Log Pension Mori No Sanpo Maniwa

... the age of 33 months at the latest, and then they become well-known beef brands such as Kobe beef and Matusaka beef. The newborn calves I saw were beautiful with fine and shiny black hair, and they already had an air of dignity about them fitting of Tajima cattle.

Incidentally, Kobe beef has never been exported from Japan, but apparently this may change in the future. I hope those who live outside Japan will get to taste delicious Kobe beef for themselves sometime soon.

... then boil it in the hot sulphorous spring water (the sulphur does not affect the taste of the egg) it took about 30 minutes but the eggs were still a little runny but OK to eat. They gave us soy sauce to eat with the egg, though in my opinion, salt and pepper would have been better. Daniella`s favourite onsen was a private one too, but this one was inside. The room was large with lovely tiles and 2 spacious baths, 1 of which had recliners ...

There were no alarms set this morning and what had been planned as a cooked breakfast very quickly became a cooked lunch. After a VERY relaxed meal, we headed off on a great walk to the top of what we called Mount Hattoji even though it probably wasn't! We had a great view of the surrounding area and saw a ...

... Temple. So leave their respective temples and head down. Yebisu doesn't hear the calling for the pilgramage so stays in his temple. So he is available to worship during this period. Aye its a bit of trivia but I found it interesting. It also explains why the Japanese ring a bell when worshiping. They are ringing it to get the gods attention incase he is having a kip or at the back of the temple doing the garden. Safe Travels Shaun

... is a bit confusing, because it can mean OK I will have some more food, or I am OK I don`t want any more food, and is usually interpreted as the former rather than the latter). Anyway, Leons family met us at the station. They are Nobo (Uncle), Suzuka (Aunt), Misato (Cousin aged 19) and Kaori (Cousin aged 13). The next few days were spent sightseeing, eating, and sitting around the table with dictionaries trying to speak to each other! A lot of fun.

... only be described as old lady slippers. I donned the slippers and went inside. There was lots to see inside the main keep including a history of the castle, and lots of information about the layout of the castle. After climbing up six flights of steep stairs, I finally made it to the top and got a great view of Himeji. I stamped my visitor's guide, something you can only do at the top of the castle, and promptly ...

Today, we were lucky to have a very special experience. Mayumi's father has an old friend named Taisuke Sato who is an artist. Sato-san makes a particular kind of traditional Japanese pottery called Bizen, which is very famous in Japan. He is well known in Japan for his work, and even has pieces in the Bizen pottery museum. Bizen pottery is unglazed, and any patterns or colorings on the completed piece are created by the ash ...

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Itsukushima, or Miyajima, is another World Heritage Site. It is famous for the Red Torii Gate in the sea, which was chosen as one of the three best views of Japan. I didn't know why there were some deer in front of the ferry port. Anyway, the red main building was beautiful with a performance stage, which reminds Japanese of a period drama scene. The island is also famous for rice paddle and there was a large rice paddle ...

So we were supposed to go to Hiroshima today, but we fell asleep early this morning after partying with the other travelers. So I woke up around 9:30 with a decent sized headache. Alot of the travelers here make so much noise in the morning! Anyway, Jimmy looked like he was going to sleep in as usual, so I had breakfast with Emmanuel. After breakfast I still felt a little sick, so I walked to the park and fell asleep while watching some senior citizens play croquet ...

... yet having visited. I really enjoyed Miyajima, I climbed to the top of this mountain there, and there was a shop were I bought a beer! Only in Japan!. The island was full of scenery and views, and I can see why it is one of the most photographed places in ...