A rainy day in Canberra.
May 9, 2016 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
We are off! Its wet and overcast and somebody is sure that something is up. Travis very kindly dropped us off in the Lexus - his was allegedly too dirty!
What a contrast.
May 9, 2016 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
What a contrast to wet, overcast Canberra. Caught up with our friends Urie and Barbara at Alexandra Heads on the Sunshine Coast.
Departing Brisvegas
May 10, 2016 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Our decision to fly out of Brisbane rather than Sydney has been a good one. It allowed us to catch with Rod Chisholm and his daughter Holly last night. Had great night at the Airport Novotel which isRead more
Tokyo in a day
May 11, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
A busy day in Tokyo today. We started off in Narita where we stayed at the Richmond Hotel overnight and then worked our way across to Asakusa by train. We went for a boat trip down the Arakawa RiverRead more
Exploring Nikko
May 12, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Today we headed north out of Tokyo to Nikko, a mountain region of Japan known for its Shogun heritage. We travelled by train from Asukusa on the Tobu line which took us through outer urban Tokyo andRead more
Waterfall with a difference
May 13, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Thought we had seen it all but today we caught a lift down to a waterfall! Also promise of some monkey business but alas none to be found.
Anyone for a few Temples?
May 13, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Spent an interesting couple of hours at the Toshogu Shrine this afternoon. It enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, a Shogun from the 1600s. Must have been a pretty cool dude. They went to a lot of effort toRead more
Janet HansonWalked over 19 kilometres today...thank heavens we had an all day bus pass 😄
Train spotting anyone?
May 14, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
This morning has been all about relocating ourselves by train to Sendai. We started at our hotel at Kinugawa then walked up to the local station at Kosagoe and caught a Tobu train back toRead more
Another first.
May 14, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
In a novel twist, Janet and I had a delicious steak in a "stand up" restaurant today. You had a number of choices - rib eye, sirloin etc which you paid for by the gram. It was then cooked to orderRead more
A Castle, Wedding and a Festival
May 14, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
This afternoon we meandered around Sendai and got more than we bargained for. Visited the Aoba Castle which was built in 1601 and looks out over Sendai. There we ran into a wedding ceremony at theRead more
A great day for a cruise around the Bay
May 15, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
We decided to check out one of the areas affected by the 2011 Tsunami. Matsushima Bay also happens to be one of the iconic sites used to promote Japan. We were there early so managed to beat theRead more
Now we are talking!
May 15, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
We thought that the dude in Nikko was doing pretty well in the history stakes but he was out shone today by Kiyohira, the first lord of the Fujiwara clan. He built the Chūson-ji Temple in around 1100Read more
Another day, another Shinkansen
May 16, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Today we headed off reasonably early for Aomori via a Hayabusa Shinkansen which moves along at a fair clip of 320 km per hour. If you have never experienced the efficiency of Japanese high speed railRead more
Templed out?
May 16, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
So are we. Given the fine weather in Aomori though we decided to check out Hirosaki Castle. This involved a train and bus journey to Hirosaki and then a short walk to the castle. The original castleRead more
The West Coast.
May 17, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
No not the West Coast Eagles! Rather, we decided to head to the west coast of Japan today. Was looking to get on one of the Joyful Trains - the Shirakami Resort train down to Akita but left our run aRead more
Janet HansonSpectacular scenery & amazing weather - even managed to squeeze in an ice-cream by the seaside while waiting for our return train 😊
Bright crowded lights of Hakodate
May 18, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Well folks we have finally made it to Hokkaido. We caught the Shinkansen from Aomori to Hakodate this morning. This part of the Shinkansen system only opened on the 26 of March this year and involvesRead more
Japanese Road Warriors
May 19, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Well it finally had to happen, we have joined the ranks of the Japanese road commuters. Thanks to Janet's Japanese language skills and more than a modicum of patience we managed to successfully hire aRead more
A stroke of luck
May 19, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Tonight we explored Sapporo city. Definitely the pick of all the Japanese cities that we have visited so far. Well laid out and vibrant with lots of folk out and about. In a stroke of luck weRead more
The Famous Otaru Canal
May 20, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Today we took in more of Japan's west coast, we headed up as far as Shakotan and then worked our way back to Otaru which is famous for its canal & glass art. Lots of tunnels along the way and stillRead more
Traditional Japanese Anyone?
May 21, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
Today has been more of traditional Japanese experience. We pointed the trusty Wingroad - well up until the female English GPS operator went on strike, she did eventually return but it took someRead more
Navigating the Chitose Maze
May 22, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
After navigating our way across country from Sapporo to Furano and Biei we finally got stymied in Chitose when we attempted to return the Wingroad to Mr Nissan this afternoon. After a couple of lapsRead more
Malcolm all is forgiven, on our way home
May 23, 2016 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Well folks, we have decided to give Malcolm and Bill another chance and are on our way home. It will be a bit of a marathon though, we left New Chitose Airport at 1355 hr on Jetstar Japan and areRead more
Our A330 has arrived!
May 23, 2016 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Alan finally got things happening for us at the check-in counter and our Qantas A330 aircraft has arrived to take us home. Janet has made one last foray into the Narita Airport crowds to "get rid" ofRead more
