After yesterday’s truly hideous day, we’ve slipped back into wonderfully gentle normality today, and already we have started to forget how we felt, this time yesterday. We were exhausted last night, and once again were in a dead sleep before 9pm, which was just what we needed, waking this morning just before 6, to find … More Day 27 – Back to wonderfully normal
We woke with the sunrise and sat watching the boats potter out of the port, as we had our first coffee of the day, and decided what to do. It was a calm morning, and we had wanted to take a short bike ride out along the coast, so planned that, followed by an onsen … More Day 26 – What a terrifying drive
Today was another early start, as I think everyone up on the camp ground at the Shikoku Karst was up early, hoping to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a ray of sunshine in sight, but we found ourselves on an island above a sea of cloud that filled the valleys to the north. It … More Day 25 – A ‘Gorge-ous’ Day
We were a bit tired last night, after our bike ride out along the Shimanami Kaido Cycle Route, and were asleep by 9pm. It turned out to be a good move, as we were already awake and watching the sky turn orange with the sunrise, when the Westminster Chimes pealed out of the village loudspeakers. … More Day 24 – Up to the Highlands
When we woke to the sound of rain during the night, we had a feeling that today may not be as nice as we had hoped, for our planned pedal over the bridges and islands of the Shimanami Kaido Cycle Route. But, when we woke with the sunrise at just before 6, the sky had … More Day 23 – Cycling the Shimanami Kaido Cycle Route
We’re so pleased that we stayed the extra night at the parking on Mount Shiube. After watching the boats disappear into the night, and the lights starting to twinkle on the horizon, we went to bed listening to the sound of the insect chatter, which sent us straight off to sleep, a little before 9pm. … More Day 22 – Samurai Armour is amazing
Yesterday’s walk to the Takaya Shrine left us a bit weary last night, but we had a little wander around the Observation Deck to one side of the parking, before settling into our chairs and just watching the boats make their way through the bay, below us. There is something rather wonderful about an ever-changing … More Day 21 – Wow, what a view to wake up to.
We have been excited about visiting Shikoku, since we first started planning this trip, almost 12 months ago. It’s the smallest of Japan’s main islands, and is incredibly mountainous, but has so much beauty to explore. It’s also well and truly off the well-beaten path. It’s taken us almost 3 weeks, to wingle our way … More Day 20 – Shikoku and an incredible hike
Our little parking spot, at the entrance to Kanba Falls worked really well last night, and we had a peaceful night’s sleep, with the mountain stream running behind us. We even managed to find the holy grail of vanlife in Japan – a rubbish bin! We woke this morning, and had breakfast, before walking up … More Day 19 – Visiting the Cat Lord
We woke this morning to the sound of a calmer sea. The waves that had been thumping against the sea-wall just in front of the van, yesterday evening had settled down, and it was now a gentle lapping sound. The weather forecast was good, so a bike ride beckoned. We spent breakfast watching the fishermen … More Day 17 – the sea here is so warm.
Vaucluse Dreamer 