Okayama and Hiroshima

Miyajima, Hiroshima prefecture. A really beautiful place with

some nice hiking trails once you get away from the crowds.

Hiroshima yaki. The Hiroshima form of Okonomiyaki,

a Japanese pancake. Possible ingredients are limitless.

Wandering down another in a series of random alleys in Kurashiki, Okayama.

Akiko looks bemused by my insistence on always taking the path less traveled.

Kurashiki, Okayama

Okayama prefecture. We went down to Okayama and Hiroshima for Golden Week in May. Our first stop was Okayama city where we rented bikes and rode through the countryside to Kurashiki. It was kind of idyllic and quiet and the weather was great as well. It's hard to get away from the crowds during Golden Week in Japan but we succeeded at least for a few hours.

Summer 2010

Typhoon swell at Takoba; the surf spot closest to home. It often

looks surfable but is almost always bigger and heavier than it looks.

Getting ready to take my new sea kayak out on the lake for the first time

Sumo in Nagoya. There are six events a year and I always go to the one in Nagoya in July. This is the "Dohyo iri" when the top ranked wrestlers parade into the ring before the bouts of the day begin. It's always exciting but this year was a bit of a downer because two big names, Asashoryu and Kotomitsuki, have recently been kicked out of sumo due to scandals.

About to take my new kayak out for a spin in the lake. I bought it used from a friend

who has returned home. It's great to be on the water in the heat of midsummer!

Here's me pumping it up (with the foot pump I'm standing on.)

Arai fireworks festival. It seems that every neighborhood, village, town, city etc. has a fireworks festival sometime in summer. This is the one in Arai, Akiko's hometown just a few miles west of Hamamatsu. It's relatively low-key and less crowded than most of the others so we enjoy going every year. It may be hard to believe but those fire spewing tubes are each being held by one person. The fireworks explode out of the tubes spraying sparks and sometimes fire everywhere. Every year I go I'm amazed that no one ever seems to get seriously injured.

Hamamatsu countryside

千枚田　Senmaida　

A terraced rice field in the mountains near Hamamatsu.

Unfortunately, it's March now and the fields are fallow and look more like

a pile of rocks. It must look beautiful in September just before harvest.

Me in front of the rice fields and my car with two

bikes precariously resting on the bike rack.

Akiko enjoying our ride out in the countryside. It was sunny but very cold!

We happened upon this great treehouse in the middle of nowhere.

A village called Shitara in a scenic and remote valley about

two hours drive directly north into the mountains from Hamamatsu.

On the way back from our bike ride we stopped at Yuya Onsen

(hot spring) for a well-deserved bath. You wash yourself sitting

on a stool at the right and then relax in the bath. There are often

both indoor and outdoor baths and it's nice to switch back and forth.

I happened to have this bath to myself (there's a separate bath for

women although sometimes there are mixed-baths) and was able to take this photo.

A typical room in a Japanese inn. To save space the

futons stay in the closet and come out when it's time for bed.

Around Hamamatsu

Hida-Furukawa

This is a pretty little town in Nagano prefecture about

200 miles directly north of where I live in Hamamatsu.

Lake Hamanako, Hamamatsu. Although this photo shows just a

sliver it's actually the third largest lake in Japan; it has an estuary

connecting it to the ocean and is a mixture of salt and fresh water. We often go hiking

up there. There are usually great views out over the lake and all the way to

Hamamatsu city and the ocean.

An old-fashioned Japanese "Sento" or public bath

just around the corner from my house. 350 yen for a bath.

The door to the left is for men the right women. The

big character in red ”ゆ” (yu) means "hot water" and the smaller

characters below on the flag on the right ”女湯” (on na yu)

literally means "women's hot water." The men's sign is there

but obscured by the fluttering flag. The changing areas and baths

are separated and there is a small common area. These small

neighborhood sento are kind of a dying breed as of course everyone has

baths in their homes now. Another big dent in their business has come

from the huge "super sento" with all kinds of different baths, sauna rooms,

massage areas and restaurants attached. If you saw the great

Japanese movie "Departures" （おくりびと）you may remember there

were a few scenes at a public bath very much like this one.

Hamamatsu Castle. Not a very impressive castle but in a

good location surrounded by a very a nice park.

Udon Thani, Thailand

Udon Thani, Thailand. With the Thai Habitat staff who

had just performed a traditional Thai dance for us.

At work on the building site. We were responsible

for building the walls, the floor and the septic tank.

Nongkai, Thailand. On the banks of the Mekong River. The other side of the river is Laos.

The girl next to me on the right, Yuka, collapsed from the heat just after this picture was taken.

Nongkai, Thailand

On the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge at the border

Feeding the elephants! Udon Thani, Thailand

Taking a well-deserved break from our work

Presenting the "sen bazuru," 1000 Japanese origami good luck

cranes to the new homeowner upon completion of the house

Bali February 2010

Ubud, Bali

Ubud, Bali

Ubud, Bali

Taking a break at a village temple on a mountain bike ride

Awkward self-portrait in front of some of the ubiquitous rice fields around Ubud

Sam, Chris and I having dinner. It was during a power cut

which explains the darkness in the background. Balian, Bali

Ayu Warung. Balian

Nyan Nyan. Bukit Pennisula Bali. Fun, semi-uncrowded spot. The long (and hot!) walk up and down the sheer cliff face helps keep the crowds away

Legian Beach. The beautiful sunsets never get old.

Kyushu December 2009

Nagasaki City. New Year's Eve 2009. Very, very cold. Snowed mostly all day long!

Akiko praying devoutly at a temple in Nagasaki's Chinatown

Unzen hot spring, Nagasaki. The bubbling hot water and steam will give you some explanation of the sign "Entrance to Hell"

Unzen, Nagasaki. This sign says "Entrance to Hell." It's nice of them to warn us before we enter.

Another city named after the current US president. They must really love him over here in Japan!

One of the two eruptions while we were on the island. Vaguely ominous but very cool to see!

On the car ferry to Sakurajima in Kagoshima City. An active volcano which was very cool to see. