Travelog for: The WotWots

Sushi!
hanachan bought 'take-out' sushi and arranged them on a cute plate

Itadakimasu!

Chiristmas is coming
In Japan Christmas is not a holiday, just a commercial event for most people. However, they enjoy it, decorating trees, preparing presents for families and friends.
The big tree illuminated by beautiful lights appeared at night.

Otsuka Museum of Art
The world's first collection of Ceramic-Board Reproduction of Masterpaintings.
Now we're not in the Sistine Chapel, Rome. The room is an authentic-looking reproductions of the Sistine Chapel's art works. This is one of the exhibits in this museum. These are not original paintings.  They are ceramic works using a special manufacturing technique. Visitors can see over 1000 full-size ceramic reproductions of major works of art. The works are transfer-printed from photographs before being fired and retouched.
Of course we enjoyed reproductions of great paintings in the modern ages.

Say Good bye to 2012
Japanese people have many parties called "Bo-nen kai" in December. Bo-nen kai is a drinking party where they begin to forget about the problems in this past year and look forward to the new year.


(oops, the battery of camera is empty...)

Happy New Year! - Akemashite Omedetou!
Osechi Ryouri & Ozouni
Hi
The new year day in Japan is very calm. Family people meet together at their parents' house to celebrate the New Year, wishing for the future health of everyone.
The first meal in the new day is Osechi Ryouri and Ozouni. The New Year's food arranged in the lacquer boxes and special soup with rice cakes, vegetables, etc.

Melon Pan - a type of sweet bun from Japan
In Japan, western food is often developed and changed in its own way by fusing with Japanese original culture.
It's interesting. What do you think?

wow... the plate is cute


P.S. Oh, we always eat... 

Yashima Shrine
This shrine was built in 1651 by Matsudaira Yorishige, the first Feudal Load of Takamatsu. It is the place where to worship his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.
When we visit the shrine, first we wash hands. An old tap is often decorated everywhere in the world. In Japan lots of shrine and temples have "Doragons" like this.
Then we went up to the long steps of stone and looked back... wow!

Ogijima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea. It is a few kilometers from Takamatsu port. It's a very small island just 4km around, about 150 people lives.
Today we go to the island by ferry boat. 

But...
The weather suddenly turned to bad.
We reached the lighthouse in the stormy rain
This is the northernmost tip of Takamatsu city.

Kobe is the 5th-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyogo prefecture. (Brisbane is a sister city of Kobe)
We changed the train at Okayama station. Here the Shinkansen Express "Sakura" is coming. It's hard to take pictures of them, because they come quickly and stop just a few minutes
After 45 minutes, we reached Kobe. The weather was a little bad

In Sakura, the Shinkansen Express train
There are lots of tunnels between Okayama and Kobe.
Sakura N700 Series Shinkansen
In central Kobe city
The tall building behind us is Kobe City Hall.
We found cherry blossoms bloom 
Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park
It shows the status of earthquake-stricken Kobe port and the process to recovery.
That red tower is very famous as the Kobe landmark.
This is a big fish monument we saw nearby  
The Former Foreign Settlement
The modern-era western style buildings remain standing in the new city.
China Town Nankin-machi
Nankin-machi is a compact chinatown in central Kobe, one of the three Chinatowns in Japan. (others are in Nagasaki and Yokohama) This area was developed by Chinese merchants who settled near Kobe Port after the port was opened to foreign trade in 1868.
"Coca Cola" written in Kanji characters

The weather is a little bad also in Takamatsu, but it's warm. Sakura cherry blossoms start to bloom.
Walking around my host hanachan's house, we can see many Sakura trees beside the streets.
Soon they are in full bloom.

This is Ritsurin Garden, a typical Japanese garden. 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 Matsudaira family, the feudal lord of Takamatsu owned and maintained the garden. Today the garden is open to public.
What a wonderful world!


more about Ritsurin Garden

Sakura is full blooming
This is a small Shinto shrine near hanachan's house.
The sky is blue. It's a beautiful day.
Twig of Sakura was offered to the memorial monument for military horses in equisition.

Now our Marine Liner train is running across the Seto Ohashi Bridge over the Seto Inland Sea. We'll soon arrive at Kurashiki city.
Kurashiki, this area is kept the old city view of Tokugawa Shogunate period. (17th-19th century)
There are many historical houses beside the canal. These were once used as warehouse of cotton.
"Kura" of the city's name means warehouse in Japanese.
Today old warehouses were renovated as cute shops.

Shamijima - It used to be a small island in Seto Inland Sea, but today the island is connected to the main island by land reclamation.
Here we came in sight of the Seto Ohashi Bridge. Yes, we have crossed the bridge already.
The trains run through the lower, the upper is the express motorway.


Well, we are leaving Japan soon. We have lots of memories which may overflow from the suitcase. 

Hello World,

We are home again...we have been home for several days but life here has been a bit busy so we have waited patiently......



We had a wonderful stay in Japan with hanachan we got to see so much - thank you hanachan for looking after us so well.

Maybe we can do some more travelling soon

Best wishes
The WotWots