Intrigued by a relocated historical village we visited Shikoku Mura. A collection of historical buildings that had been relocated from across the island of Shikoku to preserve the historical usage and lifestyles. The village exceeded our expectations and successfully educated you on how village life existed. The variety of the buildings provided an insight into various traditional country crafts ie: soy sauce production, sugar cane pressing, bark steaming for the production of paper, rice flour production by watermill.

If you read about famous Japanese gardens Ritsurin garden does not get a mention in the top ten yet for us it epitomised everything we love about Japan and it was one of the highlights of our trip. It is split into two halves old and new, the original garden was developed four hundred years ago the new one a hundred years ago. The original four hundred year old garden is in a very traditional style especially the marriage of trees, water and view points whilst the newer garden has less obvious water areas and the viewpoints are less dramatic. It should be noted that within the garden there are approximately 1400 pine trees that had been planted to create dramatic views through their density and traditional shaping.

After visiting Fukui Dinosaur museum we planned a long drive across the mainland onto the island of Shikoku via causeways and bridges to a town called Takamata. The destination proved ambitious so tiring we broke the journey on Awija island and overnighted at Fukura-Kuo a harbour town. We found our Michi no eki (overnight road service station) was located right in the centre of the main harbour and the on-site buildings contained a large visitor centre,supermarket and gift shop and a booking hall for the “Whirlpool cruises”as well as a puppet theatre that gave 4 shows day with our arrival being just in time for us to catch the last show of the day.

We expected to be seated, curtain rise and show commence but we were surprised to receive an introduction to the performance involving puppeteers, stage colleagues and musicians which began with an explanation of the storyline, how the puppets were manipulated and a tour back stage to see the behind scenes equipment and how they would be used on stage.

We could not leave without taking a boat trip to observe the Naruto “whirlpools” There is a unique phenomena called the Inland Sea which is a massive body of the Pacific Ocean trapped behind 3 of Japans 4 main islands. Twice a day on each tide the 2 bodies of water try to move large amounts of water between each other but the entrance to the inland sea is through a narrow channel no wider than 1.3 kilometres between Naruto ( on the tip of Shikoku island) and Awaji island. This creates whirlpools as the two bodies of water collide.

We could not close this blog without mentioning Grill 8 a steak and seafood restaurant where we had the most tasty tender wagyu fillet steak cooked by the chef on a teriyaki grill right in front of us. Perched on stools at the bar the food just kept coming tasting dishes to start followed by soup, salad ,steak with rice and veg sides culminating in a custard style sweet absolute perfection.

Our heading has come out of three consecutive days of dipping into history.

First was a visit to Narai Juka which is the best preserved of many historical villages founded in the Edo period (1603-1868) along the route from Tokyo to Kyoto. The Emperor had decreed that all travel between the 2 cities must be on foot unless you were on Govt business when horses could be used. The villages had a duty to provide lodgings and food for travellers. In addition one or two sizeable households were selected as official inns for the Govt travellers and had to ensure horses could be fed, watered and exchanged as required and they had to ensure human labourers for government business were always available. As the major user of these facilities was post carriers they became known as “Post Towns” They still retain a sizeable population judging by the number of the original buildings in use as homes but some have converted frontage to trade from as tea houses/coffee shops, restaurants, B&B or shops selling local products like herbal medicine, lacquerware and craft items

Our next historical location was the town of Kanasawa to visit the renowned gardens of Kenrokuen which were created in 1600. These occupy an elevated position in the centre of the town and are considered one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens, The name Kenrokuen means “having six factors”, representing the attributes of the garden: spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water sources and magnificent views.The garden covers an area of 11.4 hectares and looks over the city below with views to the nearby coastline.

