Barnardo, Port District, Takamatsu, Japan

TanyaLUpton Posted Mar 29, 2008, 10:40 pm	Hello! My name is Barnardo, I was found in a charity shop here in Birmingham, UK, and am now looking forward to a life of adventure! Next week I'll be going camping in Holland but when I return to England I hope to travel more on my own, how exciting! If you would like to host me please let me know, anywhere is good with me, so long as you take good care of me, I am a bit scared of the wide world at the moment!
TanyaLUpton Posted Mar 30, 2008, 5:12 pm	Today is a lovely sunny day, so I popped into the garden for a bit of sunbathing and admiring the spring flowers.
TanyaLUpton Posted Apr 10, 2008, 6:11 pm	Here I am on holiday camping. It rained most of the time, the last day the sun came out! I saw lots of colourful flowers though, which was nice.
Kira1997 Posted May 20, 2008, 4:34 am	Im here in Busselton a bright sun shining day and glad to be out of the envelope.
Kira1997 Posted Jul 7, 2008, 5:11 am	This is me and my friends looking at the Busselton Jetty.Also reading the sign which has a head on it as you can see.
Kira1997 Posted Jul 7, 2008, 12:03 pm	This is me playing pool as you can see it is really fun.It is also a fantastic game.
Kira1997 Posted Jul 9, 2008, 7:18 am	Im travelling now to Germany. Hope im not in this envelope too long
olgamaus Posted Jul 14, 2008, 10:40 am	Hi Mummy, I arrived in Remscheid today. I was welcomed by my new host Katja and four other ToyVoyagers: Sylphide, Wadworth, Pip and Tilda. Wadworth is also from England. They are all very busy here. They told me that we will fly to Munich in Southern Germany tomorrow.  Imagine I would have arrived tomorrow. Than I would have stayed in my envelope a few days longer. We have to get up early tomorrow because we have to be at Duesseldorf Airport at 08:20 am tomorrow. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 19, 2008, 7:27 pm	Hi Mummy, today we went by train to International Airport Duesseldorf in the early morning. We were booked on a flight to Munich at 09:05 am. After the check-in we went to the observation deck. We hoped to see a few planes landing or starting. We then got on board of our plane, an Airbus A 320.
olgamaus Posted Jul 19, 2008, 7:42 pm	When we arrived in Munich, we drove into town by train. We brought our luggage to our lodging and went into the town centre by subway immidately. Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany. The town has about 1.35 million inhabitants. We startet our visiting tour in the old town. Here you can see Sendlinger Tor, part of the city's former fortification. We were hungy and had lunch in a fancy doner kebap restaurant: Dönertier. It was opened by a Germany comedian, part of the famour duo Erkan & Stefan. Katja's daughter Alex was very anxious to visit this restaurant. Erkan & Stefan created the "Dönertier", an animal that looks like a living kebap on it's spit. Alex wanted to buy such a plushy Dönertier. Inside the restaurant we found a really exclusive interiour decoration, also many pictures showing the Dönertier. We found a shop where exclusive chocolates and other sorts of sweets are sold. We bought some delicious pralines and a special bar of chocolate for Katja's son. Look, I found banana pralines. We made our way though the old town. Here you can see the new town hall, located at Marienplatz. We then climbed upon Peterskirche, about 300 stairs. From the church tower you have a good look over the city centre. On our way through the old town I saw many beautiful houses. Here I am in front of the national theatre. To the same complex of buildings the Residence belongs, which is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs. You can also find the Court Garden in this complex. In the middle of the park in French style a circular temple (built in 1615 A.D.) is crowned by a statue of Bavaria. We went to English Garden, one of the world's largest urban public parks. We wanted to drink a beer in the Biergarten at the Chinese Pagoda. First we rested in the Monopterus, a replication of a classical Greek temple. Katja had a surprise for us. She had contacted another ToyVoyager host who is living here in Munich. We met Pandamo in the evening. She also had some TovVoyagers to show them around. We met at the German Museum, located on an island in the river Isar. We saw some interesting things in the inner courtyard of the museum, for example this gigantic turbine, which belonged to a hydroelectric power station in China. Here you can see a  carousel close to the building of the museum and part of a ship's propeller. We walked along the river Isar with Pandamo. We made some group pictures with the TVs Mocha, Bestik and Hurley. We saw the Golden Friedensengel, which is standing on a pillar, 38 metres high. This statue reminds of the peaceful 25 years after the war between Germany and France in 1870/1871. We walked along the river Isar back to the English Garden to have another beer, but this time a "Maß", the Bavarian word for 1 litre beer. We talked the whole evening and became really tired.  