Kurashiki to Himeji

A slightly late start to day as we did not need to leave the Hotel early as check out time was 12.00 slightly later than most Hotels. We did our usual breakfast in the room which went down well and then packed the car after paying the bill and heading off in the very bright sunny day.
We drove out of Kurashiki and we both agreed it was a very nice and interesting town to visit and it was well worth the visit there which had been recommended by one of our Japanese friends. It was not a great distance to our next destination and perhaps only a 100 kilometres which we dragged out by keeping to the speed limit. we went through the outskirts of Okayama  which had been badly affected by the Typhoon ad month ago or so however there was very little sign of damage and typhoon road rubbish usual associated with this type of very strong storms. The road that we took past this big town was littered with loads of car dealers both for new and and second hand cars and called almost be called Car Road.  Watching what is on the roadside whilst driving is never easy however we spotted at the last moment a car garage selling what appears to be almost new or replica Jaguar Mark II cars but unfortunately we could not stop as in reasonable fast moving traffic and not choice about turning round and going back and that's a pity as I would have liked to take some photos.
We stopped for lunch at a Lawsons and had our sandwiches sitting on a bench outside in the sun watching the traffic and the road works. We then continued in to Himeji and we both agreed to go to the famous Castle at around 15.00 would be pointless as the light would be going, actually we did not know that last visitors was at 16.00 so we made the right decision.

We are staying in a very new Hotel called the Richmond Hotel and it is very nice and modern, of course.
For dinner we had researched Trip Adviser and found, ironically, another pseudo Italian restaurant which was actually quite good. I ordered a Steak with the usual No garlic which sent all three Chefs in to a back room to make a plan of action but the end result was very good even though we received two lots of French fries, one plate full for a starter and another for the steak.
We took a few photos on the way back to the Hotel and commented how quiet it was in the centre of town as Tokyo would be buzzing. Back in the Hotel we continued watching ‘Line of Duty’. We go the the famous World heritage sight of Himeji Castle tomorrow morning

The old town of Kurashiki and a bridge too far

Wow, we awoke to a sky filled with blue and hardly a cloud in the sky,what a change from yesterday and should be good for visiting the old town of Kurashiki.
Following our in house breakfast, ie we make it ourselves as you can easily pay £25.00 in a Hotel and Noel will only have toast etc so we buy stuff from a supermarket and have breakfast in the room. The Royal Art Hotel is a very old Hotel and used to be owned by the Nikko Hotel Chain and somebody must have spent a lot of cash on this place and it has the art deco feel about the place and in the reception you can look up to internal roof about 12 stories high. It is also located right next to the old town and about 250 metres away and so off we trotted for a look around.

The Old town is quite large compared to some we have seen and there are little rivers running though it where you hire a boat complete with a Japanese boatman which is like a British punt and to complete the atmosphere you have to wear the round straw hat. We did not go on it but wandered around the complete area for about two hours and noticed some of the popular types of cafes you get where you can sit and rent a cat, or dog or sit with owls and even hedgehogs for a small price whilst drinking your tea or coffee. We don't like this idea although perhaps cats and dogs may not mind too much but owls and hedgehogs we are not sure about, however this is Japan. We saw a number of couples complete with photographic entourage moving around the area to have the pre marriage photos takes on the bridges and boats etc and some of the outfits were really spectacular.
For lunch we visited the local Family Mart which like 7-11 and Lawsons are small to medium size shops selling the most important things you might need from sandwiches to milk and they even do a range of hot meals from yakitori and bowls of various foods which are kept in a fridge and purchased then the counter assistant puts it in the microwave and bingo you have a quick hot meal of noodles and /or rice with a large choice of toppings. We only purchased some sandwiches as we planned to revisit the bridge that we came over yesterday evening  in the dark and pouring rain and drove the 15 miles or so back to another Hotel which is on a hill overlooking the bridge. This Hotel was located next to a fun park with all sorts of stuff going on but not for us. The bridge hops from Island to Island from Kurashiki for many miles and is a sight to behold. We then took a drive along the hill as we had also seen a sign for a lookout over the bridge and found the location and took some more photos, puts Walton on Thames bridge to shame.
'The Great Seto Bridge is 9368 Metres long and connects Honcho and Shikoku
The Bridge was built on April 10^th, 1988. It stretches  over the Bisan Seto National Park and multiple islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
The Seto Bridge is the common name for 6 double-decker bridges and 4 suspension bridges that connect Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture and Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. This is the largest  bridge in the world and includes suspension bridges, cable stayed bridges and truss bridges; the beautiful background of the Seto Inland Sea is a must-see. On Saturdays and holidays the bridge is illuminated, creating a romantic atmosphere.
The upper bridge consists of four lanes, constituting Seto Central Expressway, and the lower bridge is a double-decker bridge which serves the JR Honshi-Bisan Railway. The total length is 9368m, making it  the world’s longest road and railway-bridge. It can be seen even from  satellites.'

