Monthly Archives: April 2012

10th February: Otaru by Day

Posted on April 29, 2012 by

In the next sleeper on the train on the way to Sapporo, I met a Japanese man with a shared interest in photography and Nikon equipment.  He recommended I visit Otaru, so I did. Otaru is the port for Sapporo, … Continue reading →

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Otaru, Sapporo | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

10th February: Sapporo Snow Festival by Night

Posted on April 28, 2012 by

After dinner and when it was dark, I returned to visit the snow sculptures at night. Since we are in Sapporo, founded in the late nineteenth century in what was then largely an Ainu island, I will relate something of … Continue reading →

Posted in Hokkaido, Japan, Sapporo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

10th February: Sapporo Snow Festival by Day

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

Sapporo holds a snow festival every year in early February, as it has done since 1950.  Obviously, it needs to be cold so the sculptures do not melt.  The average temperature while I was there was -7.3˚C and it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Sapporo | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

8th to 10th February: From Hakone to Tokyo to Sapporo

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

I returned the rental car though I didn’t manage to find petrol even after driving around all the tiny back streets of Hakone Yumoto.  My Japanese and their English were not good enough to communicate this to the rental company … Continue reading →

Posted in Hakone, Japan, Sapporo | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

7th to 8th February: Fuji-san from Lake Kawaguchi

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

I had booked a room in a ryokan at Lake Kawaguchi for a view of Mt Fuji and hired a rental car to get there.   Due to GPS battery problems, I managed to find a very roundabout route along several … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Lake Kawaguchi, Mt Fuji | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

6th February: Hakone Ropeway

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

Here I am at the train station for the Hakone Open Air Museum on a rainy afternoon with the train arriving.  This is a private line (not Japan Rail) and one of the guidebooks describes it as “one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hakone, Japan | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

6th February: Hakone Open Air Museum

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

Just beside the railway line on the way to the Hakone ropeway….

Posted in Hakone, Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

6th to 7th February: Hakone – Fujiya Hotel

Posted on April 21, 2012 by

On the nights of the 6th and 7th February I stayed in the Fujiya Hotel, the oldest hotel in Japan.  The founder of the hotel, Yamaguchi Sennosuke, was a member of an early Japanese delegation to Europe and the USA … Continue reading →

Posted in Hakone, Japan | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

5th February: Nara to Hakone

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Travel day today.  I headed off for a museum in the morning, then decided I didn’t have enough time so turned back. I encountered this curious being in the centre of old Nara shopping zone.  Appears to be some kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Hakone, Japan, Nara | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

4th February: Kyoto – Fushimi-Inari Taisha

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

On the way back from Nijo Castle I stopped in at Fushimi-Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrine just south of Kyoto on the railway line between Kyoto and Nara.  It’s very accessible because it’s very close to the railway station. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Kyoto | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment