Tokyo to Nagasaki

For our last day in Tokyo we opted to obtain an overview of the city and visit Skytree. The weather was not ideal and below turned out to be the clearest view all day! In the foreground is a rather bizarre “nose? carrot?....” (you decide) which appears to be coming out of the side of a high rise. It is in fact a “flame” atop the lower Asai (beer) headquarters. The flame represents their passion and dedication to brewing over 100 years.

By the time we ascended the weather had really set in and the view moved from poor to non-existent. After a quick lunch we headed down for a more close up exploration of the nearby Sensoji temple. This Buddhist temple was founded way back in 645.

One area that was attracting a good deal of attention was a wall with little lockers. For a small fee you could obtain a written fortune.

The instructions were interesting. If it was good luck take it home - if not then leave it here!

Near the hotel was a street of restaurants located under the old railway bridge arches. The atmosphere and variety was hard to ignore and we found ourselves in one called Baden Baden. A stein of German beer,  goulash, and sauerkraut all in the middle of Tokyo was a little surreal but tasty and fun.  

We then hopped on a shinkanzen and headed off for Fukuoka (back on Kishu - the southern island) and shuttled to and from Oita for the QFs. Although our mob was now smaller they were no less enthusiastic and looking forward to seeing the Australia v England clash albeit with a clear underdog status. The 40:16 defeat was expected and largely as a result of England’s Australian (ex Brumbies) coach. The second QF which we watched on the following day was a far more exciting affair with Wales just scraping over France (who early on were reduced to 14 players) 20:19.

As a break to the Fukouoka/Oita two hour drive we diverted to a pottery village called Ontayaki. The village comprises a dozen or so potteries – very much a family affair. The first step is to ensure the clay is as fine as possible. This is undertaken using "karausu" which are beams simply rising and falling using water diverted from the river. The other end has a large pick to pulverise the clay. This is a 24/7 affair. I assume the villagers must somehow find the erratic thumps soothing, although how you fall asleep awaiting the next tremor escapes me. 

The pottery is turned and then the set out to dry. 

Once the initial drying has occurred they are fired using rising kilns. A fire is lit in the bottom chamber and the heat flows through the various chambers loaded with pottery until eventually being exhausted through the chimney at the far end. The length of the kiln enables more pottery to be fired at the same time and also helps with achieving hotter temperatures by drawing the air over a greater length. 

The whole process is hundreds of years old but the villagers have developed their own distinctive pattern.

As we meandered back to the expressway the valley progressively opened up and this view rather typified much of the country. The flow of small paddy fields and pockets of houses/farms running up to the foot of heavily timbered hills ensured there was not much wasted space!

Our flight back was in the evening and this gave us time for one last day trip. Nagasaki the site of the second A bomb was an obvious choice. The Memorial park is topped by the Peace statue. It was good to see another wave of schoolchildren visiting although these had a slightly more upbeat approach to the service we saw in Hiroshima. 

The park incorporated sculptures sent from all over the world. Towards the end was the Fontana Della Pace (peace fountain) from Italy. Overall the park is not large and you can see the Peace Memorial in the background.

Inside the nearby museum were some harrowing stories and memorabilia. Also included was a life sized model of the bomb with a cutaway outlining how it operated. It was not particularly large in stark contrast to the massive damage it caused. 

Throughout Japan there were origami cranes which are viewed as birds of paradise carrying souls to heaven. The cranes were used in many designs but none more impressive than this picture. (Don’t ask – I have no idea of the number of cranes!) 

With that we headed back to Fukuoka and the airport. Another RWC over! Quite one of the more frenetic ones due to the large amount of travelling but nonetheless very enjoyable. Japan is a fascinating country but probably best viewed in smaller bites. Highlights – the food and mountains were wonderful, the streetscapes and overhead cables less so. Most of the people were terrific and keen to overcome any language challenges. In time the generation that still holds to Japan being for the Japanese will diminish. Certainly, there is lots more to see but a return visit may need to wait on countries with a higher priority!

Central Honshu

Our trip towards Shizuoka for the third match had a couple of twists and turns. First nephew Phil decided to join us prior to entertaining Clients at the France v England match. Secondly a large typhoon (Hagibis – Phillipino for swiftly) was due to make land on Saturday 12^th directly where we were! (I will include specific dates as it helps with the timeline of events.)