So with a view like this we sat and ate our sandwiches. We retuned to the Hotel around 16.00 for a well earned cup of tea and for Noel to update the smug photos albums and blog and then a short rest and then more time spent looking at the Hotels we have booked over the next few days. When we collected the car in Tokyo we were told that the Osaka Kansai Airport drop off had closed due to the recent bad typhoon and could we drop it at another place. This does not really suit us and so we have changed out Hotel in Osaka to one where we can get the bus to the airport and drop off the car early.
For dinner we had found in Trip-Adviser and Italian style restaurant which had good reports and so we visited and the owner/ Chef confirmed that the no Garlic etc etc would be fine and we both had an excellent meal and no after effects, even the bottle of Barolo was good. The back to the Hotel for a couple more episodes of Line of Duty

Hiroshima to Kurashiki in the pouring rain

Another quite grey and wet morning in Hiroshima and we had planned to use the Hiroshima to Matsuyama car ferry and in view of the weather was beginning to doubt that this would be the right thing to do.

We could of course go along the coast directly to Kurashiki but was not certain however we decided, to hell with it, lets go on the ferry and hope the weather improves so we can get some good views en-route. As we were leaving the Hotel the car started making some warning noises every time we tried to go forward, so we checked all doors and windows and thought damn, this is going to mess up our ferry. So to be certain what was wrong with the car we parked by the side of the road, got out and locked the door using the remote and then unlocked it , got in and started the engine and off we went no problem. Not sure what happened there unless the remote got squashed in my pocket??
We arrived at the Ferry check in and the ticket window was closed and after chatting and pointing to watches we found that the ticket office only will open at 10.45 and it was only 10.30 but eventually the chap turned up and no doubt recognised us from yesterday as most likely were were the only Gaijins this year and then asked for our passports, what for a cross Island ferry, and then became clear we were entitled to a foreigners discount of a total of 2000 yen, approx. £ 14.00… The ferry is not that large, perhaps similar to the Isle of Wight Car ferry but the seat were comfortable and they serve got noodles and other stuff but we had the making of a ham salad with bread and Costco biscuits. At the rear end of the large passenger cabin was an open area carpeted where you could leave your shoes at the entrance and go and lie down and have a rest on the 2hrs 40 route. We stopped in a place called Kure to load more passengers and then of to Matsuyama where once we got of the boat it started to rain and got progressively heavier during the afternoon. Matsutama is a much bigger town on the Island and is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on Japan’s Shikoku Island. It’s known for its central Dōgo Onsen Honkan bathhouse, dating from the Meiji Period, with ornate, tiered wooden buildings. Nearby is Shiki Memorial Museum, dedicated to Masaoka Shiki’s haiku poetry. To the west is the restored, feudal-era Matsuyama Castle, with its hilltop gardens and seasonal cherry blossoms.

We deliberated whether to use the Expressway due to the heavy rain as against the main roads and then decided we would stay on the main roads until perhaps it got to late. The Sat Nav was showing and arrival time in Kurashiki of about 20.00 which is a bit late to check in and find something to to eat and so we plumped for the main road for the first hour or so through the mountains and had the weather been kinder rather than chucking it down it would have been a beautiful drive. As we drove Jennifer was taking photos out of the window of the route and lest see how the come out. By 15.30 it was typhoon type rain and so we said this no fun anymore and went on the Expressway and finally arrived in Kurashiki after crossing the very long suspension bridge which was difficult to see due to the heavy rain and clouds.The traffic up to the Hotel slowed us down by about an half and hour and we arrived in the Hotel at about 18.30. We have a nice big room on the corner of the Hotel and after checking in went to the so-called French restaurant for dinner as we did not want to tramp the streets in the heavy rain.
Jennifer had some really nice lamb chops covered in Garlic!!! and Noel had a, ‘Aussie’ steak as it was described after showing the man the info about no garlic and onions for me. Noel asked for a plan salad which came covered in onions and other stuff which he had to scrape off but the steak was fine.
And so back to the room for a couple of episodes of ‘Line of Duty’ on Netflix.
Lets hope the weather is better tomorrow.

