Hello everyone , I hope this finds all well in your part of the world.
We arrived home late last week after a wonderful trip to Japan. I had the best of intentions of posting earlier but things have been rather busy since my return home with appointments , catching up with friends , trying to bring my overgrown garden under control (still a work in progress) as well as a couple of Christmas functions.
I am in the process of organising my hundreds of photos taken in Japan so this post is really just a quick overview of the first part of the trip.
This shot was taken in Hakodate , a fascinating city on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Being so much further north it was quite cool and the day we left there was snow on the surrounding peaks.
I was pleased with my packing and travelled with one very small suitcase, a larger shoulder bag and the bronze bag. We travelled throughout Japan using their excellent railways and I was determined to manage my own luggage and knew from our last trip that many of the stations are huge and often with stairs to carry your luggage up and down. We travelled mostly by Shinkansen (the bullet trains) which are so efficient always on time , so fast and also extremely clean and comfortable.
I packed a mix of old favourite Moyuru pieces , two skirts and two pairs of pants , Rundholz pants , black knits , a black poncho , wool jacket , mesh Rundholz jacket and a couple of mesh tops. I kept my accessories simple , two pairs of earrings , one pair of sunnies, a wool hat , a wool beret , gloves and only one pair of shoes ( the bronze Fly London lace ups I bought last year in Lisbon.)
This rather spectacular display of chrysanthemums was at a Sendai , the largest city in the Tohoku Region , where we spent three enjoyable days exploring the city’s delights.
I couldn’t resist taking a photo of these two little girls in their traditional dress at the same temple. We didn’t know at the time but the girls were dressed for Shichi-Go-San ( which translates as seven-five-three) which is a traditional rite of passage and festival day for three and seven year old girls and five year old and sometimes three year old boys. It is held annually and celebrates the growth and well being of young children. It is also an occasion to hire a professional photographer to mark this special time.
To be honest I am no longer sure where this was but I loved this very cute character on the roadworks , it could only make you smile.
At the entrance to Osaki Hachiman Shrine lined with colourful lanterns. It was quite a mild day so I donned lighter Moyuru pants ,a black and white top and short sleeved Moyuru jacket.
Autumn this year in Japan has been warmer than usual which meant that the Autumn colours arrived somewhat later but we did see magnificent colours toward the end of our trip.
The Zenkoji Temple in Nagano is one of the most important and popular temples in Japan. It was founded in the 7th. century and stores the first Buddhist statue ever to be bought into Japan when Buddhism was first introduced in the 6th. century .
Zenkoji’s main hall contains various Buddhist statues , it also has an underground passage , named O-Kaidan Meguri. You walk through the passage in complete darkness and keep touching the wall with your right hand in search of a special metal bar . If you touch the metal bar this equals the key to the paradise . The metal bar is a part of the door lock Jomae towards the paradise Pure Land and is just below the holy image “Go-Honzon”. Did I touch it , to be honest I have no idea as my claustrophobia was in overdrive and all I wanted was to get out of there.
I will finish off this post with a few random shots from around Zenjoki.
I was most taken with this one with the babies and children.
Just to prove that John really was with me .
On another note I am sure I may have come home fitter than when I left home as we walked and walked, clocking up more than 30,000 steps on many days.
To be continued .
Joining Gail at Is This Mutton for Wow on Wednesday.
Japan seems like such an interesting place to visit. My sister in law is half Japanese so she has gone a few times with her parents, but I am not sure if she has taken her own family there. My other sister in law actually lived there for 2 years after college.
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Japan is a very interesting and beautiful country . Interesting that both your sisters in law have Japan connections.
Oh, Jill! These photos are just breathtaking! I doubt I shall ever make it to Japan (but never say never) so I’m glad you’re being so generous with sharing. I’m really impressed by how lightly you packed. I am a terrible overpacker! I have to get better! I love the photo of those two little girls…how sweet and beautiful!
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Thank you so very much Marsha , Japan is an interesting and beautiful country. The little girls were just adorable. I knew I had to pack lightly to make travel much easier.
The underground passage sounds a bit spooky, even if you don’t have claustrophobia! Lovely pics Jill, I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. You made wise choices with your wardrobe, looks like you had both warm and cold weather covered, while still looking dramatic and stylish. I am coming round to the idea of smaller cases. A large one is pretty impossible these days on our overcrowded trains.
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I do hope you make it to Japan Gail , it is a fascinating country and you would love the gardens. I was pleased with my packing even though I was over my outfits by the end of the trip.
Welcome home, Jill! Your photos are wonderful, I adore the back view of those traditionally dressed women. xxx
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Thanks so much Vix , it was a great trip. The back detail of the traditional obis is simply beautiful.
What a fabulous trip you had – beautiful photographs. And I very much admire your capsule wardrobe packed into a small suitcase. I once packed just a very small cabin bag for a 7-day river cruise. Dont’know that I could do that now!
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Thank you so much Penny , it was a wonderful returning to Japan. I was pleased with my packing even though I did tire of the same outfits by the end but knew light was the only way to go.
Sounds like you had a most wonderful trip, Jill. I can’t wait to see and read more about it.
And it seems that you’ve got holiday packing down to perfection! xxx
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Thank you so very much Ann . Yes it was a wonderful trip which we both thoroughly enjoyed. I am not always good at packing but this time minimal was a necessity.
Beautiful photos, Jill, so pleased you and John had a wonderful time.
There is much to be said for packing light to make travel easy, amazing how many combinations
you can make with just a few clothes and your choice was excellent.
Love,
Elizabeth.
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Thank you so very much Elizabeth , so pleased we went back to Japan in Autumn.The light packing did most certainly make our train travel so much easier.