^{My New Year’s resolution in 2025: keep travelling, keep photographing, keep seeking, keep going! And I achieved that – two trips to Japan during 2025 – May and November. I have been to many places around the world, and in late life, Japan is a country I’ve come to enjoy very much. Our tenth journey there is planned for later this year, and a trip to the Australian island state of Tasmania early next year.}

^{I turned 74 this month (2026). How did that happen? One minute I was a slim young 18 year old, full of zest for life, embarking on my dream career as a cadet News reporter and saving for my first big travel adventure abroad. It was all ahead of me – realising dreams to explore the world, meeting wonderful people en route, a like minded life partner, blessed to become a mum – and quite late in life, even a Nanna (grandmother).}

^{In a blink of an eye, most of that journey is done. I’m an elderly, overweight retiree with a seriously bung knee. Not quite so zesty anymore. The knee was replaced three years ago. It didn’t go well. So I had further surgery to improve it three months ago. Currently, I am in rehabilitation mode, aiming at pain free mobility to continue my travels! It’s a long recovery road that will take me through this Australian winter.}

^{Meanwhile, many of my friends are downsizing – some already moving into retirement homes. Some sadly passed. It would be easy to put the best years behind me, and drift into a more sedate twilight life. Maybe not so easy for me. I am a sports dud, so bowls, senior’s tennis and croquet are not for me. Card games drive me nuts. I’m hopeless at sewing, knitting and all those crafty things.}

^{So, MJ and I are ramping up our travelling while we are able. We travelled to Japan four times in the past two years, mostly exploring regional areas outside of the major cities – a big effort that enriched our lives with encounters with interesting people and places.}

^{I’m resolved to hang on to my zest for life for as long as possible, moving forward the only way I know how. I used to love climbing mountains. Past that now. Though old age is a mountain in itself. And I am still on the uphill slope! Slower in my old age, but with planning and thinking outside the box, I can still explore new places, revisit favourites, meet new people, gather with old friends and enjoy fresh experiences.}

^{Now, as my knee recovers, I’ve deep into intensive research planning our next adventure in Japan. It will be mainly a journey of revisits to favourite places where we want to explore more – along with fresh discovery in Fukui, a prefecture new to us. My camera, of course, will on hand. What do they say: camera, light, action – forward ho.}

^{These are some of the people I met on recent journeys. They inspire me to ‘keep moving on’.}

^{We met her in an elevator, and she insisted on taking us to a nearby art gallery where she had exhibited her work a fortnight earlier. Age definitely did not slow this little lady down.}

^{We met him in the small shop he runs in Hida Furukawa, Gifu. Still working, still loving life. Still embracing each new person he meets.}

^{I met her as I was struggling up a mountain to reach a temple in Omihachiman, a canal town about 40 minutes train ride from Kyoto. She encouraged me to keep going, and gave me a victory smile when we met again on my descent!}

^{I can never forget the smiling boatmen of Geibi Gorge in Iwate Prefecture. They are loving life!}

^{Another Geibikei encounter – a fabulous chef who has returned from Tokyo to his home town to run an inn and deliver amazing meals for his customers. We stayed at the Inn, and he presented a delicious Happy Birthday desert for me.}

^{We had breakfast at his wonderful coffee shop twice in Morioka. Some reviewer on the Internet said he was a grumpy old bloke who didn’t like his photo taken. Not so. Lovely bloke, and he happily posed for my camera. I’m going back there this Japanese autumn and plan to give him a copy of this photo.}

^{She noticed me passing and admiring her garden – so she invited me in. No english. But she smiled and urged me to check the magnificent back garden too. So kind, so generous!}

^{“I’m handsome, aren’t I”, he joked as he posed for my camera.}

^{I love this photo. MJ and a local fisher – neither spoke each other’s language, yet they had quite a conversation about their mutual love of sighing (using a translator app).}

^{We met this young bloke in Nachikatsuura in November 2025}

^{I met her in the Onuma Quasi National Park – an elderly widow from nearby Hakodate who loved to fish. We had a lovely chat because fortunately she spoke some english.}

^{We got out of bed at an ungodly hour to visit the Morioka Mikoda morning market in Iwate. It opens at 5am! Closed by 7am! This lovely lady was one of the stall holders. We will return to Morioka this year – will I get out of bed early for the markets again?}

^{We met him at a railway station on Shikoku Island. He was retired, and was heading off on a long distance walking pilgrimage. He’d already covered about a thousand kilometres on pilgrimages during his working life, fitted in segments on his holidays. He spoke english very well, and asked for a chat while waiting for our trains.}

^{In her eighties, and still serving breakfast at her cafe in Kurushiki. Delightful lady.}

^{A retired businessman and passionate rugby follower – he is now a volunteer guide in Kurushiki – and how lucky we were to have him show us around!}

^{We met her at the Morioka craft village. Her work was excellent, with Korean influences. I bought coffee mug.}

^{Walking through Matsumoto (Nagano prefecture) I turned a corner into a square and found a bustling market full of local foods and goods – and this wonderful musican, singing some very cool jazz tunes. An unexpected pleasure! We will return to Matsumoto this year – a treasure chest of wonderful food and experiences.}

^{He spent so much time explaining his craft to us, and we failed to buy anything. His work was exquisite. Sadly, no room for a heavy iron kettle in my suitcase. Is that why he’s looking a little sad?}

^{We climbed up a very high hill in search of a coffee shop on Ogijima Island off Shikoku, and found this delightful man. He serves basic tea and coffee and a few other small treats from his place. It’s simple, but provides an amazing view of the harbour and Seto Inland sea. He moved to the island from Osaka to find a more peaceful life, and is now known as the cat man, taking care of about 70 stray cats on Ogijima.}

^{The lady below approached us in Morioka, Iwate, and gave us some lovely sweets. She didn’t have much english, and perhaps was surprised to see a couple of old westerners wandering around the back streets of her town.}

^{I could fill this whole blog with photos of some of the wonderful people we have met over the years. People like this community group we met in a shopping arcade in Ishinomaki – a city still struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011. We met the group above in a small shopping arcade, and they embraced us warmly. Little english, but with the help of google translate, we had quite a conversation! It’s people like this that make our journeys so much more than a postcard travel experience.}

^{We plan to return to explore more of Ishinomaki this year because they need tourist dollars to strengthen their economy. And because our short stay there was unforgettable because of the people we met there.}