Its a slow day in Hiroshima

Well we awoke to find that the predicted weather forecast was correct and it was grey and raining and not what we wanted really.

Very wet and grey

There is a trip to the Island of Miyajima where there is  famous photo location  see below, that can be taken and you reach the Island by fast speed boat in 25 minutes although car is also available but takes almost two hours.(Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima, is a small island in Hiroshima Bay, western Japan. It is known for its forests and ancient temples. Just offshore, the giant, orange Great Torii Gate is partially submerged at high tide. It marks the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, which was first built in the 12th century. Nearby, the Museum of History and Folklore has cultural artifacts in a 19th-century merchant's home). However to spend all that cash to see a scene which you cannot photograph and so I have downloaded one from the web so you can see what its all about.
So what to do for the rest of the day. Our prime reason for being in Hiroshima is so that we can catch the ferry from here to the Island of Matsuyama which takes you via several islands back to the mainland in a place called Kurashiki where we plan to spend two nights for sightseeing in this very old town. We did consider visiting the Hiroshima War Museum where you have the rood of the old church which survived the atomic bomb in the second world war but we have seen that. There was also  the chance to visit Nara which is also nice but in the rain, Nah, I don't think so.

Much better in the sun than rain and low clouds

So after a bit of paperwork as we had noticed that since we booked the Hotels in this area over two months ago the price has fallen through the floor and so we have cancelled two hotel and used others and hopefully save some cash unless the prices on the Hotels. Com website was wrong, we shall. So late in the morning we ventured out down to the port to see if we could purchase in advance the tickets for tomorrows ferry but unfortunately the ticket clerk could not understand a single word of English and so after a while it became apparent that you don't buy a ticket in advance and just turn up and hope you get on board but by looking at the queue for the 11.20 ferry today there was about half a dozen cars and one lorry and so we shall get down there early to bag a space on the boat. To obtain the price he was asking what length is the car, which I don't know, so said Toyota Corolla, Hi he said and that was fine, lets see what happens tomorrow morning.
The off to a supermarket we had found on Google to buy some stuff for lunch, dinner and breakfast tomorrow morning. After last nights fun and games we decided to play safe and bought some sandwiches for lunch and a salad and Sushi for dinner plus some stuff for breakfast. The breakfast buffet is fine if you can eat all of the stuff available but I cant trust the scrambled egg or sausage etc just in case and so restricted to toast and jam and a banana which I normally bring, But spend £ 15.00 for two bits of toast and jam and tea is rather stupid.
We ate our sandwiches near the War Museum and it was still raining and so made the decision to enjoy a quiet rest of the day in the Hotel and read books, watch videos etc and get ready for tomorrows next stage journey.

Country roads from Yonaga to Hiroshima

Following the usual breakfast we said good bye to our friends for them to carry on their own way home to Osaka and we will travel to Hiroshima using all the country roads and stay away from the Expressways.

Our route took us up in to the mountains and plenty of places where to put on your snow tyre chains and also some locations for skiing as there were signs directing you there. we p[assed lots of small villages nestling in the bottom of valleys and when you started to reach a bigger town you also had factories one side of the valley and houses the other side.
The traffic was almost nothing and you cannot believe you are in a very busy country of 127,103,366 people, they actually have a website updating all the time with the current headcount, quite unique really as we could not do this in the UK as nobody knows how many people are there. And so the journey was very easy indeed

We stopped by a country 7-11 for some sandwiches and they also have good loos, worth remembering, and then sat outside to east them and then off again on the open roads through more mountains and of course lots of forests. The leaves on these trees must be something to behold at certain times of year. We finally arrived in the outskirts of Hiroshima which is quite a bustling city which also has a tram network which we may try out tomorrow

