Travels of a Camel Racer

 Not too early a start saw us on the 8:24 Shinkansen to Hakone. Once again rain and low level clouds stopped us from seeing Mt Fuji. We got the train to Hakone Yamoto station then boarded a private bus which was ours for the day. We went up the windiest, longest uphill road I’ve ever been on climbing to a height of > 100m to Sounzan where we took the Hakone ropeway to Owakudani. Sulphur Springs at Owakudani The views should have been spectacular but the inside windows just steamed up and the outside was covered in rain drops. We walked up to the sulphur springs and ate a traditional black eg – supposed to give you 7 years extra life.  We then took the ropeway down to Tokandai where we boarded the lake sightseeing cruise on a replica “galleon” type ship to Moto Hakone for lunch.   After lunch we explored the reconstructed Hakone Checkpoint ( https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5205.html )   Hakone Checkpoint Stone Shrines on Tokaido Highway above Hakone Checkpoi...

A day of adventure! Just Iris, Gary and I on our own trying to find our way to the Bamboo Forest. We bought tickets for Saga Arashigama Station at Kyoto and boarded an express train. 4 stops that should be easy! Well it should have been if we hadn’t been talking and I only noticed the station as we pulled out of it. Ah well, off at the next station. As the train pulled in, stopped and the doors opened we all jumped out only to realise the “station” consisted of a concrete slab on each side of the line and nothing else. The line went across a deep valley at this point with a fast flowing river running through it. View from the train on the Sagano Line We swiftly hopped back on board. The next station was some way down the line through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen in my life (and a couple of very long tunnels!) This line is called the “Romantic Train Sagano Line”. We got off at the next station which was a town, crossed the line and got the next riain back to Arashigama...

 Odd sort of a day today. It was supposed to be a full day walking tour of Kyoto but the itinerary seemed very “flexible” once we started. We began by catching the Number 12 bus to Nijo Castle, which was better than I expected. I would have liked to have spent more time there and indeed had planned to go there tomorrow and spend most of the day there. As ever the rain kept starting and stopping in torrents and that curtailed our “plans” as we only visited the main castle and not the adjoining palace. Nijo Castle Nijo Castle Gate to Nijo Castle We took a lovely walk along the canal lined with willow and expensive houses to the tube station. Then we took a “tube” from Nijo Station to the Higashijama area where once again it started raining. We started at the Yasaka Shinto Shrine and then Chion-in Buddhist Shrine before strolling down Shijo-Dori for lunch.  Yasaka Shinto Shrine Yasaka Shinto Shrine We then all met up again at Yasaka Shrine for a lovely walk through Eastern Gion a...

Last night’s rain seemed to have subsided when we got up this morning and it promised to be a good day. However that changed when we got to the train station. It all changed when we found the trains had all been cancelled as the rain had washed away the rails somewhere. It took 2 hours to get us sorted and installed on buses bound for Fukuoka. The journey was about 2 – 2 ½ hrs then we went to the train station to pick up a direct rain to Kyoto bypassing our stop at Hiroshima. It was a weary bunch of travellers who finally arrived at Tokyo Inn Gojon in Kyoto at about 4pm. I just dropped my bags off and headed to Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. What an amazing place. The structures were huge and so impressive, although just as impressive was the metal structure covering the Amida-do (Buddha Hall) which is being restored.  Higashi-Honan-ji Temple - Amida-do Higashi-Honan-ji Gatehouse Cranes! I bumped into Keith, Iris and Gary and we wandered down to the train station to go up to the roof ga...

Woke up today to very heavy rain. After a lovely buffet breakfast we set off on a walking tour of the Southern bit of Nagasaki, first visiting Dejima. The rain kept starting and stopping all morning but at least it kept the temperature down. After Dejima we went to Glover Park which was absolutely beautiful. I only wish the rain had held off long enough to be able to sit in the gardens but it did feel as though we were constantly dodging in and out of the buildings to avoid the rain. Nagasaki from Glover Park Nagasaki from Glover Park There was one particular part with a statue of Puccini Madame Butterfly and a lovely pond where they played the Aria from Madame butterfly which was very atmospheric, but again I felt as though I rushed through it. After glover Park a group of us, Mary, Nicky, Suzanne, Keith, Gary, Iris and myself took the No1 Blue line tram to Ohashi Station wand went to the Peace Park. From the moment I saw the remains of the Urakami Prison this felt like a very spe...

We awoke this morning to an almost clear sky and a beautiful sunrise. This was always going to be a long day of travelling and we started with a 6pm bus journey to the Toppy Ferry at Miyanoura for a 7am ferry. Then after a 2 ½ hr ferry trip back to Kagoshima we were taken by taxi to the stations where we boarded the 10:50 Kyushu Shinkansen. What an absolutely beautiful train.  The seats had wooden back and arm rests and were upholstered in gold and blue. The window blinds were bamboo and the floors looked like polished tiles. It reminded me of an art deco style.  Kyushu Sakura Shinkansen In typical Japanese efficiency style we had 1 minute to get off the train and 3 minutes to cross the platform and join the connecting train to continue our journey. We changed trains at I think Tomi. We then travelled for another 1 ½ hrs before changing trains again one last time at >>>>> before disembarking at Urakami Station, Nagasaki where we were taken by taxi to our hotel, ...