Amanda S

We did it! Climbed to the top and back again. Took just less than 4hrs up and just under 3 hrs down. We took the first bus up in the morning and as we drew close to the 5thstation (where the walk starts) we were amazed at the number of cars parked and the number of coaches and then when the vast number of people milling around. As we set off there were hundreds and hundreds of people coming down, in various states of weariness. It was a lovely clear day, good views up the mountain and down to the town. We set ourselves a steady pace, and were impressed with ourselves that we weren’t over taken at any point! The last 500m was a challenge, most of the walk was not too bad, not too ... read more

Spent yesterday travelling here, took nearly 6 hours. All quite easy and comfortable by two trains. Kanazawa’s train station entrance is impressive and modern, supposed to look like a giant welcoming umbrella. Had a walk around the Geisha district and through the castle grounds in the afternoon. I went in to a geisha house, Shima, that was open. It was formerly a tea-house. Well preserved, all rooms quite small, but gave a good indication of what it would have been like. Decoration in Japanese places is so simple, it’s all about the correct atmosphere. There was Lovely but tiny garden that one of the upstairs rooms and the proprietress’s room looked out onto. Today walked to the famous Kenruoken Gardens. They are beautiful, supposed to be the best in Japan. All really well laid out, meant ... read more

How to describe feelings arriving in Hiroshima? As soon as you arrive you feel that you’re somewhere special and significant. Going round the Peace Park and the museum and looking at the Dome, the one building that has been left as a memorial, all fill you with questions and horror at what we are capable of doing to each other. The remarkable thing is how the city has become what it is today after such an enormous tragedy. The park is lush with trees and shrubs, covering a big area around the detonation site. The city has grown up around it and is vibrant and colourful. As well as the Peace sites we took a short ferry ride out to the pretty island of Miyajima, known for its big red tori and ‘floating’ temple. Climbed Mt ... read more

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Kyoto. We visited Nijo-jo castle, dates from early 1600s and was a shogun residence. Despite yet more renovations going on it was very impressive to walk around the extensive single story building to see the beautifully painted screens, lots of gold with images of pine trees. There were squeaking floors everywhere called nightingale floors so that no one could creep up on the shogun unheard. There were also hidden rooms where the shogun’s bodyguards hid. All the sliding doors were closed to protect all of the paintings but would have looked out on the lovely gardens, lots of pine trees out there too and a big pond. There was another building across the second moat but not for the public, just a look around the garden. In the evening we ... read more