Ingrid John Jack & Amber Japan Adventures

View of the Takayama Mountains

















The mountains of Kusatsu














Harajuku Freaks in Toyko










Gill, Shane, Jack and Amber









Takayama Temple





Mothers Day with Reg and Noelene at the Hanoi Hilton Hotel

















Jack and Amber on their futons
Jack shopping in Takayama























Higashi Temple















The Golden Temple in Kyoto





The Golden Temple




















The mighty Shinkansen Trains







Arriving in Tokyo early morning following an overnight flight from Hanoi we decided on walking around the bay area near to our hotel. We had a lovely walk and took in some of the sights and then followed it up with our first Japanese lunch of Ramen noodles.

The next day we took a tour bus to Mt Fuji hoping to catch sight of the famous and revered mountain. Unfortunately for us the day was very overcast and we didn't even get a quick glimpse of it. I was most disappointed as I had my heart set on seeing this icon but, perhaps another time.

We then went on to Hakone, a beautiful village set amongst the National Park where we stayed in a traditional Ryokan with an outside Onsen bath. Onsen baths are the hot mineral springs that come naturally from the ground in this area of Japan. They are very relaxing and invigorating. There we also had our first experience with sleeping on futons on the tatami mats. We all loved it, being on the floor there is no chance of the children falling out of bed!

Next, we took a bullet train to Kyoto. These trains are super fast and as smooth as silk to ride in. I must say the service is most impressive from the staff, their immaculate dress, delightful manners to the array of beautifully presented bento boxes and food for sale at a reasonable price too. Jack was very impressed by these super trains too.

John was often up an about earlier than us and took the opportunity to visit a few of the sights including the Higashi Temple but we all went along to see the Golden Temple in Kyoto. The temple sits amongst beautifully manicured gardens on a small lake rimmed with blue iris and gorgeous maple trees. It is really a beautiful sight to see. We also visited the famous Gion district where the geisha traditionally worked. The area is quite old with lots of small laneways and traditional style buildings. I only managed a fleeting glimpse of a true geisha as she rushed off to an appointment, tottering along on her wooden thongs. Quite beautiful though.

We enjoyed a lot of great meals in Kyoto and our small Ryokan was located just 10 minutes from the central station allowing us to walk around and see the city sights easily. The food all through Japan was a highlight for me, my favourite style of cooking, I was happy to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The beautiful presentation of the food, whether in a restaurant or road side stall was to be admired. Nearly everything comes in a lovely box, wrapped in paper we would use for gifts and some of these were just take-away food.

On our train trip to Takayama, the scenery was just magnificent. The landscape is full of tall trees in all shades of green, the national park area is truly pristine. The small villages scattered throughout the forests make for a very picturesque scene. The town of Takayama is one of the older ones in Japan and hosts the oldest original Provincial offices from the Edo period dating back to 1600. We took a visit to this building and it was really beautiful and very interesting. There were a couple of temples in Takayama. We took a walk up the steep streets to see one of the older ones. It was very beautiful. The winding streets of the city were very pretty and quite old world. One of specialties of this area is sake, so of course we just had to have a sample and buy a bottle for home. Amber and I took a look at the early morning market which had a fantastic array of sweet and savoury rice crackers in all shapes and sizes and rows and rows of shops selling pickled vegetables which are also a speciality of this region. All the shops have samples to try of their wares so I managed to have quite a decent snack on my travels. Unfortunately during the time we spent here Amber became sick with bronchilitis and we had to stay indoors for a day. Whilst we stayed indoors, Jack, Eddy Teddy and John went to visit the "Teddy Bear Eco Village". Apparently everyone had a great time and Eddy met some of his Japanese relatives. John also went to visit the Hida no Sato Village which is a group of relocated original Japanese houses re-instated into a historical park. We also had to cancel our visit to the Kamacuchi Onsen Hotel. This was a shame as it was supposed to be very pretty and the hotel boasted a large outdoor Onsen bath. However, it couldn't be helped and the most important thing is she recovered very quickly after an extra days rest. On our return to Hanoi we had a second opinion from the local international hospital and there are no long term problems for Amber.

We then travellled by bus through the mountains to Matsumo, train to Nagano (scene of the 1996 Winter Olympics) then bullet train to Karuizawa. Once again the scenery was magnificent. In Karuizawa we were met by John's Japanese family whom he had become close with in his previous time working at the Kusatsu Onsen Hotel. We travelled through some truly beautiful fortests and passed by the active volcano "Mt Asama" to Kasatsu Onsen (hot springs) town. Kusatsu is famous for it's Onsen baths due to the amount of hot springs right in the centre of the city. There have been many eminent and famous Japanese visit the town and no doubt indulge in a bath. The springs are sulphur laden and the smell of rotten egg gas predominates the town. However you quickly become used to the smell. In fact the distinct Kasatsu aroma is noted as one of the 100 heritage listed smelly places in Japan! There we both enjoyed a traditional public bath house visit, mine in the ladies section with Mrs. Yamaguchi and John on his own in the men’s area. Mrs & Mrs Yamaguchi (Baba & Jiji) were very generous hosts to us, taking us out for dinner and taking Jack shopping to buy him a new car, increasing his ever growing fleet of vehicles. We took a day tour to the top of Shirane San Mountain where Jack and John took a gondola ride and Amber and I took the scenic car ride instead. John and Jack also visited the very acidic lake which has a beautiful pale blue colour caused by the sulphur in the water.

Another train and back to Tokyo for a visit with John's cousin Gillian and her partner Shane who put us up in their very spacious apartment in the Shibuya district. Actually by local standards their home is enormous. The lively environ of Shibuya, coupled with a fantastic array of dress and hair styles makes this one of Tokyo's most vibrant areas for young people. We went to Harajuku on Sunday where traditionally the teenagers of Japan gather to show off their wild outfits and hairdo's and all practice the custom of "cosdressing" which is the costume dressing done by the girls and mostly in the style of "little Bo Peep" which looks quite different to say the least. The streets of Toyko and buildings are lit up like a christmas trees with neon lighting coming to life around dusk and filling the skyline with advertisements and larger than life tv screens projecting all sorts of information, images and ideas out to all and sundry.

All said and one we had a great holiday, one I shall remember well and a country I shall look forward to visiting again sometime in the future.

With all the excitement of Jack's birthday, I forgot to mention that we celebrated Mother's Day prior to Reg and Noelene's departure from Hanoi. We had a lovely luncheon at the Hanoi Hilton Hotel where they have a lovely buffet and even better they have a separate room for the children with games, food and nannies to look after the children whilst the adults enjoy their meal without interruption.

The middle of June marks the end of the school year here in Hanoi. Unfortunately we were in Japan at the time that Jack's official school photo was taken however the office manager was kind enough to give us a copy of the "practice" photo session shot that Jack was in attendance for. He will soon commence Summer School to keep him entertained as he really enjoys being with all his little friends. The will learn about Oceans and Beaches, Picnics and Camping, Jungle Animals, Circus, Science, Cooking and Tasting, Dance and Sport. I suspect that the cooking and tasting session will be his favourite.

I have now completed my cooking classes for Vietnamese Maids and very generously the two classes gave me a lovely flower arrangement and a lacquer bowl. I was very happy to receive these gifts as an acknowledgement of how much the attendees enjoyed their lessons.