Col and Lyn

After Nagasaki we entered uncharted territory as we travelled across Northern Kyushu. Col, Hide and I had never been ther but luckily for us Daisuke had. Because a cyclone last year took out a major bridge along the train route to Hita we had a coach take us the last couple of hours. That turned into an advantage as we detoured into the mounains to visit the tiny pottery town of Onta. Only 11 families live there and they all create Ontayaki pottery using age old methods. The local clay is crushed by a large water driven hammer before being soaked into slurry. The kneaded and wedged clay is thrown using a foot wheel to make everyday wares with simple clay and glaze finishes. The pots are dried outside on batterns and fired in a traditional ... read more

The bus is booked, the itinerary complete and the bags are almost packed. Watch out for our updates from this spring trip that will take us to Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, Himeji, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Hita, Kunisaki Peninsula, Matsue, Amanohashidate, Kanazawa, Toyama and Tokyo again before we fly home. Who knows we may even come up with some Haiku poetry again- not to mention spectacular examples of origami that Hide-san will teach us!... read more

NORWAY - the coastline from Bergen to Kirkenes was absorbing and everchanging. From the majestic, towering cliffs and fiords to the rolling hills and small towns in the north and the many islands and inlets passed each day- the scenery was unforgetable. The Hurtigruten experience worked so well for us-the weather was fine, seas calm and the 24 hour day gave us dramatic skies and total confusion as to the time. SWEDEN AND THE INLANDSBANAN- After leaving the Polarlys at Harstad, we crossed over the mountains via the Arctic Railway on the major iron ore transpot line and joined Inslandbanan - a single carriage tourist train ambling through the countryside of Swedish Lapland! What a change of pace and scenery. Water was everywhere as it ran from the mountains across Sweden to the Baltic. Rivers fed ... read more

Not long until we are back in Japan. This time we will fly into Sapporo in the northern island of Hokkaido as neither of us have seen this more rural area of the country. We will finish our time in Japan, before flying to Helsinki, at a wonderful onsen we visited in 2007 on our Isabella Bird adventure. I expect to relax in hot tubs at Naruko Onsen... read more

The spring trip is almost over and it has been full of fun, adventure and laughter as we have explored both well known and little known parts of Honshu. Much of our trip has been in rain- mostly light but some very heavy but nothing seemed to dampen spirits as our troop took everything in their stride. In their own words in (prose or Haiku poetry of 17 syllables) are some samples views: The cherry blossoms. Burst into flower today. Waking our senses. Shinjuku Gyoen National Park Tokyo- A georgeous display of cherry blossoms, a delight o see the japanese people celebrating th ebeauty by painting the scenery, enjoying meeting,friends and family and picnicing under the blossom trees. The lovely families with young children, the peace and tranquillity of the gardens so neat and pristine. Young, ... read more