We arrived at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima which is out of town and on a peninsular with really great views and will take some photos tomorrow. The room is very comfortable and so after a quick rest and a shower and a glass of Chardonnay , courtesy of Costco,we headed down stairs to the buffet only it was closed.  Oh well lets try the Boston Steak and Lobster Restaurant on the 21 st floor and we arrived and were shown to a waiting room for five minutes, so perhaps they were busy but no I think they were waking up the chef and his staff as there were only about 8 people in the restaurant which is supposed to seat 130. We ordered two glasses of Sancerre and it tasted awful and so we sent it back and the waiter said perhaps we would like to order something else but disappeared off the scene like a scalded rabbit with his tail on fire. We never did get another glass of wine even after they delivered a new wine list and then never came to take an order. Noel ordered a steak which was rather small with some French fries and Jennifer a chicken breast with mashed potato,again rather small so will be out tomorrow for dinner.
We had made a few phone calls to family prior to leaving for dinner and its always good to catch up and find out what is happening. Michael is busy decorating the hallway and initially when he answered the phone wearing a mask we wondered who he was operating on, Ha.
And then back to the room to write the blog and sort out some photos.

NB- The video above wont work but cannot seem to delete the ICON

Adachi Garden and Museum of Art- a most tranquil place to be

Following breakfast which can always be a challenge in a Hotel where foreigners (Gaijin) don't usual stay the breakfast line up is salad and port sausage and scrambled egg and of course the inevitable rice.  Whilst travelling I avoid scrambled egg as you don't know what is really in it such as butter or cream which are not good for Noel. Sausages can be risky also du often high fat content and so we are eking out the Weetabix purchased in Seward and having own purchased yogurts and banana and plain white bread or white bread roils.  It doesn’t make for an exciting breakfast but it does hopefully mean I don't suffer from my biggest problem at the moment which is diarrhea which is no fun when you are the road, so to speak. Anyway enough of that.



This morning we are headed to the Adachi Gardens and Museum which is about a forty minute drive and we got there about 11.00. The gardens are absolutely amazing and the presentation of same is immaculate as you would expect. You cannot actually walk in the garden for fear of causing damage and also the small stones are expertly raked and so it a no go but what you do is go through an air conditioned building with windows looking over the garden. There are places to stop and sit and contemplate all the way along and the colour of the trees and shrubs etc, no flowers in Japanese gardens, and it really is a site to behold. There are photos of the gardens taken at differed times of the year showing what its looks like in the snow, or when the Acer trees are changing to their colour. Yes really a place to visit many times if you can. Its is of course very different to Wisley Royal Horticultural Gardens in Surrey.
The late founder Adachi Zenko  (1899-1990) started working when he was 11 years old and clearly was a very clever guy and by the time he was 15 was employing men much older than himself. His love of gardens and beauty meant that he spent the major part of his life to create what is now recognised as the best garden in Japan. People come from far and wide to visit this location including us from Weybridge.
The Adachi Museum of Art is located in Shimane prefecture's Yasugi city. This highly regarded museum is located on a site covering an area of 50,000 tsubo, or about 165,000 square meters. The impressive art collection focuses on Japanese painting, and the magnificent and grand gardens, which include a dry landscape garden, harmonize with the surrounding natural environment.
The gardens here have been ranked number one for an impressive 14 consecutive years (as of 2017) among Japanese gardens in 'SUKIYA LIVING MAGAZINE', an American publication devoted exclusively to Japanese-style gardens, and now, both in name and reality, they serve as Japan's representative gardens.
If you look out from the main building of this museum you can see the many gardens and inside there's also a collection of Japanese painting and ceramics on display, and in the new annex building there's an exhibition of modern Japanese painting.
We left the Museum and garden having previously enjoyed an ice tea in one of the many little cafes which look out over the gardens, what a way to relax, and headed to a place on the coast called Sakaiminato on the North Coast which is also a fishing port and we visited the market and had a lunch in the only little restaurant on site. Jennifer had the prawn Tempura and said it was possible the best she has ever had. Noel avoided the Tempura to avoid a repetition of what happened when he had the Tempura in Tokyo and went with the Tuna Sushi which was brilliant and Nobu and his wife shared a Crab dish.
At Sakaiminato is the famous bridge which looks extremely dangerous to travel over but the angle of the photo creates that impression rather than the actual bridge looking like a roller coaster although come from around to Japan just to driver over it.