We went to our lodging in the late evening and fell into bed immediately. Oh, my feet are hurting .... I can't walk one step without crying tomorrow. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 19, 2008, 7:53 pm	Hi Mummy, today was our last day here in Munich. Yesterday in the late evening it started to rain. Today it does not look better outside. In the morning we visited the Residenz, but we were not allowed to take any bag inside the museum. Photos can only be taken without flashlight. We had to stay in Katja's bag at the warderobe. Our flight back home was at 3:15 p.m. so we had to leave Munich early. Here we are at the airport in Munich. This is our plane, again an Airbus A 320. I really enjoyed our trip to Munich. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 22, 2008, 2:31 pm	Hi Mummy, today we met Felix, a travelling bunny. Felix is the main character of a popular children’s books series. When Felix is travelling, he sends letters home to his “host” Sophie. She is the little girl who owns Felix. It was coincidence that Felix started travelling in his first book. He got lost on an airport and made his journey round the world until he returned to his home. He became adventurous and started his next journey with the help of Sophie. Here Felix is exploring space. He writes a letter to Sofie from space. … and from the jungle … [img][/img] … and from other interesting locations like underneath the sea. When he arrives safely at home Sophie is over the moon. Maybe she hopes that Felix will stay with her forever but he’s already thinking about new adventures. Felix is like a ToyVoyager. I also hope to get home safely when I finished my adventures. Here in Remscheid it is raining. On Thursday the weather will be better, the weather forecast says. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 23, 2008, 10:02 pm	Hi Mummy, today the weather became much better. The last three days it was not only raining but also really cold. We even had to turn on the heating. Today the sun was shining again. The first photo is showing a street in the vicinity of my current home. Though you have to walk only a few minutes to get to the town centre with all its shops you have many trees here. In this little park you can find a pillar which has the crest of Remscheid and the names of the partner towns engraved. In the background you can see the police station. We went to the district Hasten. We walked along the route of tools (Trasse des Werkzeugs) which is a lane for pedestrians and cyclists. It was built on a closed railroad line. It was sponsored by local companies. Each sponsor got a large metal sign with his name and a symbol for what the company is producing. In Remscheid tools are made since medieval times. You can find more tool symbols along the lane, for example here, where wrench patterns are stamped into the tarmac. Here you can see houses which are typical for this region. They are covered with schist and they often have green shutters. Most of them are build before 1900 A.D. We walked through the muncipal park. In this part it looks really feral. Here you can see something that is also typical for this region: Allotment gardens. Remscheid is located on a hill. You have many areas at the steep sides of the hill where houses cannot be built. Here you can find many of those allotments here. In Germany they are called "Schrebergarten". We came back into the town centre. Here you can see a street where all houses survived World War II. In 1943 large parts of the town centre were destroyed but we are here in a part of the town that was not hit by bombs. At the moment I'm living in the attic storey of the house on the left side. This house is built in 1904 A.D. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 24, 2008, 8:14 pm	Hi Mummy, today we went to Hitdorf with Katja's parents. Hitdorf is a small town located at the river Rhine. We took a walk along the river there. Here you can see a ferry dock. The cable ferry is crossing the Rhine the whole day to bring cars, pedestrians, cyclists and biker to the other side. We rested on a bank. I was swinging in a  tree. This is the river mouth of the Wupper. The river Wupper is opening into the Rhine here. On the other bank a flock of sheep is grazing. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2008, 9:58 pm	Hi Mummy, today we visited the zoo in Wuppertal, one of the largest, most nicely landscaped zoos in Germany with many rare animals. Wuppertal is the neighbour town of Remscheid, famous for the worldwide one and only Monorail Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn). The suspension railway travels along a route about 13 kilometres long, about 12 metres above the surface of the river Wupper and approximately 8 m above the city streets. At one point the railway even crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. One of the stations is "Zoo/Stadion". Here I am standing in front of the zoo. This is the entrance area. It was so hot today that many animals were hiding in the shadow or in their dens. The elephants were outside. They have a baby that was born in January 2008. I saw a lot of different monkey here: Orangutans, chimps, gorillas and prosimians. Here are seals. This is one of the ponds for ducks and geese. The island in the middle belongs to a monkey enclosure. The monkey can run and climb here. When we left the zoo it started raining and we heard thunder in a distance. Now it's raining again. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Aug 3, 2008, 3:31 pm	Hi Mummy, today we took a long walk in a forrest in Solingen-Unterburg.  Solingen is one of the neighbour towns. We saw a memorial for the German journalist and writer Hermann Löns. He lived from 1866 until 1914. He died in First World War. He is most famous as "The Poet of the Heath" for his novels and poems celebrating the people and landscape of the North German moors, particularly the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony. Löns is well known in Germany for his famous folksongs. We reached the river Wupper. This part of the river belongs to the run-of-river power station in Glüder. We followed the river Wupper and crossed it here. At the end of our walk we reached the town again. From here you can go uphill with a chair lift. On the hill Schloss Burg is located, a medieval castle. Bye Barnardo
olgamaus Posted Aug 4, 2008, 3:02 pm	Hi Mummy, I climbed into my envelope today. I'm already on my way to South Africa. Bye Barnardo
Vicki Posted Sep 1, 2008, 5:41 pm	Hello from sunny South Africa!! I have arrived safe and sound Mom! Vicki says she is battling to upload photos to Flickr at the moment but will be posting some photos soon..... keep watching.... love Barnado.
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:35 am	Spring has sprung in Johannesburg! I've arrived and my welcome was at the same time as Gilbert's farewell! Mrs C came to fetch Gilbert and we all hid in the Brunsfelsia that is growing outside Vicki's front door. It smells beautiful! Can you see all eight of us? We posed for a welcome and farewell photo.
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:54 am	Today we visited Museum Africa which is housed in the old fresh produce market (pity there isn't still some fresh produce there!!). MrsC and Vicki went together, with all their toyvoyagers too. We chatted up a storm together! There was a whole section on the prisoners who were tried for treason during the apartheid era. Newspaper cuttings with headlines from days gone by... There was a scene of a shebeen (the old illegal drinking houses) in Sofiatown, an old 'black' suburb from which the blacks were evicted to make way for 'whites'. There were also replicas of shanties or 'jondolos' (as they are commonly known). This is how some of the squatters live in the squatter camps. A lot of the people living like this are illegal immigrants coming from neighbouring countries to try and make a living. Look at this bicycle!! A 'penny farthing' from days gone by. You had to be tall to ride this bike, to be able to get on it and to pedal it! Had to pose for a photo.... Mrs C gave me a hand, you can see her feet sticking out, tee hee! Signing the register... Vicki went to the tourist information office and there we met Mr Mandela(or Madiba as he is affectionately known in South Africa), standing next to the South African flag!
Vicki Posted Sep 11, 2008, 7:54 am	We were all very excited about the special invitation we had received! Threadbear and Eloise were getting married and we had all been invited to the wedding as honoured guests! What we didn't realise was how many guests there would be!! Eloise looked beautiful.... and Threadbear looked so smart too. All the bears waiting to go to the Teddy Bear clinic were there too! We all watched as Eloise came down the isle. You could hear some 'aaahs' coming from the gathered guests. We listened to them say their "I do's" and then Threadbear kissed his bride. They walked back up the isle as man and wife. The bride and groom cut the cake and it was time to PARTY!! We eventually waved them goodbye... MrsC's house was a mess but the party continued into the early hours...
Vicki Posted Sep 11, 2008, 7:59 am	Three "monkeys" sitting in a row!! Vicki is watching us closely to see that we don't get up to too much mischief! We were chatting about all our adventures and Grape Ape was telling us that he was going home soon.
Vicki Posted Sep 19, 2008, 9:57 am	Today we said farewell to Purple Bun and Sputnik. I will miss Purple Bun, we made especially good friends in the short time we were here together.
Vicki Posted Sep 19, 2008, 10:07 am	We woke up all excited because we were visiting a place called Goblin's Cove. It was quite a drive out to Magaliesburg, this is a mountain range to the north west of Johannesburg. We finally arrived at this most enchanting place. The restaurant was full of little nooks and crannies with little fairies, goblins and elves everywhere. It was all so lovely and quaint! Please don't forget me here!! These goblins get up to a lot of mischief! Another lovely day in the country...
Vicki Posted Sep 19, 2008, 10:27 am	Everyone's leaving!! Time to say farewell to Grape Ape, he has been visiting with Vicki since beginning June and is now off to his next adventure... Enjoy yourself Grape Ape....  take care!
Vicki Posted Oct 19, 2008, 4:03 pm	Today was a public holiday in South Africa. It was heritage day and national 'braai' day! A braai is the South African version of a barbeque. We were all invited to Delmas, to a friend of Ken's (Vicki's husband) for a braai. Delmas is about 90km away though, we even went into another province. We travelled on the highway, there are a lot of roadworks because of upgrading for the soccer in 2010. Still on the road... Is this the off ramp? Please... are we there yet?? Hey, these people have donkeys as pets! They found them abandoned and brought them home to look after them. They are eating up Collin's (the owner of the farm) prize roses though. Not too close now... Yummy! Lovely fresh cauliflowers from Collin's hot houses. Vicki made cauliflower soup and it was deeelicious! We watched these koi in the fish pond, so peaceful! After a lovely day with lots of fresh air...  we headed back home. Crossed the provincial border again, back in Gauteng. We passed this derilect old mine. There are lots of mines in this area. And the OR Tambo airport, here comes an airplane in to land. At last the city of Jozi (nickname for Johannesburg) on the horizon. Yay! At last the off ramp for Vicki's house! That was a long ride.
Vicki Posted Oct 19, 2008, 4:15 pm	It has been so hot here lately. The pool was very inviting, the water is 22C. I climbed this palm tree and checked out the view. Vicki dished up some Vanilla frozen yoghurt to help us cool down. Hey, Chokito, sharing is caring!! Vicki has been studying so much, she wrote a Math exam today. It's a bit boring around here when she is studying but she promised we would go out when she has finished her exams. This desk is a bit of a mess... We welcomed a new visitor too, Migui+Gui. She has come to join us for some South African fun.
