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Train day to nowhere
Here we were with an unexpected bonus day in Japan. Had I known earlier then whole trip would have changed. We could have gone via Matsumoto or spent longer in Kanazawa. But it was all so unexpected that nothing was planned but a little sleep in to recover from the previous day’s exertions. Mum suggested… Read more
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Shimogamo Shrine and the Path of Philosophy
I was tired and I was terrified. This was supposed to be our last day in Japan, we would fly back in the evening for Australia. But we had a transit in Cairns and category 5 Cyclone Ita was bearing down on the city. Being on the edge of Typhoon Fitow on the flight up… Read more
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Arashiyama, Nijo Castle and Kyoto
The one place my Mum insisted on visiting were the bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto. I had to keep correcting her on the pronunciation of Kyoto: K’yo-to, not Ky-o-to (actually the proper pronunciation is with a longer “ou” sound, but then it would look even more confusing). Unfortunately, accommodation in Kyoto was heavily booked or… Read more
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More gardens in Kanazawa
Kanazawa is full of beautiful and fascinating sights, too many to see on such a sort visit as this. There was one I especially wanted to show Mum, the Nagamachi Buke Yashiki District where samurai homes and their exquisite gardens hide behind high mud and straw walls. We walked the main street up from the… Read more
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Snow, sarubobos and cherry blossoms
When I first planned this trip the idea was to go from Nagoya to Kanazawa via Matsumoto, catching the stretch of the Oito Line scheduled to close once the Hokuriku Shinkansen services begin. But I struggled with that decision. Though Matsumoto’s Castle is one of the best I knew that Mum would probably prefer the… Read more
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Springs, castles and the end of the line
I am never happy to stop before the end of the line. It irritates me to know that there is still somewhere unexplored lying ahead. So when I only got as far as Gujo Hachiman on the Nagaragawa Railway last year I knew I needed to return for more. Especially as this private third sector… Read more