After yesterdays extensive walking Noel need a break for the afternoon and so we arrived back at the Hotel around 15.30 for a rest. We were planning to go out for dinner but unfortunately Noel came down a with a mild attack of D- u know what, and decided to spend the evening in the Hotel room for safety reasons. Jennifer was free to join them but insisted that the Tempura and all the associate dishes that came with had filled her so an evening it seems in the room.
This is our last night here and tomorrow we leave for Hiroshima for a couple of nights with a view to exploring more there.

A busy tourist day out

Well after meeting up our friends from Osaka and and a great evening at a Sashimi restaurant this morning was all about today and our tour to some Historic buildings.

We departed the Hotel short;y after 0930 and headed west for about 90 minutes and arrived at the City of Izumo and visited the Izumo –Taisha Shrine.
zumo-taisha (出雲大社, Izumo Grand Shrine), officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi (大国主大神, Ōkuninushi-no-ōkami), famous as the Shinto deity of marriage and to Kotoamatsukami, distinguishing heavenly kami. The shrine is believed by many to be the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan, even predating the Ise Grand Shrine.

A style of architecture, taisha-zukuri, takes its name from the main hall of Izumo-taisha. That hall, and the attached buildings, were designated National Treasures of Japan in 1952. According to tradition, the hall was previously much taller than at present. The discovery in the year 2000 of the remains of enormous pillars has lent credence to this.
Several other buildings in the shrine compound are on the list of Important Cultural Properties of Japan.
After walking around for about 90 minutes taking photographs and also washing our hands before visiting the actual Temple we then went back in to the main town and on to a well known Soba Noodle restaurant for lunch which was most enjoyable. It was a typical Japanese's restaurant with Tatami mats and leave your shoes at the door. You can order a minimum of three small bowls of noodles and it comes with a couple of extra items like dried fish and seaweed which you mix in with Soya sauce and it was very nice to sit their quietly enjoying the atmosphere and company. Tomorrow is a public holiday and taking place here is the Izumo All Japan University Ekiden annual student 50 kilometre relay marathon and so there were television crew busy setting up their equipment and motorbikes with pillion riders with cameras also practising but unfortunately we will not be here tomorrow.
We left Izumo and headed East along the Northern part of the Lake back to Matsu Castle .
Matsue Castle (松江城 Matsue-jō) is a feudal castle in Matsue in Shimane prefecture, Japan. Nicknamed the "black castle" or "plover castle", it is one of the few remaining medieval castles in Japan – at least of the few remaining in their original wooden form, and not a modern reconstruction in concrete.
The construction of Matsue Castle began in 1607 and finished in 1611, under the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. In 1638, the fief and castle passed to the Matsudaira clan, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan.
Most Japanese castles have been damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, or other causes. Since a large part of their construction was wooden, fire was a major hazard. Matsue castle was built after the last great war of feudal Japan, so it never saw a battle. Yet only some of the walls and the keep exist today.
Matsue Castle, standing on the shores of Shinji Lake, is one of Japan's Three Great Lake Castles. It is also known as a riverside district.
We had done quite a bit of walking by the time we reached the Castle and Noels knees were giving up and so the rest of the tour group , well three of them went to the castle whilst Noel watched the world go by. We had to leave early anyways as there was an event planned for tonight and so the castle grounds would be closed at 17.00 Hours. After leaving the Castle we went a short way to a Japanese tea house where our hosts purchased some tea and then we were offered a small cup which was very tasty providing you like green tea .

Then after a little more shopping we headed back to the Hotel for about an hours rest. We met up later in the foyer for a glass of Costco Chardonnay and some crisps and nuts before locating somewhere where we could eat and after some time booked a place called ‘Big Boys Steak House’ which is part of a Steak and Hamburger chain but the steak was  very good and perhaps a little better than expected. For Noel Steak and Chops with a glass of Chardonnay was really good.

