Japan
Santa Fe
We are staying at the La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel right in the centre of Old Santa Fe. I thought it might have been named after the actor Henry la Fonda but the word ‘fonda’ in Spanish simply means an ‘inn’ The site of this hotel has been the location of various inns since […]
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A School Teacher’s Influence
I’m with Miss Yoshiko Denogami who has been visiting us over the last few days. In Japan, she is more formally known as Denogami Sensei. (Sensei is a Japanese honorific and a word that is literally translated as “person born before another”. In general usage, it is used with proper form, after a person’s name […]
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Flea Market and Photo Tour
We noticed from our hotel window yesterday, that people were setting up a market in the Shinkuku Gyoen Park behind the Tokyo Government Building, so we strolled over to see what might be on sale. As you would expect in a flea market, the little spaces marked out on the ground for individual stalls all […]
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A Family Reunion in Shinjuku
It was a very clear day yesterday so we thought that we might take advantage of the view from the 45th floor of the Tokyo Government Building opposite our hotel. There are some spectacular views across the broader Tokyo area. On a very clear day you can just see Mt Fuji on the horizon, 100 […]
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Nikko National Park
Nikko National Park is reputed to be one of Japan’s most beautiful nature parks. It is located 125 kms north of Tokyo; about 2 1/2 hours by bus. It is a mountainous region with shrines, temples, rivers, lakes and bridges scattered throughout its area. Our day excursion took us to three of its sites that […]
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Lunch With Yuki’s Parents
We had a very enjoyable day today, meeting up with the parents of our Daughter in Law, Yuki, for lunch. Our lunch was at a very nice restaurant in the vicinity of Nezu Station called ‘Hantei Nezu’. It was a place that Yuki recommended as having good food and being easy for both her parents […]
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My Birthday at Mt Fuji
On Tuesday, we took a tour to Mt Fuji and to some of the surrounding areas which are about 2 hours south -west of Tokyo (depending on your form of transport). Our first stop was at Lake Kawaguchi by a tourist town of the same name just to the north of Mt Fuji. It was […]
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Rikugien Gardens
We tested our train navigation skills today by making our way to the Rikugien Gardens near Komagome Station. Yuki had suggested that we visit them. I use an App on my iPhone called MetrO when we are away as it provides guidance for public transport systems in virtually every major city in the world. You […]
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We’re Back in Tokyo
Jill and I are back in Japan to spend a few days in Tokyo and catch up with some people we know. Perhaps because we have been here before, we find this to be a very comfortable city to visit. It is bright, bustling and very friendly (apart from the young lady that knocked Jill […]
Read MoreYuki & The Japan Earthquake
It seems, at the moment, that we just have one disaster after another. First it was the Christchurch earthquake and now it’s the enormous one north of Tokyo in Japan. Our new daughter in law, Yuki is still in Tokyo and many of our friends have called, or contacted, us to enquire about her safety. […]
Read MoreOur Last Days in Tokyo
After the excitement of David & Yuki’s wedding day, we had an easy day on Tuesday with a bit of a slow start. We decided to go to a place named Asakusa in which there is a very large temple named Sensi-ji. However, I entered an incorrect location into the travel guide on my mobile […]
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The Wedding Day
Our day began with a walk across the road to the Tokyo City Government building where we went to the observation deck on the 45th floor. It was a bright sunny day after the two previous days of rain. It was so clear that on the horizon we could see Mt Fuji and we thought […]
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