Discoveries from around the archipelago
How is it that, given my acknowledged love of Japanese gardens, I rarely seem to write many up on this blog? Let's change that, shall we? š Today starts the first of my Great Gardens series, and no better spot to begin with than the currently blooming Kawachi Fujien. For the past few years, several... Continue Reading →
The seaside city of Karatsu in northern Saga prefecture might not seem like the place to come on a tofu pilgrimage but if you love soy in all its incarnations, you shouldn't miss a meal at 200-year-old Kawashima Tofu. Chef Kawashima keeps baker's hours, in the kitchen by 3am every morning to start boiling and... Continue Reading →
Whew, what a month. Actually, it was a fairly quiet few weeks until I ended up with two trips back-to-back at the end of January. One trip was up to the mountaintop temple complex of Koyasan, which I'll be blogging about in greater detail in the next week or two. The other trip was to... Continue Reading →
Over the Christmas holiday this year, my family and I went to Tochigi prefecture to a ryokan that I have had my eye on for years. I chose it in part due to its snowy setting in winter and also due to its unique cooking style - the guests' dinner is prepared over anĀ irori, or... Continue Reading →
I'm not quite sure how we got to the end of the month already but here we are. Christmas is gone and the New Year is almost upon us. As the mother to a toddler, I clearly recall counting down all the days to Christmas on our advent calendar and yet IĀ still am not sure... Continue Reading →
Hmmm, I feel like today's photo is a bit of a cop out, as I admittedly shot in September of last year. In my defense, I just arrived home tonight from a two and a half week trip to the US, so I really didn't have a chance to take any pictures in Japan this... Continue Reading →
I was in Miyazaki City back in July and I have to say, from the brief time I spent in the city, there doesn't seem to be much there. Now before anybody gets up in arms and leaves me nasty comments, I'll be the first to admit that - aside from our pretty awesome castle... Continue Reading →
My family and IĀ spent this past Saturday on a day trip down to Takachiho. It's on the other side of Mt Aso from Kumamoto City, tucked into the northwest corner of Miyazaki Prefecture. My husband and I had been before, just the two of us, but this time we took our three-year-old along and discovered... Continue Reading →
Miyazaki prefecture (on the island of Kyushu) is known for its long coastline, so it's no surprise that the Udo Shrine sits squarely in the middle of that coastline, facing out to the waves. On a drive of the Kyushu coast, this makes for an excellent stop. The Udo Shrine (or Udo Jingu) is a... Continue Reading →
Kumamoto is a surprisingly big prefecture. I live in Kumamoto city, which is on the western coast of Kyushu and practically touches the Ariake Sea. A solid hour's drive to the east brings me to the Mt Aso region and the border of Kumamoto, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures somewhere in central Kyushu. A solid hour's... Continue Reading →
