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'Tis the season for plum blossoms so last week my husband and I headed off to Hyogo Prefecture to visit two famous plum blossom orchards. Sadly, we didn't have much luck because the plum blossoms were only at about 10% - about three weeks behind. However, we enjoyed visiting the Mitsu Roadside Station with its local produce and spectacular view, and Murotsu, the fishing village famous for oysters just down the road. Yes, the weather was miserable but still, we had a great time!  The view from Mitsu Roadside Station  The small fishing village of Murotsu  These were hanging everywhere! The cost? Between 350 and 400 yen per set of four fish. (In Canadian money, that's between $3.50 and $4.00 per set.)  It was cold and drizzling but these young men were busy preparing oysters for sale. They had quite the system set up! (Noisy too!)  We didn't see many people as we walked through Mutsuro but there were boots everywhere!  After visiting the local temple, we wandered down a side path and came across this small temple/lookout. We were welcomed by two elderly locals who had been sitting there chatting, and they pointed out various islands and engaged in small talk. So kind!  The view!
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We just returned from a short trip to the Seto Inland Sea area. (The Seto Inland Sea lies between the Japanese main islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.) Our visit was everything we had hoped it would be. The weather was perfect, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and we spent every day outside exploring and taking in the spectacular views. Our first stop was Onomichi, a hilly port town with lots of temples and walking paths. (Unfortunately, the air was full of yellow sand from sand storms in China, resulting in unusually hazy distant views.)  View of the Seto Inland Sea from the Onomichi viewpoint.  The view from our hotel rooftop at 5:55 am on our first day.  View of Mukaishima Island from the temple walk path. (This model was posing when we arrived.)  The view from our hotel rooftop (a different hotel) at 5:55 am on our second day.  Onomichi Shopping Street in the morning before opening time.  Fishing nets along the boardwalk.  We took a short ferry ride to Mukaishima Island and did some exploring. Despite good intentions, yet another month has passed since my last post. I blame a busy work season, a garden in desperate need of care after a wicked hot summer, and a temperamental tooth. Oh, and a camera that is getting crankier by the minute. I dread having to replace it but... I'm a bit overwhelmed with photos at the moment. I love to take them but finding the time to cull and edit is a real challenge. However, I have managed to edit some from a short trip we took to Obama, a small city in Fukui Prefecture. We weren't expecting much, to be honest, but our visit was fantastic! Although it may be a small city it felt much more like a village - and a very friendly village at that. My kind of place! We certainly plan to return! (These are best viewed on a desktop computer. This is the only option for posting multiple images that can be viewed on a mobile devise but, unfortunately, the images are awfully small.) Our Christmas present to ourselves was a few days visiting Awaji Shima, a small island not too far away. Ah, bliss! Several days of Japanese hot springs and delicious food was such a treat! We've both been exceptionally busy these past few months so the chance to relax and unwind was most welcome. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't all that cooperative - mostly cold winds and overcast skies - but still there's something about the open expanse of sky and sea that is good for one's soul. And, well, hot springs certainly help too... Despite several days of heavy clouds and light rain I did manage to take a few photographs. Here are some from our very last day. |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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