide.

You can see I had Wanda with me, jut just in case, I bought the afternoon tour with cash so I could get some small notes and coins. They have both hot and cold things.

Vending machines don’t take 5 yen coins, but the shrines do. Kami will take the coins!!

The gateway. These are obviously like doors, so instead of knocking – there’s no door – you bow. The 3 round gold discs over the top are chrysanthemums, which are an imperial sign.

For a sacred place, there was an awful lot of commerce going on. These wooden things are where, after paying a fee, you tie them under this one of two sacred trees and they stay there for a day.

Here’s a view of both trees.
Shinto. Only in Japan. There are more shrines than convenience stores here. Kami is like fate. After so many disasters, Shintoism developed. Kami can be happy or angry. They also believe that Kami lives in the toilet, which is why, as a mark of respect, toilets are kept clean.

This was part of the shrine that was not destroyed by bombs during WWII.
There was a book written in the 7th Century to worship the royal family. It was required reading before WWII- not today! It supported the whole “fight to the death for your emperor “ thing.

14 years ago yesterday, the quake that caused the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident happened. The shrine was packed. Missed it by a day!

Emperor Meiji was the first emperor to live in Tokyo, which was then called Edo, breaking a thousand years of tradition. Anyone who has read James Clevell’s ‘Shogun’ would know that the Shoguns had the actual power in Japan for centuries, with the Emperor being kept as a figurehead in Kyoto.

The samurai class came to power in the twelfth century, and didn’t give it up until the mid nineteenth century.

Meiji was brought back to power after Westerners came to Japan, and the country basked in economic good times. So naturally a shrine was built to celebrate him.

3 1/2 million people visit this shine here for the five days of New Year.

There’s also a temple for the car, you drive it here and then ask the priest to make it safe before you drive on the street. This is the first place you go to after your purchase.

Protective amulets, anyone? You can buy them here, but they only last for one year. You’ve got to come back and renew them each year…

What a disheartening job. It’s being walked over even as he’s doing it.

Next stop was Tokyo Tower, to see the view. The only interesting snippet about this place was that the orange tower is actually made from melted US tanks after the Korean War.

The view was nice, though.

I had ramen for lunch. Beautiful!

One guy on our tour had pizza. Seems odd to come all the way over here to get Italian food, but there you go.

There was no way I was expecting to see cherry blossoms in Japan, but Fortunate Frogdancer strikes again.

80% of the trees in Japan are of a later blooming cherry, but we were taken to see a street with an earlier blooming one.

Before the samurai times in the 12th century, they preferred the plum. Confucius praised bamboo, pine tree and plums for having strong spirit.

Needed a Japanese identity- you might have a short life, but you can be beautiful and memorable.

We had thirty minutes here, so I walked around in the rain.

Look at the skyscraper looming in the background!

The Emperor’s palace. It’s surrounded by pine trees, each one differently shaped by bonsai masters. Pine trees are evergreen- the symbolism isn’t subtle.

One of the three tragic samurais of Japanese history.

He saved the life of the emperor, just before 700 years of Shogunate rule started. So for 700 years he was reviled as a traitor. When the Emperor came back into style, suddenly he was a hero!

Half of the area is open to the public, but the emperor’s family still lives here. This is as far as you can get. It was very pretty.

But look at this duck! Remember the ducks that live on the lake at Lake Crackenback, where I stayed in November after the Crazy Road Trip? It’s exactly the same!

A yellow plum.

Yeah, I don’t know what it is, either.

The famous “loyal dog” statue in Japan is the bronze statue of Hachikō, an Akita dog, located outside Shibuya Station. I pinched this sentence from a website because I couldn’t remember his name.

He accompanied his owner to the station every morning and waited for him at night. Unfortunately, one day the owner collapsed at his desk with a heart attack and never made it home. His dog waited every day for him for the next 10 years.

Here’s me, hoping Scout loves me that much.

Then it was time for The Scramble… that famous intersection where 5 streets meet. Here’s what it’s like to cross the road.

And here’s what it’s like from above.

Random facts we were given as we drove an hour back to the hotel.

14 million people live in Tokyo. 

800,000 people vanished from the population last year. Haha! I made that sound like a science fiction novel, didn’t I? The population declines every year. Median age in Japan is 50. The fertility rate here is 1.2.

Nappies for adults sell more than nappies for babies.

Women are expected to give up their jobs when they get married. The economy is not great and so the incentive for women to have kids isn’t high.

Marriage here doesn’t sound all that wonderful. Women can’t work, while men are expected to stay at work for hours longer than we do, with drinks, dinners and karaoke after work being an expected thing. Men have far less personal time than women. I don’t know how they would have a meaningful relationship with their wives and children.

But all is not lost. If you get lonely, you can hire a girlfriend for a whole day and hold hands- 40,000 yen.

Dad joke of the day: