The joy of food

Wrapped up and went off to the local food fair...Delicacies like octopus balls .... mmmm I hear you say!

 So hard to choose.  So much to choose from.

 Win a goldfish or two.... no not for eating!

 Stir fry

 Profiterole 

A sketcher, a ninja and a a couple of dancers went out one day....

 Roger's sketch ...

Asahi-dake, Higashikawa-cho

Deer Valley Onsen

Our next stop after the Romantic Village "Nijinos", was a complete contrast 

Loved the fact that everything was designed for my height... Look at those tables and chairs...

 Buffet breakfast, Japanese style, Western style... In fact whatever you want.  The fact that everyone wore their hotel pyjamas cracked us up.  Caleb and I decided we should mount a "Guard of Honour".  

Hiromi introduced us to the Onsen...yeah!  Wonderful.  My only gripe was that the men had a cold plunge pool!!  Can you believe they not only pay us less BUT they also keep the best plunge pool for themselves. 

Expect the unexpected.

Romantic Village "Nijinos"

Shintotsukawa City

We always like to experience a range of accommodation.  We often say "the quirkier the better."  In fact when we arrived in Hokkaido there was very little to choose from that was close to the Abiko farm.  We saw this one online and it looked interesting.  A hippy cooperative where they had built cottages and were looking for a more sustainable lifestyle.  I was a bit unsure about the 4 in a bed but Caleb and Hiromi assured us that this wasn't so unusual!

When we get there we meet Minalto.  A very personable young man, who showed us into our accommodation.  It had changed a little since they took the photos... our room was filled with "treasures" from around the world.  Coral, masks, boomerangs etc.  Hiromi took one look and decided she would stay at home with her parents.  The next night Caleb made the same decision... so it was two in a very big bed!


The winters are extremely harsh in this area and it is not uncommon for buildings to collapse under the weight of the snow.  And so it was at the farm.  Usually though when the spring comes everyone gets in and repairs the damage.   This is one of the things Caleb helped with at the Abiko farm.  Not so at this farm. As things fell they were left, giving the whole place an abandoned feel.

Chickens, a goat and a horse wandered the property.  They fed from a huge mound of straw.  When it got cold at night they burrowed deep into it.

 One shed had collapsed onto a brand new tractor which sat forlornly amid the chaos.

"Be happy" all the signs said and you know what ... we were... especially when we were eating Caleb's yummy scrambled eggs! 

Off up the chair lift for an amazing walk.... thanks Caleb

Asahi-dake, Higashikawa-cho

After our trip to the Abiko farm we set off in Hiromi's car on our mountain adventure.... Our first surprise... snow!

This really was Caleb and Hiromi's territory... Hiromi introduced us to the Onsen... Yeah!

Every morning guests would wander down in the pyjamas the hotel had provided.  Caleb and I decided it was time to mount guard!

 Don't you love the pyjamas. Caleb introduced us to mountain walking his style ... forget the paths just head for the geysers...fantastic!  We were so lucky to have them with us!

I'm turning Japanese... yes I think so

Too many good things happening ... and so as usual I am way, way behind in my blog.  

We are now on Rhodes, after spending a week in Sydney, then heading to London before catching the plane to Greece.

Until we got here we were on "Full Speed Ahead" every day.  I had to do a second edit on my novel whilst taking in all of the wonders of Japan.   This meant a 5 am start before the others woke and we set off on our adventures.

You can imagine my horror when during the Osaka earthquake (more on that later), I discovered my files had all been corrupted.  Had I backed up on my hard drive?  NO.  A lesson well learnt!

So it was a case of start again.

Here finally are some images of Japan....