The visit by Phil on Thursday 10^th was a great catch up and we all stayed at a hotel on the coast at Omaezaki. On Friday 11^th Phil returned and the forecast was that the typhoon would hit the region on Saturday 12^th. There were two matches cancelled (France v England and Italy v New Zealand). That threw Phil’s plans into chaos as he had a myriad of international visitors arriving just for the game! (Helen, Jamie and I also had tickets for the France England match).

Michael had even more fun! First his van had a puncture when at the hotel – just a tortuous process to swap (but not repair). His family were due to fly out at 18:00 on the 12^th and reluctantly he decided it would be unsafe to stay with the original plan of driving back to Tokyo after the Australia v Georgia match. Responsibly he opted to forgo the match and drive to Tokyo on the Friday. A blow out on the motorway increased the drama (as now there was no spare) with a pick up truck eventually taking the van away and a separate (2 seater) truck running a taxi service to the nearest Shinkanzen. A last minute hotel was booked for a couple of nights as the airport was to be closed on Saturday and many flights had already been cancelled. Eventually arriving at the hotel at midnight on Friday he was advised that his flight had been brought forward to just before midday on the 12^th. They literally caught the last plane out at 11:58 with the airport closed at midday.

By comparison Helen and I had a relatively trouble free time. We watched Australia v Georgia. Georgia were hard competitors and the match was more entertaining for the almost 40,000 strong crowd than the 76:24 might suggest.

Straight after the match we headed for the hills to at least get away from the coastal winds. (Campervans being light and high sided make driving in wind quite an exciting experience!) We found a site behind Mount Fuji. Although it was closed it had a good sheltered car park and we turned in at 02:00 with the rain steadily increasing.

On Saturday day we decided on a bit of exploring as the weather was not too windy just very wet. The rain had already made its mark with torrential rivers.

The local inhabitants were not impressed with the conditions and looked thoroughly dejected. We did not get much further up this road before being turned around due to a slip hazard.

Sunday brought sunshine and our planned itinerary was back on track with a tour of the well known Kiso Valley. This is an attractive valley with a variety of towns with their own unique attractions.

The first (Hirawasa) was famous for its lacquering. What a selection. We came away with chopsticks, matching rests as well as a soy dispenser all of course colour matched with the kitchen decor…..

Further down the valley is Nezamenotoko gorge with its smooth rocks.

For the opposite view the river cut a vibrant sight thanks to its higher water flows.

On a terrace above the gorge, artists have been busy with all manner of sculptures. I suspect the shape of this one was relocated from a natural source rather than being carved. There were no brochures but it may have been entitled "His mother loves him".

This area has so much history. Moving logs by sending them down on the river was deemed tortuous and unsafe and the industry then opted for narrow gauge railways.

A little further down was an unusual suspension bridge that used cable (at the bottom) to reduce horizontal sway. The campsite below was very appealing but could not be incorporated into our schedule!

Our final Kiso stop was the old town of Tsumago. Some of these buildings are over 300 years old with an enormous range of shops (including one with excellent coffee).

One that was fascinating and warrants a series of pictures was this character who was making Washis (Wa meaning Japanese shi meaning paper). Mulberry twigs are broken into pieces and boiled to become a pulp. The long strands are then thinned out using a comb, water and some vigorous work.

A little more vigour please or this will take all day.

Once the fibres have been thinned out they are collected by washing a frame through the water.

The frame with the fibres is then turned upside down on a pile and the supporting mesh pulled back. After some drying out and pressing the result is a very strong paper (compared to wood pulp). The paper maker was great fun. He even chased us down the street to see if we wanted him to take a picture of us. A wonderful character.

All the rain makes drying out rice a challenge so some have reverted to plastic covers. All farming seemed to comprise numerous small holdings and was labour intensive with limited machinery. It appears little has changed in centuries with no obvious trend to consolidation and the efficiencies that larger lots might provide.  

Our last hub in the van was back in the Mount Fuji area. Helen was keen to undertake a climb where (on a clear day) there is a top view of the famous Mountain. The weather was rather dismal but maybe if we were high enough we would be above the clouds... Anyway, one way or the other I was talked into climbing Mount Mitsutogeyama.

This was a serious challenge and after 3 hours of steep upward travelling we decided that this Buddha stone was our turnaround spot. There was still 1 km to go to the top and with the shorter days we had only 2 hours of light to get back down. Quite a work out and we did sleep very well that night.

One of the advantages of travelling with a group is that some areas get explored and highlights tested before you arrive. The five lakes near Mount Fuji was particularly scenic and amongst its many attractions was a doll museum. Picture taking was very restricted and limited to their making

and the display below.

The artist Atae Yuki was extraordinarily adept at ensuring each doll had both a wonderful expression and matching pose – they really felt alive. Even with the main story of fairies and elves you could be forgiven imaging they really did exist. Just brilliant.

Of course the five lakes also give rise to many viewpoints of Mount Fuji. Here it is on a cloudy day when we arrived

And the same shot a little later in the day

When we found this poster…

The team also suggested the open air sculpture at Hakone. This was a challenge to get to as the rail line and many roads were impassable as a result of the slips following the typhoon. Eventually we arrived and it was certainly worth the effort. There was so much variety. This small 1918 "Grandson of the General" really had me smiling. 

Whilst these two opposite were rather the other end of the spectrum. The stainless steel "pipes" revolved so at times, with different reflections, the tops seemed to be floating.

There was also a sculpture “house” just for children

in which huge nets hung that enabled all sorts of activities and games to occur.

There was a Picasso museum, an outside heated foot-bath – great for tired feet, a stained glass tower with unusual internal acoustics and more conventional statues such as these by Henry Moore. An extraordinary garden.

After depositing the ‘van we headed into Tokyo for a couple of days. Our hotel was in Ginza and only a 15 minute walk to Chiyoda city and the Imperial palace. This is in use so we were limited to the standard view – which is nonethless pretty dramatic.

and as we made our way to the end of the bridge there was a teetering of the guard…..

The grounds are surrounded by a huge moat. The reflection was mesmerising as the sun set and the various natural colours were replaced by bright lights. It is strange how the reflective pink appears more pronounced than the real tower colour.

Architects have been given a free reign and walking past the variety of buildings is a slow process (well at least for a visitor)

Mind you if you want to see the sights maybe this is not be the way to travel given the main focus should be on survival!

Tokyo to Oita and back

Our first day in Tokyo was a match day. Keen to explore something before the game we opted for a walk through the nearby Shinjuka Gyoen National Gardens. As with much of Japan they were immaculate,

and calmly reflective.

Calmness however, soon gave way to noisy anticipation. We had a quick team photo in the hotel lobby before setting off for Tokyo stadium and the match against Wales.

One of the Wallabies strengths is the line-out. With Rory Arnold at 6ft 10 inches he is pretty hard to get over! Here we have just robbed Wales of their line out ball.

Unfortunately the Welsh started each half with a drop goal and had an opportunistic intercept try. Just after the second half drop goal Wales led 26 to 8 and then followed a very intense 35 minutes as Australia had the upper hand and looked like they could win. Despite coming within a point and scoring three tries to two they fell short at the bell with a 29:25 loss. A really heart stopping match and disappointing result which looks likely to mean a quarter final berth against England rather than France.

We stayed at a hotel in the hub of Shinjuku. Night time in this area is brighter than day!!

The following day Michael and I set off to collect our “camp cars” which were going to be home for the next couple of weeks. We then travelled back through Tokyo to collect the rest of the team. This was an extraordinary trip on expressway viaducts and we easily traversed this huge city at a steady 80 kph.

Our trip South, to our first night stop near Mount Fuji, also included many long tunnels (up to 5kms).  Absolutely no traffic lights - brilliant! We just looked down on the hubbub below.

Travelling by camper-vans had many pluses. Evening meals were a treat.

Japan has many unique aspects but one that really took some getting used to were the toilets. Heated seats and an electronic arm with all sorts of button driven gizmos were the norm. 

The one below was in our first camp site and inside a wooden shack. You could be forgiven for looking down and thinking you were flying an aircraft. As all the instructions were in Japanese I for one was reluctant to press any in case I was jettisoned off the seat. I hasten to add not in a James Bond through the roof type ejection – but who knows how powerful/hot/cold that inverted shower will be when it hits your bottom!

As an offset to the environmental expense of constantly heated seats many cisterns had a top which formed a small sink.  The cistern refill water flowed through an outlet so you could wash your hands! How is that for recycling?

This first site was at the foot of Mount Fuji and we awoke to a sunny day where you could just see its top (at 3776 metres) poking above the cloud.