Lake Biwa to Yonaga

This morning from when we first awoke and for the next 90 minutes we had, sun, clouds so that you could not see the ground from the 32 nd Floor and driving rain, not what we wanted at all.
However after an in room breakfast, Noel Weetabix and Jennifer bread and marmalade and finished off with a cuppa and banana we packed up and left the Hotel around 10.45 and left Lake Biwa in the pouring rain. Had the weather been better we might have considered using the non Expressway route but with this type of rain it would take forever and so headed for the Chuo Expressway. Each time we start the car a Japanese lady talks to us for about twenty seconds and when we turn the car off she comes back to thank us for using  the car, that's what we think she is saying. Or it could be please shut the bloody door but who knows.

So off down the Cho Expressway and skirted around \Kyoto and though the outskirts of Osaka and continued heading West until it was such time to change Expressways and headed North through vary mountainous country along with a number of Volcanoes en route. We stopped for lunch in a service area for about half an hour and then continued on pretty much empty roads, just heaven and so different to the UK motorways. The view were pretty damn good and we wish we had more time to take the normal roads and stop and take photos but in the end we did a bit of videotaping of the roads instead using the small Nikon camera.
We finally arrived at our destination and by chance found an excellent supermarket with so much fresh food and a large display of various kinds of meat but they did not appear to have an muesli which Jennifer was looking for. However we did by some milk and water and a few odd and bits for the next few days. We arrived at the Hotel at the same time as our Japanese friends who live in Osaka and we plan to spend three nights and days together exploring the region which should be really nice.
For dinner Nobu had tracked down a Sashimi restaurant

where we had a couple of beers and some really excellent Sashimi before heading back to Hotel for an early’ish night before starting our tourist bit tomorrow. However there is a blog to do but we did not take any photos as we have enough photos of Mountains and clouds and Japanese houses so far.

A view on certain good aspects of Japan

We British should perhaps be ashamed of ourselves the way we treat the Country. In Japan all the vehicles are clean even the huge trucks and buses must be washed every day.

We have travelled quite a lot of Kilometres since we have been here and perhaps noticed only the odd plastic bottle or piece of paper lying around either on the City roads or even on the Expressways. People are proud to complete the job they have no matter how menial and are happy with it. We have during our stay visited a number of public toilets and they are always spotless and in the last couple of days we have used two motorway (Expressway) Service area where the toilet facilities are not only immaculate but provide excellent facilities for changing baby nappies and most importantly specially designed toilet’s for those people who are unfortunate enough to have to have an Ostomy bag.

Having had an Ostomy bag for fourteen months and the hassle of emptying it many times per day and try to find suitable toilets in areas that we visited was a nightmare to me sometimes.

If in the UK we have these facilities at all main line station and in Motorway service stations  it would make a massive difference to many people and it like the efforts going in to making accessible the Underground and other shops and transport facilities to enable those who are disabled.
As most people are aware trains and buses run on time  with NO STRIKES and even Japan Air Lines have the record for the most on time departure and arrival of any other Airline.
We have a long way to go in the Uk to get even close to what Japan has achieved. Yesterday when trying to use the restaurant in the Hotel where there was buffet and with my food challenges which I passed on the the clerk on reception he went away and spoke to the chef and then booked a table at another restaurant in the Hotel  and guided us there to explain to the staff what was required.
I do realise that Japan also has a poverty problem but they appear to be addressing it and I am not sure the UK Government is ………
That's my rant for today

A day around Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan

About twenty miles North of Kyoto is the largest lake in Japan where we arrived yesterday when it was raining. Today however it was just rather grey and cloudy and not really conducive to good photos but we cannot change the weather.

After a Weetabix breakfast and banana in the room we collected the car but we needed to buy some fuel for the car and we arrived in the Esso petrol station and two staff rush out shouting greetings before taking control of everything and we spent a grand total of Yen 4000, about £ 28 to fill the tank,  and then headed off in the direction of the old city of Sakamoto where we discovered that parking was extremely limited unfortunately and so we could not park and walk around this old historic town. Some while ago Noel purchased for his Sony Camera a stand to put on the car dashboard and we gave it a go and hope the pictures are good as holding the camera for video is not the best thing you can do.


