Uji

It has been an extremely long time since I updated here. I don't imagine anyone has missed me but for the odd passerby I bid you welcome - I took these photos today, just for you. Uji (Kyoto) has always been a special place for me, ever since I came to Japan. It was the first place I ever went to that put me close to the real Japanese environment and demonstrated to me that Japan isn't just one large city of industry. My first trip to Uji was in Decemeber 2003 with some Chinese teachers from work. It was a good time with them and even though we would later have a falling out Uji has always remained a beautiful memory. Today I retraced my steps and reshot some photos I took before. The first time I had been using a Sony Cybershot (worst camera ever to make market release) but today I toted along my trusty Canon S2 Powershot (a little heavy/bulky but damned if it doesn't have the widest range of options). Enjoy!

Himeji

On Monday the girl and I went Himeji for the day. I wanted to see Himeji Castle (the largest and oldest original castle still standing in Japan today) and she wanted to go to Safari Park 40 minutes out of the city. It was a fantastic day if a little cold. We would suffer later with a bad dose of the flu but to finally ascend Himeji Castle and see a tiger a close was a worthy trade off.

Nabe Party

Recently I invited a bunch of people over to my new apartment to repay them for all the parties I've been to and get together one last time before they are blown to four corners of the Earth. It made me realise how difficult it is to organise and excute a meal for more than two people. In the end it went fairly smoothly, not as long as I had hoped but enough to show some measure of hospitality. I won't embarrass anyone by naming them but you know who you are. Thanks again for coming!

Kurama

About two weeks ago now I went to small town near Kyoto City by the name of Kurama. It was listed in my Lonely Planet Hiking Guide (great book for getting you to the hike, fairly useless once you start to actually do it). It was a beautiful day, just before winter had started. As expected though, Kurama was swaming with old people on day tours and I had to spend the entire day on my feet. Worth though to see the famed Tengu and last red autumn leaves of the season.

Indian music festival

The week before last the girlfriend and I went to an Indian music festival in Kyoto. Initially I was a little hesitant because I wouldn't describe sitar as my instrument of choice but I was pleasantly surprised to find the experience relaxing and refreshing. The 'concert' took place in a small temple near downtown Kyoto - I had expected more people to come and a larger setup but in the end fewer than 20 people came and we were entertained by three players with exceptional command over the sitar, electric sitar and drums respectively. Apologies in advance for the quality of the pictures, my camera dislikes lowlight conditions with a passion that borders on religious fervour.

In the meanwhile....

Unfortunately I have been busy recently with work and readying myself to move to a new apartment. It has been a mad few months since my return from Australia, I can no longer remember what my holiday was like. I plan to do some hiking in the next weeks as time permits and I am eagerly awaiting a trip to Kyoto music festival but until then here are some photos my friend took while we were in Australia together - enjoy!

Koyasan

Last week I went to Koyasan for the first time. Koyasan is one of the largest mountain areas in Japan and its reputation is well deserved at nearly 1000m above sea level. Despite the amount of Japanese obaasans and ojisans on the Hankyu package tours it was a great day. It was abut 5 degrees cooler than Osaka and the sun shone all day long. I recommend it to everyone, however, take the train - don't take the bus!

Cairns, Australia

I'm back after 3 weeks. I wasn't quite prepared for the heat but I think I am happy to be back. It was nice to see my students again and of course the girlfriend. Cairns was a little different but still undeniably home. Much as I like Osaka it will never take the place of Cairns in my mind. I took as mmany pictures as my camera could handle (191) to be exact. I won't post them all here but I will show you some that have the best memories attached.

Kyoto & Cars

Last week I went to Kyoto - it was one of those rare days where everything went well and all seemed right in the world. We spent the day walking around Kawaramachi and Gion (central Kyoto). I was a little surprised to see so many foreigners. Travelling to Kyoto always reminds me of my first year in Japan when I would spent nearly every weekend there near Sanjo and the great river that runs through the centre of the city proper. A beautiful place, but it is somewhat spoiled by the huge amount of tourists that pass through there everyday.

Minoh

It has been a while since my last post (thanks largely to work) but I did manage to get out go for a short hike last week. It was a beautiful day last Monday so we went to Minoh to see the Falls. I am lucky that I live so close to Minoh (20 minutes by train). It is one of the few places near Osaka that has trees and where the air is relatively clean. Anyone out there who wants to unwind in the closest thing Osaka has to a forest take the Hankyu Takazuka Train from Umeda. Well worth the trip.

Okamachi

Okamachi is the name of the suburb I live in Osaka. It is a slice of heaven in the middle of one largest cities in Japan. Okamachi is a friendly place famous for Harada Jinja and the local shotengai (which has seen better days). It isn't quite home but living here almost makes living in Osaka bearable. Harada Jinja is in the centre of it all and gives Okamachi a real sense of community. I love going there on the weekend to read a book and watch the people drift by.