Hotel Excel Okayama

... museum designed by Tadao Ando, with a waterfall garden.

On the way back to the train, I stopped at Uniqlo and bought some bright purple socks on sale for 190 yen, and then went to a second-hand store called 2nd Street where I found some souvenir towels for 50 yen and 80 yen. There is a lot of gift-giving in Japan, and I suspect that much of the merchandise that makes its way to 2nd Street has a gift history. Then I took ...

... all the other temples buried at the Kukai shrine so really you can actually be at all the other temples here. Suckers! Forked over 500 yen to wander through pitch black in the basement of the main shrine. The walls are plaster and painted over with mandalas that you're supposed to skim with your fingertips. Thankfully, no strange images appeared in the dark and the changes of direction left me totally lost. If this is ...

... some forest and over some streams and got to site with some deer at the top of mountain looking over the misty bay.

Bypassing Hiroshima, now I'm in Okayama, another big city filled with business men now on the prowl for alcohol and diversion. Had a dinner of convenience store goods because I'm lazy and tired, and tomorrow is another long day starting with a quick tour of the local 'amazing' garden and then the rest of the day in Shikoku.

Tomorrow: Kochi

-mike

Dopo qualche giorno a Kyoto si riparte , il riposino ci voleva perche` e` propio una bella citta` con tanti posti da visitare. Il viaggio di oggi e` stato qualcosa di tremendo sono passato attraverso Nara la vecchia capitale del Giappone , Osaka , Kobe , Okayama fino a fermarni a Kurashiki che ...

We had heard lots about ryokans, traditional Japanese inns, so were both very excited to finally experience one. We chose one in the town of Kurashiki as it seemed very traditional and authentic. After arriving at the railway station we walked to the ryokan to drop off our bags as it was too early to check-in, we took a walk around the old historic town centre which has retained its historical character. We visited the rural toy museum ...

... around the town, which is absolutely full of pottery shops. Daniella watched the man make some pots, then it was her turn to produce a mug for tea and plate. She liked them so much she paid to have them fired, then send back to the UK. After this we headed back to the station and took a train to Okayama where we changed for another train to Kurashiki, where we had booked a stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.

he computer is working much better. we spent the night up on Ushirioyama (Ushirio Mountain) in a cottage (really a cabin) and had a wonderful dinner with the family. It was absoultely wonderful; fresh fish, beef, lotus root, and other things I am not sure of but good. we all slept in one room (well almost--Kazu and Patty ...

... nocnej cesty. Takze sme si povedali, ze si na hodku zdriemneme a potom sa snad pocasie umudri. Mocasie sa neumudrilo a z hodinky nakoniec boli asi tri a keby parkovisko nezatvarali, tak tam spime asi este dlhsie. Zo zahrady sme si teda okrem plota, parkoviska a toho maleho kusku, co sme videli z hradu, nepozreli nic a vieme teda len to, co si moze kazdy precitat na nete. Napriklad, ze zahradu dal postavit okayamsky lord Ikeda Tsunamasa istemu cloveku menom ...

... ahead of myself. Last week I had the very odd experience of one of Minako`s friends coming over to the house to meet me. She bought her kids, and though the experience was pleasent enough, it was very wierd that a person would want to meet me based on the country I come from. I found it very hard ...

... more stoat charades. Simon crashed very early as did James, so it was up to Kim and I to explain the rules to Neil, who missed out last night being wrecked, he immediately saw the attraction. At 4am, we head to bed. The 29th was spent doing much of the same. Cards in the (late) morning and then off walking just before it got dark. We all took torches and headed up a different hill for a view out over other mountainous regions. Got back and James who ...