In trying to find parking ( not easy) we stumbled across a museum with parking on the edge of the gardens. The parking was the attraction but on visiting the museum discovered an amazing display of local crafts and art that the museum had been set up to showcase

Our final delve into the past was the dinosaur museum in Fukui which was built specifically to house what they had found in a quarry in the river valley. It was a museum which not only exhibited the local findings of dinosaur remains but had acquired exhibits from around the world and a very wide range of human anthropological remains that showed the evolution of man and other animals. All housed in a stunning setting, no wonder it is regarded as one of the leading archaeological museums in the world. …

Disembarking the ferry we headed for the small town of Tono which is located in a river valley nestled between two mountain ranges. We were so impressed with the location that we decided to stay a couple of nights. With an early on our first morning we decided to drive just outside of the town to see Tono Furasato village which is a cluster of relocated original farmhouses from the middle of the Edo period (1603- 1868) which have been carefully preserved

We also visited the Tono Folktale museum which had been converted from an old Sake brewery and incorporated an adjacent historic Ryokan ( small hotel) to showcase the mysterious folktales for which the region of Tono has become famous. First published in 1910 “The Legends of Tono” (Tono Monogatari) is a famous book containing 119 stories and was written by Kunio Yanagita an academic who specialised in folklore and became fascinated by the Tono tales after meeting a local writer and making many visits to the area and staying at the Ryokan Yanagita

Leaving Tono we headed for the Tsunami Memorial Park at Ishinomaki Minamihama which proved to be a very sobering visit. The Memorial park was constructed to commemorate the lives lost and to pass down memories and lessons learned from the Great East Japan earthquake (Tsunami) which occurred at 2.46 pm on March 11th 2011. Ishinomaki city was the most affected by the disaster with 4000 casualties with the Minamihama cho, Kadanowaki cho and Hibarino cho areas worst affected and another 500 people losing their lives due to the fire caused by the tsunami that followed the earthquake. The park has kept the framework of the community streets from before the disaster as the main pathways around the park. The museum building houses information display panels on the earthquake disaster, videos of the actual tsunami and survivors stories. The museum was designed with the glazed wall at one end of the roofline being set at the same height as the peak Tsunami wave that hit the shore, a height of 9m! The clear message from all of this is the only way to save your life is to runaway .

Anyone interested in more detail on the earthquake and tsunami NHK WORLD has a very good video of the disaster as it unfolded the following link will take you there. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/3016087/

The Earth Celebration festival runs from 18th -20th August so after the Onsen near Watarase we had 3 nights to enjoy before our ferry booking from Niigata would take us onto Sado for the morning of the 18th

We were lucky to hit upon a spa town called Kusatsu where we visited an art gallery exhibiting the paintings of Kataoko Tsurutaro who was an actor, comedian, boxer and also a talented painter. The hot springs of mineral water cascading down the mountainside created a water pathway for visitors to enjoy the healing waters whilst walking the mountainside.

Leaving Kusatsu we had a fascinating drive through the mountains to the craft village of Takumi No Sato driving through alpine like ski villages, the highlight was sighting a monkey munching its lunch at the side of the road ( the first wildlife sighting of our journey) Historically the village was a collection of four closely located villages that had merged into one in 1906. The concept of a craft village came from showcasing traditional crafts and skills that continue to this day.

We decided to visit a renowned cosmos park which disappointingly was not as spectacular as we had hoped as they were not in full flower but the views were worth the drive.

With time to spare we visited a nearby museum of sports memorabilia and art work at the Ikeba art museum in nearby Minamiuonuma.

After a pleasant flight with Cathay Pacific we were met by Gairhe and his colleague from Vantech and taken to pick up the hired motorhome which will be our accommodation for the next six weeks. It has taken some getting used to after our own motorhome which is 2.2 metres longer and 400 mm wider. Here we are three days later and hopefully we have it sorted !!

Not having any set plans for the first week we set off north to avoid the incoming Typhoon which satellite pictures showed hitting mainland Japan south of Tokyo. Our set destination from 18th to 21st August was Sado island to enjoy the Earth Festival hosted by the Kodo drummers whom we had seen a couple of times in the U.K. and had always wanted to visit their home island.

Our route to Sado was dictated by places of interest and Michi stopovers (these offered free parking , access to toilets, eating houses and small supermarkets) our first experience was just outside of Tokyo on what would be a U.K. equivalent of a service station yet there was no comparison. In the morning we woke up to frenetic buzz of local people who had come to buy from local food producers, eat at the cafe and visit the fermentation market. In contrast the following evening found us surrounded by a local park and tennis court at the top of a lake, a very relaxing and calming experience after the few hectic days of travel.

Leaving the local park area we headed to the nearby town of Tsukuba being intrigued by their botanical garden which was in the grounds of their university plant biology campus. The layout was amazing as they had tried to show plants in a natural setting either outside or within specific hothouses. After spending the morning around the site we tried to visit their Art Museum but parking was non existent so we continued our journey westward.

