Advertisement
Published: December 1st 2012
Colin-san was right- tomorrow and the next days bought more. More for the senses to feast on and for the feet to tire on - yet after we all collapse into bed at night we come back eager for more the next day.
Now we are over halfway through the trip of beautiful autumn gardens: some spectacularly lit at night; of fast trains: where some people get lost on stations; of incredible museums and temples: seen through soft rain and mist; and of generous university students and retired volunteer guides give their time to help us find our way and talk about our different cultures and lives. A few words can't do it justice but here are some of the collective random thoughts of the group!
Kanazawa to Kyoto via MIHO Museum. First came an origami lesson from Hide. We don't know how kindergarten children manage to make 1000 cranes – it took us 30 minutes of pain to create one poor specimen each! Ross and Helen said;
•
O-ri-ga-mi
•
Hir-o-shima dove for peace
•
Fold-ing Di-a-bol-ical – Eur-e-ka! Miho Museum, which harmonises beautifully within the mountain landscape , was enough to
take our breath away before we saw it's treasures. It was built by one family to house their private collection! Pam wrote:
Pei Miho – unforgetable, position, antiquities – free shape perfection. Another identified Miho as the highlight of their trip thus far:
The treasures contained within are from the Silk Road with many works from Egypt and Eurasia. However as wonderful as these are it is the Museum's unique structure within the tranquil countryside (with 80%!b(MISSING)elow ground yet still manages to have natural lighting throughout) and the stunning architecture of the Museum must surely set it up for a future World Heritage listing! Simply the most beautiful designed building of the modern era With Kyoto came some rain that wet us a bit on the outside but didn't dampen spirits and led to haiku overload!
•
Umbrellas,fresh rain •
colours glisten •
brighter than bright whilst Brian wrote:
Kaleidoscope of colour in magnificent gardens Yes, can do sort of city Open, honest, friendly people Triumph of history and the present Oh! When can we return Gail wrote:
As we leave Kyoto by bullet train we reflect on this delightful,orderly, clean city full of courteous people, low rise buildings and no graffiti to be seen. A plethora of dining areas wher delicious meals are consumed, cylists on footpaths weave around us un expecting tourists with great precision and masked faces are common as winter descends on those most vulnerable.Parks and playgrounds were few but there were many amazing temples and shrines surrounded by beautiful deciduous trees of varied colours of autumn and fallen leaves making a carpet of gold. Even the rain created a mist of intrigue!
Peter and Heather, impressed with our guides, wrote:
In Kyoto our group had a 21 year old university student named Ayame. On the second day we said she was like a daughter to us. Her reply was that we were older than her parents and so we became Grandpa Doug, Grandpa Ian and Grandpa Peter! The group farewells were so full of tears all round that we checked to see that Ayame hadn't been smuggled into a suitcase to go back to BP with us! A night walk in Kyoto to Kiyomizudera and Kodaiji temples drew more oh's and ah's at the reflections and colours set against the darkness but also at
Hide's best origami!
He made Marilyn Monroe whilst we mucked up a crane!the crowds as we squirmed our way along walkways set high above the city. The photos will give you an idea of the beauty. Then the next day it was off to Arishiyama by cable tram to walk down through temples and old villages.
•
Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. •
Destroyed by flood; rebuilt with love •
Fun wandering through the 1200 hand carved statues. •
Is that Colin with glasses and a book? Ross with tennis racquet and ball? Who is that smiling statue holding a good bridge hand? From Kyoto our JR rail passes came into effect and it was an adventure to get to Okayam our next stop. Val and Roger summed it up with:
Fast Train on time Packed Happy sardines! As with many things – familiarity breeds complacency and after a couple of train trips we had the
Adventures of the Fearless Five: •
Off to the railway •
Following the leader •
Chattering away •
Not speaking their language •
All of a sudden- nobody there! •
A feeling of dread goes through our head •
Then through the glass a vision so splendid •
The rest of the group •
Our terror has ended! Mary
Okayama proves to be a pleasant smaller city where we can wander and relax without the frenetic pace and crowds of Kyoto and where our hotel is conveniently right next to the railway station. The gardens and castle of Okayama are quite close. Peter and Aileen visited the Castle and wrote:
Phoenix-like, Okayama castle has been rebuilt from the ashes of WW2 bombing and fires. The six floors of the Castle tower over Korakuen gardens. Several floors contain exhibitis of lifei te 16th and 17th centuries.There is a delightful little retaurant serving udon noodles and fried tofu in a sweet broth- oishii! The next day one group went with Lyn to Adachi gardens (judged best garden in Japan for 12 straight years) on the opposite side of Japan. As they crossed the Island by rail one someone mused
our train from Okayama went through misty mountains, autumn colours, past sparkling waters and picturesque villages. The next day Roger said that Adachi was his highlight of the trip so far and he thought it was more beautiful than any garden he has seen anywhere in the world. The founder said it was designed to be
Miho
A perfectly placed tree to frame the view “ as beautiful as pictures” and you view the garden in the same way. The rest of the party rode the rails with Col as they travelled by tilt train on the Super Oki 3 to Masuda with Bento box lunch boxes and then back to Okayama by the Shinkansen.
That evening's highlight was drinks with all the group on the 19
th floor of our hotel to celebrate Mike's 75
th birthday! What a perfect ending to another exciting day.We all feel as if we have been friends for years and it was lovely to celebrate such a special day with Mike and Pam.
Sayonara everyone. Thanks for the comments – keep them coming and yes there is more ahead before we get back home on the 8th but I'm not sure there will be another blog - lack of time and internet access may present problems.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.165s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 63; dbt: 0.0843s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.2mb
Helen Smith
non-member comment
The Warmth of Friendship
The friendships being formed and the wonderful sights you are experiencing must be a real joy to you all. The photos are amazing.