Wandering Fractal

The path we took and the place we visited. It's more than 1'800 km of train and boat. in 3 weeks Fortunately we had the Japan Rail Pass which made the trip affordable. After 5 weeks in Japan it's time to say goodbye. I left just at the start of the cherry blossoms period. The plum trees started to lose their flowers and let the cherry trees steal the show. Next stop: New Zealand. Plum blossoms. Cherry blossoms.

Kyushu is the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. We went down to Kagoshima. A city around a bay with an active volcano at its center. From there, we took a ferry to the island of Yakushima. We spent a few days hiking and soaking in natural hot springs. The best onsen of those three weeks was, without a doubt, the Hirauchi undersea hot spring. It's a group of pools that are under the sea during high tide. At low tide the pools fills up with spring water bursting from the rocks. If you're shy don't go there, cause it's unisex and you can't wear a swimsuit, just like the bath used to be in good old times. Dolphin from the Kagoshima aquarium. Three times a day they let them play in a closed part of the sea around the aquarium. Thus we could see them for free. Trail close to the summit of the Miyanoura dake. It's the highest peak of Yakushima and the whole Kyushu region (1936m). Yakushima is famous for it's forest covered in moss....

The Torri seen from the mountains. Miyajima is an island in the bay of Hiroshima. It has the famous Torii (sacred gate) in the sea. We spent a night on the island in a traditional house. During the day, there's a lot of tourist, but at night it's a completely different atmosphere. The village is desert of people and only the deer are roaming the streets. So if you want to go there, I would highly recommend to stay a night on the island. One of the many deer living on the island. At low tide, you can walk to the Torii. The sea floor is covered by coins of 1 Yen that people stuck in the cracks of the Torii. Yes, I like moss.

Kinkakuji in Kyoto. Kansai is a region in central Japan with many places to visit. We stayed a few days in Kyoto. It was the capital for a thousand years. It's name, 京都, means literally "Capital City". The current capital Tokyo 東京 means "Eastern Capital". From Kyoto we made day trips to Osaka (2nd largest city) and Nara (capital before moving to Kyoto). Bamboo forest in Kyoto. Deer in front of Todai-ji in Nara. Tenryuji in Kyoto.

Kegon waterfall near Nikko. After the thrill of the big city, we moved to the quiet mountains. We went north of Tokyo to the small village of Nikko. There we enjoyed walks in the snowy forest and hot bathes in Onsen. Walk in the snowy forest near Nikko. After Nikko we went to the west coast with a one day stop in Matsumoto to visit the castle. On the coast, we stayed in the city of Kanazawa. There lies one of the most beautiful garden of Japan, the Kenroku-en. It was still half covered in snow, but it didn't lose of its magnificence. Kenroku-en in Kanazawa. From Kanazawa, we made a one day trip to the Shirakawa-go village. There the villager perpetuates the tradition of thatched houses famous in the region. Traditional thatched house in Shirakawa-go. Shirakawa-go. Trout living in the canals of the Shirakawa-go village. Roughly the path we took from Tokyo.

Yoyogi park seen from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Capital of Japan and most populous city with its 13.6 millions inhabitants (38 millions if you count the metropolitan area). It's there that I met up with my 3 friends. Together we spent the next 3 weeks touring the country. I arrived in Tokyo the 22 February 2018 with the Shinkansen (high speed train) from Fukuoka. It took 6 hours and 30 minutes to cover the ~1000 km with one train change in Shin-Osaka. Of course when I got out in the Tokyo station I got lost, but who wouldn't in this maze where local, high-speed, subway and airport special trains are crisscrossing. Trains and subway of Tokyo. The next day I went to pick up JB from the Narita international airport. The day after we went together to pick up Chloé and Yanouk, but their plane had to go back to Zürich after 3 hours of flight. A passenger had to be transported to a hospital. They had to take a plane the next day. So ...

We went to a Ryokan (traditional japanese inn) in the mountains. The inn is in a village with volcanic water bursting from the ground. Each Ryokan has its own bathes filled with burning hot water. Nothing beats a good bath in the chill of winter will admiring the mountains and river. In the evening we could go stroll the village and see the lanterns above the river. After that we could enjoy a traditional japanese meal. The first goal of this trip to the mountains was to move the bones of my family (aunt, grandparents and great-grandparents). They where kept in vases stored in the neighborhood's ossuary. They are now buried in a cemetery in the mountain. Kurokawa river. A traditional japanese meal served in a Ryokan. Yukata weared inside the Ryokan. The mountains in Aso.

First stop in south Japan, Koga ( 古賀市 ). Koga is a city near Fukuoka on the Kyushu island. Before enjoying my vacation, I need to help my mother clean the old family house. The place is full of stuff accumulated throughout the years by my aunt. It's a lot of work but it's also nostalgic to see old memories from my childhood summer vacations. It's still winter in south Japan with temperatures between 0 and 15 degrees Celsius. It was even snowing ! Since most of the houses and apartments in Japan have poor insulation it can be as cold inside as outside (sometimes even colder inside). To stay warm, we all gather in the living room where we have a heather. But spring is coming ! The first cherry blossoms are already blooming. First cherry blossom. Miyajidake shrine (宮地嶽神社 )