Vicki Posted Nov 23, 2008, 6:04 pm	We welcomed Decker and here we are on the South African flag. Here we are together with some soon-to-be new TV's that Vicki would like to send out into the world. There is a wild dog and an 'aardvark' or anteater too. Vicki took us to visit the children's home called Footprints. That is were she and her children help out. She made sure the children didn't touch us because we brought sweets for them and they were all sticky! Their dog had puppies and they were very cute but ready to chew anything!! Hey don't let go! We drove home towards a HUGE storm.
annix Posted Jun 11, 2010, 11:02 am	Hy Mummy, I'm in Italy! The journey was good and I'm fine. The place sounds nice, I've found a beautiful tree which was waiting for me. I've already met other toy voyagers:Baabaa,King Tut,Bluto, Frankie_Blue and Rendolph. I think I'll have a lot to write you about in the next days! Bye
annix Posted Jun 28, 2010, 9:09 am	Hi mom, today I'm having a holiday to the mountain. We start our journey from Tirano fro where we want to take the "red little train" for a touristic tour trought the Alpi and we will arrive to St. Moritz, in Switzerland. We're luckybecause it's a sunny day!
annix Posted Jun 28, 2010, 9:21 am	Here we are! We're seeing lakes, mountain streams and even the glaciers! Then we reach St. Moritz with some beautiful characteristic house. We can't miss a visit in the neighbourhood, do you like this place? Bye
annix Posted Jul 9, 2010, 1:59 pm	Hi mom, my friend Baabaa and I are playing in our pool, the temperature is so hot that it's impossible to stay outdoor if you don't have some water close to you. Best greetings!!!
annix Posted Jul 19, 2010, 4:35 pm	Hi mom, it is still so hot here so Baabaa and I have decided to have a cool dinner: potatoes salad, ham with toasted bread and rice salad. Of course I can't be satisfied if I don't have a few bananas! Bye
annix Posted Jul 26, 2010, 2:02 pm	Hi mum, today I'm visiting the Medieval Sforzesco Castle in Milan. The name belongs to the Sforza family, who lived here in the second half of 1400 (and partially rebuilt it), but it was founded by the Visconty family in the second half of 1300. Around the castle there's a beautiful park and I can't miss a walk there! Bye
annix Posted Aug 5, 2010, 3:40 pm	Hi mum, today I'm tree-climbing, it's funny! This park is close to my host's house so we often come here for a walk, I've seen also a small airplain flying over my head! Bye
annix Posted Aug 10, 2010, 1:40 pm	Hi mum, today I'm visiting the "Devil House" in Bellano, close to the Lake of Como. This is a natural gorge among the rocks and has a wonderful view om the waterfalls? Do you like it?
annix Posted Aug 11, 2010, 4:07 pm	Hi mum, I'm sending you some pictures from the Lake of Como. Bye bye
annix Posted Aug 12, 2010, 1:46 pm	Hi mum, today I'm still to the Lake of Como but in annther place called Varenna. I'm having a rest in a bar... Bye
annix Posted Aug 13, 2010, 4:51 pm	Hi mum, just a short note to say you that my friends and I are leaving for an holiday to the reaside! Bye
annix Posted Aug 17, 2010, 1:40 pm	Hi mum, I arrived in Loano for a holiday at the seaside. Loano is in front of the Ligurian Sea. I like a lot the pool of the hotel and I enjoy going to the beach. Bye
annix Posted Aug 18, 2010, 9:16 pm	Hi mum, hello from the beach of Loano!!!
annix Posted Aug 25, 2010, 10:15 am	Hi mum, my friends and I went to eat a pizza, since we are at the seaside we decided for a "seafood pizza". Then we went for a walk on the seafront since it was dark. Bye
annix Posted Aug 27, 2010, 1:13 pm	Hi mum, just one more time to the beach and pool and then it'll be time to come back in Milan. I have to go to the hotel to prepare my luggage. Bye
annix Posted Sep 2, 2010, 1:35 pm	Hi mum, I'm in Laglio, on the Lake of Como, this is the place where George Clooney has his house so a lot of peolpe is here hoping to meet him... today they're very lucky because they can meet me too!!! Bye
annix Posted Sep 2, 2010, 2:06 pm	Argeno is anoter small town on the Lake of Como, I sat own wih mu TV friends Baabaa, Blichick and Nathalie to have a rest and then we had a look around. I saw a boat full of Japanese tourists who were visiting the Lake! Bye
annix Posted Sep 13, 2010, 10:37 am	Hi mum, during the week end I visited Vigevano, a small town in the south of Milan. Vigevano is particularly well-known for its beautiful Renaissance "Piazza Ducale", in the centre of the town, one of the nicest one in Itay. "Vigevano's main attraction is one of the finest piazzas in Italy, the Piazza Ducale, an elongated rectangle that is almost in the ideal proportions 1:3 advocated by the architectural theorist Antonio Filarete], which is also said to have been laid out by Bramante, and was certainly built for Ludovico il Moro, starting in 1492-93 and completed in record time, unusual for early Renaissance town planning. Piazza Ducale was actually planned to form a noble forecourt to his castle, unified by the arcades that completely surround the square, an amenity of the new North Italian towns built in the 13th century." I also had a fruit cocktail while I was looking up to it! Bye
annix Posted Oct 26, 2010, 3:31 pm	Hi mum, did you know that Italy is full of monkeys? Look at how many monkeys I've found here! I'm having a big fun! Bye
annix Posted Oct 31, 2010, 5:00 pm	Happy Halloween mummy!
annix Posted Dec 3, 2010, 3:56 pm	Hi mum, I'm going to visit Germany, I'll write you soon!
annix Posted Dec 3, 2010, 4:06 pm	Here I'm in the castle of Ludwisburg! Bye mummy
annix Posted Dec 9, 2010, 11:23 am	Hi mum, I'm in Stuttgart, there is a lot of snow here. I'm visiting the Christmas Market, it looks so nice and I think to do some Christmas shopping! Bye
annix Posted Dec 10, 2010, 2:15 pm	Hi mum, my friend Baabaa and I have arrived in Villingen, we're having a great time but it's quite cold here so we decided to go toour hotel to warm up a bit! Bye
annix Posted Dec 14, 2010, 2:49 pm	Hi mum, I'm in Triberg and in this place there are clocks everywhere! I went to visit the Clock Museum and now I know everything about the production of cuckoo clocks, I could see some very special and precious clock.! It's still quite cold here... Bye
annix Posted Dec 25, 2010, 4:24 pm	Hi mum, I'm celebrating Christmas with my host and my friend Baabaa. Have a nice Chrirtmas!!!
annix Posted Jan 1, 2011, 5:38 pm	Happy New Year mum! I had a typical Italian lunch: zampone (a kind of pork leg) with lentils, then the traditional cake called Panettone! Bye
annix Posted Mar 8, 2011, 11:28 am	Hi mum, I have to say goodbye to my friends Baabaa and Stompy... I'm going to leave for a new adventure, Japan is waiting for me!!!!!! Love, Barnardo
hanachan Posted Mar 28, 2011, 7:11 pm	Hi Mum, Now I'm in Japan, the world is watching. The stricken area is far from here. The everyday life here is the same before even after it happened, though people always think about it. *** Here is the message to the world from Japan *** Thank you very much for all. We were really encouraged and comforted from all over the world. Japan never give up and come back again. Doumo Arigatou! Ganbatte, Nippon  Barnardo
hanachan Posted Apr 7, 2011, 6:44 pm	Hello mum, Sakura cherry blossoms started to bloom. This is Ritsurin Garden, one of the most beautiful and famous Gardens in Japan. It is located in the center of the city, among the modern buildings. Stepping inside it is like slipping into another world and another time. For 228 years long since 1642, the Matsudaura family, the Lord of Takamatsu owned and maintained the garden. Today the garden is open to public. hoping you like it! Barnardo
hanachan Posted Apr 18, 2011, 8:57 am	Sakura
hanachan Posted May 1, 2011, 10:19 am	Hi mummy, Today I enjoyed picking strawberry. The price of picking strawberry includes 60 minutes at the farm, in which time you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you can. This big red one looks so sweet.