Sakamoto flourished as the temple town for Hieizan Enryakuji Temple, including the homes for monks from approximately 50 different temples, and the townscape retains the elegance of that history even today. The monk's homes have incredible gardens, with beautiful azalea, crimson leaves and moss combining to form a wonderful symphony of colour. Furthermore, the Sakamoto region was designated as a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1997.
We could have parked at the top of the hill in one of the Temple car parks but it was a steep downhill to the old town and a bit to far to walk and the weather was still rather grey and not good for photos still.

So we continued going down the West side of the Laker and eventually stopped at a 7-11 to but some sandwiches for lunch and then decided we would head for the mountains overlook the Lake. So up we went with signs everywhere about snow chain which you would need at the winter time and though a number of tunnels and noticed some landslides and trees down which presumably happened during the recent typhoon as there were workman in number of places clearing up the mess. We stopped for or snack lunch in a small side road and then headed back down the hill where we crossed the bridge and went down the Eastern Side of the Lake until we reached almost the bottom and then re crossed the Lake in the direction of the Hotel. The lake has over 118 rivers leading in to it and it provides drinking water for both Kyoto and also Otsu where the Hotel is and the lake is full of fish and a paradise for the Japanese fishermen whilst there are a number of boats including a paddle steamer which does lake tour during the day and at night.

We also were aware of the colourful water fountains which are on every night but its about 2.4 miles to walk in each direction and no place to park and so did not visit but looked at them from the top floor of the Hotel through double glazed glass and so no good for photos..
There is an exhibition of what they call English Housing on the site by Panasonic the Electric Company which was accompanied by some conferences and the car park was now complete full.
For dinner we tried the Buffet but when explaining the No Garlic etc etc, they checked with the Chef and it would appear there was garlic on most foods even garlic on the garlic it seems. They then directed us to the A La Carte French Restaurant where we got a nice expensive steak  and lets not talk about the price. Ah well this is Japan

Lake to Lake or Lake Suwa to Lake Biwa

It was a bit grey this morning , unfortunately Noel was still suffering a bit from the Garlic we think, and we spent some time looking what route we should take to Lake Biwa. Actually it was simple choice that if you take normal roads it will be 11.5 hours and by Expressway 4.5 hours, plus a few thousand yen toll fees. Oh well its the Toll road then!

We did a bit of local shopping and took a few photos around Lake Suwa but the weather grey and cloudy and so we don't expect the photos to be any good, we shall see.  We left the main town and was soon on the Expressway and I must comment that so fa on the Expressways there has been no traffic to talk of and its heaven compared to the British Motorways.Through the various mountain ranges which means tunnel after tunnels one was actually over 8 kilometres long and make the Hindhead tunnel look rather silly. We passed numerous grave sites on the hills above the Expressway and Jennifer was taking photos as we went along and we passed a truck that seemed overloaded with bicycles and we presume they were from an entertainment area and now the season is over en route to a storage site or the knackers yard. We stopped midday for a drivers rest and the loo in a very well organised roadside parking area and at the entrance to the gents Loo there was a small garden with flowers, see photo, Elmbridge take note, and we had a quick snack and a brief twenty minute rest in the car.

This journey in the sun would be gorgeous and a wonderful thing to do and so we are a little disappointed with the weather.
It was now beginning to rain quite hard and the mountains were mostly hidden by mist and Mount Fuji was in there somewhere along with several large peaks, but what with the recent Typhoon and there was another one threatened it would of course mess up the weather quite a bit. The Satnav is quite good although every time you turn it on and off is talks to you for about 30 seconds, god knows what it is saying however its traffic advice warnings and driving instructions are very good so you cannot get lost. Towards the end of our journey it was warning of severe traffic delays and we decided to ditch the Expressway and try our luck via the normal roads and this really paid off. We arrived in Otsu which stands beside lake Biwa around 16.00 hours and checked in to the Lake Biwa Price Hotel which is a huge place and were were given a room on the 32nd Floor which is great for a view over the lake but not necessarily for Noels vertigo.
Based on Noels earlier experience for him diner was a slice of bread and a banana and Jennifer had purchased in advance a tuna salad which she enjoyed. We did a walk around the Hotel and looked at the various restaurants and again this Hotel is not full as the main bar was empty and so was the French Restaurant whilst the buffet perhaps only 25% busy. We thought that tomorrow and subject tom, we would try the buffet as it looks quite good.
The back to the room for a Japanese bath, which is not long but the water can come up almost to your shoulders and then a quiet evening catching up with Blogs and photos and Jennifer reading. Lets see what tomorrow will bring.

Time to leave Tokyo and head South West

Our route from Tokyo to Lake Suwa

Unfortunately Noel had eaten something which disagreed with hi and so a restless night ensued. However by 0900 we were ready to leave to pick up the rental car from Toyota Rental Company which was about twenty minutes away. So we signed our life away and the Manager tried to explain in his best English that there was problem in that we intend to drop the car at Kansai Osaka Airport however following the recent Typhoon where the complete airport was flooded the car receiving area had been closed until further notice and we should return the car to another place. This makes it sound simple except that it required him to phone their English Speaking support Line and the guy I spoke to his Egrish was not so good, but we go there in the end. ( please remember that Osaka Airport Runway and part of the terminal was completely flooded but was up again for all flights within 16 days) In U a bity of snow closes the airport for 2/3 days!!!


People think we are mad but we like certain foods and don't want to change and our supply of Costco Crisps and nuts had run out and so we decided to make a small diversion and go to Costco in a place called Iruma and boy was it packed. However we were able to get what we wanted including some other Groceries and nice box of really super looking Sushi which we thought we would have tonight. We also though we would have lunch there and we both went for the burger, boy was it huge!! with two large patties, Tomato and Lettuce and some spread or other we could not make out but after Noel not eating breakfast that day decided we should go fort it. Some two hours later this turned out to be big mistake as we think that there was some garlic in there somewhere and Noel night was ruined and as the Sushi had an eat by date of the same day we unfortunately had to bin it as Noel could not eat and Jennifer was full from lunch. OH well. So noel was in bed by 18.00 and was up and down for a few hours…One day it will be better.

Lake Suwa Hotel

After leaving Iruma we headed out on the Expressway and we had got what they call an ETC card which enables you to go through the toll booths without stopping. The Expressways are not cheap however it was the quickest way to get where the Hotel was located right next to the lake. The Hotel seemed rather deserted and the room rate was cheap for Japan and included breakfast of £ 80.00 , so hence the cheap price.
Lets hope tomorrow is a better day.

A very pleasant day and evening

We were both a bit tired from  all our walking yesterday and Noels ankles were badly swollen and so he sat in the shower and sprayed cold water all over them for about twenty minutes and hoped it would help as we were due to do a lot more walking later.
Jennifer did a bit of washing and Noel caught up on some emails and then we left the Hotel around 11.30 to walk to the local Ginza Line Station which was perhaps nearly on mile away to catch a train to Ginza Station to meet up with some Japanese friends for lunch in a Chinese restaurant. When we arrived at the station it was about another half a mile from the train to the restaurant and by some chance our host had also just arrived at Ginza Station and was a few steps behind and caught us up. We first met Aki when we lived in Tokyo and he was working first of all from British Caledonian Airways from when they started to fly to Tokyo and when British Airways took them over Aki became the Cargo Manager for Japan.  Over the years we have met up with Aki and his wife Miko and we have a strong relationship as many years ago we took care of his son Yugo for about a year whilst he was learning English and we became his second parents for a year.

He was about 16 years old when he stayed with us and now he is married with one little girl and a brother on the way in December this year.
We had a nice lunch and it was great to catch up and it was interesting that the last time that they came to the house was part way through the building extension work nearly ten years ago and so it was interesting for them to see photos of the finished article. We discussed our moving plans and it would appear they have a similar idea now their children have left home and the same applies to us.

We left the restaurant and took some photos around one part of Ginza and then started the trip home and once we got back to the station we started from we could so some food shopping as following our lunch we only needed a snack tonight and so a quick visit to the Supermarket. The back to the Hotel where we started to repack our three big suitcases and two roller bags so that over the next week we don't have to take all five bags in to the Hotel when we travel from hotel to another around Southern Japan. Once we had completed that we had a ham roll and and a glass of wine and watched a fil called State of Play , which to be frank we have watched before but it is very good.
And So to bed