As we moved down the main island of Kyushi we had a wonderful site on a lake where, shortly after arrival, we all enjoyed a swim. By contrast to that activity the following morning was a very peaceful start

with only humming bird moths in the hedgerow to disturb the tranquility.

Our next journey stop was Kyoto home of the Samuri. We visited a “museum” that was very informative and included a dramatic demonstration. There was quite a “woosh” as the Katana swept through the air. The distance of our view point a mere two metres away seemed somewhat inadequate. 

A key visit to most countries is to take in a castle or two. Japan is no different although their designs certainly are. Being wooden structures most have been rebuilt following fires. An exception is Himji castle which with its grounds is huge.

There are many outbuildings, walls and moats. Even with layout plans exploration was a challenge. Indeed our planned days itinerary was rather disrupted as one of our team lost their way when returning to the ‘vans. (What happens in Japan stays in Japan so no names, lets just say too senior to be ticked off….)

As we moved into Western Honshu a “must see” was Hiroshima. What a sobering place to visit. The peace park memorial contains the remnants of the Administrative building with its Genbaku Dome. This is now a world heritage site. Nearby was an “in utero” survivor with a range of pictures and harrowing stories. 

This should be a compulsive visit for the likes of Kim Jong Ong, Hassan Rouhani and indeed Trump. (Maybe the UN should mandate that any new leader of a country with nuclear capability has to visit the site within 3 months of appointment.)

Over the river memorials continued. This is one dedicated to children.

There were bus loads of visitors including many school children who, on this occasion, held their own service. A very poignant and moving visit.

Although Japan obviously suffered some significant damage during the war there are other sites that have suffered damage from the numerous typhoons. 

One such example is the Iwakuni bridge. It was built in 1673 and is described as a “brocade sash” bridge arising from the rippling effect of its five arches. These are built through a series of short timber cantilevers one on top of the other gradually leaning out until they meet their counterpart from the other direction. The change in slope makes for an interesting variety of steps! Sadly the current replicated version is from 1950 but I am sure all would agree a beautiful structure.

Only four piers were in stone with the lead up spans supported on timber trestles.

We covered quite a few miles travelling down the main island of Honshu so opted for a ferry from Yamaguchi across to the Southern island of Kynshu and saved some 250kms of driving.

Our site inland from Beppu was up in the mountains and stunning. The clear warm start to the day forewarned of the heat that would be present for the match.

Oita stadium has a covered roof which was a blessing in the hot humid conditions. As with previous stadiums it is a stunning bit of high quality infrastructure. 

Spectators aside the players must have appreciated playing in shade. The 45-10 result was expected but Uruguay have improved substantially since 2015 (where the result was 63-3). 

Some of the camp sites were brilliant. The shop sold us two of these dishes and some wood so we could have a sumptuous BBQ.

Baeddan felt he should contribute by ensuring he had some exercise to generate a suitable appetite. After this meal I hope to be this tall…..

C’mon hurry up – I’m starving…

After Oita we got on another ferry this time to Yawatahama on Shikoku island. A key drawcard for selecting this route was a vine suspension bridge. Our family had no problem with the crossing but some really struggled. Sonia eventually helped the high heeled lady each step of the way while her husband (once he had got across) could only watch in awe! High fives and lots of laughter once the crossing was finally completed!

Others just thought the whole experience was very cool but certainly not a challenge.

The following day another novel experience. We started on a boat,

which took us to the Naruto whirlpools. There are many parts of the world with quite strong currents through various narrows but this is the first that I have seen that generates whirlpools.

Not a good place to swim….

but a great place to get wet. (Although the boat was quite full most went indoors and there were only a few up for a shower - well facilities in the 'vans were limited!)

Back on the main island we stayed near Kakegawa. The smaller castle following a fire has been rebuilt but nonetheless is very attractive.

It overlooks the city but the view to the North is the biggest drawcard. 

On a clear day Mount Fuji can be easily seen (although it is a little faint in this shot). It is just a shame the view is clouded by so many man made trees. This actually highlights one disappointment – almost everywhere there are forests of power-lines. The streetscapes of most towns are frankly really ugly. Only in some new areas such as the centre of Tokyo and Hiroshima do power-lines take alternative routes. The feel of such areas is a wonderful relief from the norm.