hanachan Posted Jun 19, 2011, 7:22 pm	Hi mum! Our train run across the Inland Sea and came here Kurashiki city. In this old city there is the canal. It was once important transportation and there were many boats loaded with goods and supplies. Now tour boats are going slowly.  And I found some interesting objects in the street
hanachan Posted Sep 1, 2011, 6:46 pm	Hi mummy, There are 3 large Chinatowns in Japan, in Yokohama, in Nagasaki and here in Kobe. Nankinmachi looks very colorful. Coloring red is very cute. This pink sherbet is crushed real frozen peaches Coconut juice with black tapioca is also good taste hugs, Barnardo Quote: History Nankinmachi's origins date back to 1868, when Kobe's port was opened to foreigners, including Chinese immigrants from Canton, Fukien, and Samgong (Guangzhou, Fujian, Sanjiang). The newcomers settled in the western end of Kobe's foreign district, which soon became the focal point for subsequent Chinese migrants. During that time, the Chinese people were referred to as "people from Nanking" by the Japanese, hence the name "Nankinmachi"(Nanking Town). By the early 1920s, Nankinmachi was a vibrant area bustling with businesses, restaurants, and homes. That all changed, however, during the next two decades when many Chinese returned to China in response to Japan's expansion of Northeastern China, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and World War II. Destroyed during the allied bombings of Kobe, Nankinmachi was re-built after the war by the remaining Chinese community that stayed behind. In 1995, it was severely damaged during the horrific Great Hanshin Earthquake which killed nearly 6,000 people. It was quickly re-built, and once again thrives as the center of Chinese culture and activity throughout the Kansai region. There are currently 10,000 people residing in Kobe's Chinatown. (wikipedia)
hanachan Posted Oct 15, 2011, 6:47 am	Oboke-kyo & Koboke-kyo Gorges It is the headwaters of the Yoshino, the second longest river in Shikoku Island (slightly shorter than the Shimanto), the beginning of 194km. This River is the important water resources of Takamatsu city also.
hanachan Posted Oct 15, 2011, 9:55 am	Megi Island (Megijima) Megijima, a small island off the coast of 4 km from Takamatsu. In the left we can see the twin peaks of Megijima. Very close from Takamatsu port. And other picture shows Takamatsu city from Megijima. Here are still some art works of Setouhchi Art Festival 2010. Wow, Is this the Moai?  Tadano, the major crane manufacturing company headquarters in Takamatsu supported to set up the broken Moai in Easter Island. This is a replica, same size and same weight. Tadano crane operaters practiced to raise the fallen Moai using it. The story is here : Moai Restoration Project
hanachan Posted Oct 15, 2011, 10:31 am	Onigashima - the island of Oni This mysterious name is Megijima's nick. Oni means Ogre. Japanese Oni is sometimes a symbol of strong power. They are very scary like demons but not negative. By the way Oni lives or once lived in Megijima? People says, they were human not real Ogre. Maybe pirates lived in this island long ago. The lighthouse is torches hold up by Oni. And small Oni kids around the base. On the dike, some people are fishing. I said hello to them. They already have 3 big fish
hanachan Posted Nov 6, 2011, 2:57 am	Hi mum, We are back to Kobe. (hanachan loves this city) Unfortunately it rains. First we visited Ikuta Shrine and headed for the harbor area. The 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake also destroyed the Kobe port and much of the facilities. At the Memorial Park visitors can view the scars of the Earthquake. And it said that Kobe was one of the world's busiest ports before the earthquake, but despite the rebuilding, it has not regained its former status as Japan's principal shipping port yet. love, Barnardo P.S. This big fish monument is an entrance of Seafood Restaurant. (sorry, it's closed)
hanachan Posted Dec 23, 2011, 10:23 am	Hi mum, Takamatsu is a port city on the Seto Inland Sea. It's a beautiful day. Nice to walk. We walked on the long breakwater to the lighthouse. Barnardo

Back