A SAMURAI FAMILY – KISO FUKUSHIMA
When I returned to Kiso Fukushima in Japan’s Kiso Valley last November, I did not expect to meet a direct descendent of one of the town’s most prominent Samurai families. It happened by accident after we sought out the original Samurai checkpoint station in the town, now restored as a museum.
MATSUMOTO! AGAIN ONCE MORE!
Matsumoto, to me, is a little like a treasure chest. Keep digging through it and you will continue to discover gems!
Returning to Japan – 2026 update
I know what it’s like to stay in a five star hotel and to be kindly invited to tea in the courtyard of a mud brick two room home with dirt floors that housed two families – the mud brick hospitality was memorable – the five star not so much.
SHINJO – VILLAGE TREAT
Shinjō is a small remote village amongst the mountains in the north east of Okayama Prefecture. It only has just over 800 people living there. There’s no whizz bang tourist stuff – no neon lights – no amusement parks – no animae or manga centre. Not even a railway station. Just a simple village with…
Sekigahara – the most famous Samurai battle
I have stood in the heart of a battle – surrounded by Samurai warriors – guns blazing, arrows flying, bloodied swords clashing – foot soldiers clashing, deadly sharpened spears flying from horses thundering through. The battle at Sekigahara in Honshu’s Gifu prefecture is Japan’s most famous in Samurai history.
SAMURAI ARMOUR – A SMALL MUSEUM
The privately run Samurai armoury museum can be found in the small town of Sekigahara on Japan’s famous Nakasendo trail linking Edo (Tokyo) with Kyoto in Samurai times. It was here on October 21, 1600 that the Battle of Sekigahara was desperately fought – the most significant and most bloody samurai field battle in Japanese…
TOKYO – WATER CITY
I highly recommend a Tokyo cruise – and if you are looking for a small boat cruise, then definitely book Riverboat Mizuha. It offers a varied cruise programme, including shared boat cruises like the one I took. The company also offers whole boat private sailings for groups of up to 12 people.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM AUSTRALIA
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO MY READERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IT IS VERY HOT HERE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. WE ARE IN MID SUMMER – WHICH MEANT XMAS DINNER UNDER SHADE OUTDOORS BY THE POOL TODAY! FOLLOWED BY A COOLING SWIM!
Autumn 2025 – Japan
Each time I go to Japan, I think that I can’t possibly better the previous trip. We’ve had some amazing holidays there over the last twenty plus years. But a concerted effort with research and a determination to find more hidden treasures in Japan continues to pay off. This trip was a success.
Slip Sliding away in Japan
A new Japanese adventure is underway – and with it my usual challenging of coping with Japanese indoor slippers.
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Travelling Therese 