Today has been the best so far having visited the local Onsen ( a communal bathhouse) nearest our overnight stop at a Michi overlooking the Watarase lake. It was not our first experience but for both of us it was our best. Following Japanese custom we left our outdoor shoes at reception and armed with our towels headed off to our gender specific areas. Custom requires that you go fully naked and wash from head to toe before entering the Onsen itself. Having locked away my belongings I was immediately taken in hand by this lovely older lady who at first I thought was just going to show me how to use the wash area but no she insisted after sitting me on a stool to wash me head to toe and then shepherd me into the first mineral pool. After which she acted as my escort through the various areas ( which consisted of a variety of Jacuzzis inside and outdoors, steam room, sauna and the area I loved most a mineral lavender pool which smelt divine) I don’t believe Charlie was blessed with the same personal service.

Eriskay is a small island joined to South Uist via a causeway so we decided due to the late afternoon arrival of the ferry to drive direct to the campsite on South Uist. But not before stopping at the Am Politician pub famous for having a collection of souvenirs ( including bottles of the whisky from the shipwreck made famous by the film Whisky Galore) and renowned for its good food. After dining on the largest scallops I have ever eaten we arrived and settled into camp, confused by a strange sound which we thought was the fridge we fell asleep but found ourselves waking at intervals to the same odd sound. Early morning revealed the culprit to be a male corncrake in the field behind us, intrepid photographer Charles was lucky enough to get a really good photo of the female.

After breakfast and a shower we headed to North Boisdale and a small campsite run by a lovely lady called Katrina and Stupac the dog. Taking a circular walk along the lanes and following farm tracks around the field perimeters the variety of birds was astounding lapwings, oyster catchers, redshanks, skylarks, corn buntings and in the background the male Corncrakes constant calling.

In the distance in the middle of nowhere we could see an old church and gravestones, on investigation we discovered it to be a Commonwealth graveyard.

Having said goodbye to Katrina and an overzealous goodbye from Stupac we were treated to the sight of a short eared owl hunting in the field next to us as we drove but unfortunately we were unable to get a photo but can share an RSPB info board image.

Our next stop was on an RSPB reserve next to Loch Druidibeg, following a marked footpath over the peat bogs we were treated to some spectacular views and again a variety of birds. Coming back along the road we were met by a bedraggled looking wild horse whose expression was similar to that of Eyoreout of the Pooh Bear stories. We had one more stopover at another RSPB on the west coast at Balranald. The site was overlooking a beautiful bay and we spent our time walking on the beach collecting stones and birdwatching before catching the ferry the next morning to the island of Harris and Lewis.

The two islands share the same land mass which until recently was separated by an imposing mountain range. The island of Harris is probably best known for Harris tweed and is the first we set out to explore.

Our first destination was a small Croft brewery, (called the Isle of Harris brewery) run by Nick, Anna and Spud the Brewery Dog they specialise in sourcing unusual hops for brewing. Originating from Oxford they started the brewery only four years ago one assumes it is successful as unfortunately for us they did not have their full range in stock due to recent sales but still we managed to come away with a mixed box of a dozen bottles. Anna shared their future plans with us of distilling rum and using the empty rum barrels to store beer then alternating between rum and beer Mmm sounds an interesting combination have taken their website details so we can order on line.

Leaving the brewery we rattled our way to the local landmark, St Clements church built in the 1520/1530s for the clan MacLeod with four of their chiefs interned within the church. It is renowned as being one of the oldest surviving complete churches and apparently it is unusual for a Scottish church to be dedicated to a female saint associated to seafarers and believed to have originated from Scandinavia. Interestingly in the 1990’s a consortium of aggregate companies wanted to create a super quarry on the island. The mountain you see in the church photo is the end of the mountain range that is approximately 4 miles long. If permission had been given the whole mountain range would have disappeared.

Heading north along the West coast we stopped off at the Seallam centre Northton which was a genealogical centre and small museum if you have Scottish heritage they will offer to trace your family tree. The museum concentrated on the history of the people and their way of life and had taken individual islanders and traced their family trees and where individuals had dispersed around the world following a potato famine and reclaiming of crofts by wealthy landowners. Interestingly the founder of the Del Monte brand was one of these individuals, many had relocated to Nova Scotia where conditions were hard but they had successfully carved out a better life for themselves.

