Narutoso Minamiawaji

... Docyu in Awa-Town Photograph The Anabukigawa which flows from these mountains has been chosen for six consecutive years as the clearest river in Shikoku by the government's water examination agency. The Dochu (sand pillars) in Awa-Town, Tokushima, rank among the top three sand pillars in the world, along with those found in ...

... monsoon is strong, and enough snow falls that it is possible to ski in winter. Moreover, the altitude of this area is so high that it is pleasantly cool in summer, making it perfect for escaping the heat, hiking or walking in the woods. The Southern area belongs to the warm and wet "Pacific Ocean side" climate. In this area, it is warm throughout the ...

... which flows along the north side of the Shikoku Mountains, is one of the great rivers of Japan and is also known as "Shikokusaburou". Its source is in nearby Kochi Prefecture, and the river provides well-known scenic spots such as Oboke and Koboke in the Western part of Tokushima. The Yoshinogawa becomes larger as it flows ...

... made a quick bathroom pit stop, then we boarded our vessel and headed out for where the inland sea meets the pacific....that's where the whirlpools form! So, we headed out.. through the wind and cold, we passed the old shipyards and people pulling up crab traps in their boats. then, we got to where all the lookout ships had clustered..beneath a bridge to shikoku, where the whirpools began to form just as we got there. some boats seemed to ride right over them! It was so ...

... but instead to exactly replicate my teacher's work of art and then claim it as my own. Silly Brianne. But this is exactly why we do these sorts of things, to not only have the experience, but also to learn about the culture behind the experience. We had a wonderful time, and are looking into signing up for more regular classes. Maybe then I can learn the art of Ikebana, well enough to create my own works of art!

... ornate and it is certainly impressive to behold. It is essentially divided into two, a 'tunnel' of lights that stretches the length of one of the main streets and a 'castle' of lights situated in a nearby park. The tunnel is made up of scores of arches full of colours that resemble a stained glass window from a distance. The castle is in the same style as the arches. Although ...

... a succession of European and American settlers built homes and mansions in their respective actitectural styles and so the streets are peppered with French chateaux and American town houses. Our particular favourite was the England House - which has several Union Jacks flying, a suit of armour in the yard and rather strangely a 1980s Daimler formerly owned by the Queen, complete with ER cushions and full regalia. Made us feel quite at home!

... abstract my thinking became. Mentally, I started at the garden, but I finished somewhere else. I can't really explain it. I don't have anything to really compare it to. I left with an overwhelming sense of calm and inner peace. The gardens were so incredible for their simplicity. The next stop, The Golden Pagoda was amazing for its golden and pagoda-ness. In short, it's a pagoda made out of gold. I don't remember when exactly it was built...I want to say 14th ...

... sure) and then a layer of pink and white thick makeup applied onto our faces. After that they painted the backs of our necks, our chests, our necks and our faces all stark white (right over the other stuff, it all but disappeared) and then did detail work painting our eyelids red/pink with black outlines (like eyeliner but differently done) and pink blush on cheeks and down the sides of the nose, and very red, very small lips. They also coloured our eyebrows and they did it so ...

Well I'm back in Japan. I thought I'd save this entry until I got back here. So here it goes. On the 3rd of January Tim, Barb and little Pieter headed off to Holland and left me all alone. Well not for long. On the 4th one of my old buddies from Jakarta, Yvette, flew into to town from Virginia. She hired a fancy Chrysler with all the mod cons, including DVD player, and arrived in the early afternoon. We spent the next few days ...