Two days after going to Koya-san we traveled north-west to an onsen in some other mountains. It was a long trip, but reading, talking, eating, playing games and listening to music passes the time fast. The last ride was way up into the mountains by bus. This is the hotel/onsen w ... Continue Reading
This year we celebrated our holidays in Japan. We got a Japan Rail Pass and with our 2 oldest boys we traveled first to Koya-san, south of Osaka and about 6 hours of travel from Kamakura. Mount Koya, set amid black cedars at an altitude of 1000 m., is Japan’s most venerated ... Continue Reading
I am on my way back to the US and am in the train from Kamakura to Narita Airport what will take about 2 1/2 hours. A perfect time to continue my writing until the battery runs out. The 2nd day started out with a demonstration of Euan Craig to make different kinds of ceramic ware ... Continue Reading
When I go to my friends on the other side of Kamakura, I bicycle over the grounds of the Hachimangu Shrine. The atmosphere is great and relaxing, especially, when you pass the very big pond. But there are always people and sometimes big crowds and lots of schoolchildren. They com ... Continue Reading
And there, I finally found the museum! How could I have waited so long! Close to the Engaku-ji temple stands this beautiful old farmhouse, transferred by the owner from the Fukui Prefecture, north of Kyoto. Actually, they are 3 combined farmhouses and were built around 1850 at th ... Continue Reading
I had a wonderful discovery today. I rode my bicycle all the way to North “Kita” Kamakura, up a steep hill, to check out where the tearoom of the tea master for next week’s workshop of “Art of Tea” is. It brought me on little alley ways with old Japa ... Continue Reading
Every time I’m in Japan I go to Mashiko to visit some friends and the Toko Gallery. I go with a train from Kamakura straight to Utsunomiya which takes 3 hours. Then I take the bus to Mashiko for one hour and arrive at the Toko Gallery or go to Furuki-san and will meet with ... Continue Reading
I’m back in Japan and the weather is of course quite hot and humid. But you adjust and luckily in my little house there is air conditioning. The first thing I did was walking on the beach, seeing lots of vacationers and going to the neighborhood temple, the Komyoji. Kishu T ... Continue Reading
I like my little corners in my house in Japan. And a month ago I got some goddess statues from Kusakabe-san. Just beautiful! A goddess statue in the hallway before you enter our main room on the 3rd floor with a little wood fired vase, fired in Euan’s kiln. On a small she ... Continue Reading
I took some pictures of the flowers from my garden in the US. And finally, the bird of paradise is blooming. I had put the plant in a too dark corner with not much sun, but now after 5 years it is beautiful! Bird of Paradise Flower. Some beautiful Geraniums. And the Irises sta ... Continue Reading