Our next stop was at Tarbet to visit the famous gin distillery. En route we stopped at a viewing point where we met Manfred and Annelise from Munich who had cycled from Newcastle to Oban, ferry to Barra and were now heading to the North tip of the Outer Hebrides before getting the ferry to Ullapool and cycling to Blair Atholl castle where they had tickets for the Highland games starting on the 25th May six days hence. We were greatly impressed by them as they had a few years on us and were basically carrying their home in their bike panniers no luxury of a sizeable camper van for them! Disappointed by the gin tasting at the distillery we took solace in the cafe consoled by the largest and tastiest of chocolate brownies and a coffee. As we returned to Vinnie we bumped into Manfred again looking a little bewildered as he had lost Annalise ( I think she had sneaked in on the distillery tour 🤪 ) we didn’t stay long enough to see if he found her.

East of Tarbet was the small island of Scalpay famous for having the first lighthouse on the Hebrides. Parking Vinnie we got talking to three men who were sailing from Northern Ireland up through the Hebrides, they had been waiting for a taxi for quarter of an hour and were getting a little anxious as they needed to get back on board before the tide turned and were a little sceptical on the reliability of the taxi after the driver had asked them which house they needed picking up from? They started walking.

From Scalpay we continued along the West coast parking up overnight at the start of a footpath leading up to The Eagles nest where there was a hide from which you could hopefully spot the resident pair of Golden Eagles.The following morning despite having low cloud we set off hoping the early birds would catch the worm having got up at 6am!! No such luck as fast as the clouds started to clear they would drop again and obscure any view. After an hour and a half we gave up but not before having spent an interesting twenty minutes or more chatting to a local volunteer who was doing a breeding bird survey for the south Harris area. Battling our way back through head on wind and rain we were thankful not to be Manfred and Annalise as we had the comfort of a warm van and dry clothes to change into.

There are a number of smaller islands making up the outer Hebrides,often linked to larger neighbours by causeways or bridges, and our next stop at Bortha Bay was on one of these called Great Bernera (which was linked to Harris by a new bridge) to see an Iron Age house which was part of the most completely preserved Iron Age village ever found in Scotland. The site had remains of 9 stone buildings in varying condition but all connected by tunnels! The village was only revealed in 1993 after a massive storm and high tide had stripped an area of sand dunes just off the beach.

At the other end of the small bay was the Time and Tide Bell which is part of an art project made up of bells, designed by UK sculptor Marcus Vergette and Australian bell designer Neil McLachlan, there will be a total of 16 bells installed at coastal locations in the UK. The first one was placed at Appledore, Devon, in 2009 with this one at Bortha bay being installed in 2010. Each bell rings around high tide; the bells provide a reminder that rising sea levels will make the pattern of their ringing change. There is every chance that some of the bells will have to be relocated in the twenty-first century.

After leaving Great Bernera we went further up the Lewis coast stopping off to see the Callanish standing stones of which there are around fifty on the main site at the visitors centre dating back 5000 years. There are also two other sites which we passed on the way thinking the visitors centre would have all the information forgetting that everything closes on a Sunday.

The following day before heading to Tiumpan Head which is east of Stornaway we visited The Black house at Arnol. A well preserved link to the past showing how a community lived a very basic lifestyle, the last inhabitant having left the village in 1975. There was evidence on this location of human settlement going back about 2000 years with the current layout being several hundred years old. The villagers had made a living for many generations from seafaring activities (fishing, whaling and naval) as well as weaving of Harris tweed. In one of the houses there remained a working example of a mechanised hand loom. This had been developed to make the islanders work more efficient and competitive for overseas markets yet still required the weaving to be hand operated so comply with the patent on Harris tweed of being hand made.

We had hoped to see whales and dolphins at Tiumpan Head but a windy cloudy morning had revealed nothing according to a guide we spoke to. We decided to brave it out for about an hour and yes saw the back of a dolphin swimming just below us but sadly no whales. The location was well known for having Minke and killer whales and around five species of Dolphins which were commonly seen in the area. Having decided to give up we headed for the Ferry to Ullapool, we were booked for the following day but thought we would chance getting on as a standby and .Lady Luck was with us and we were allowed to board.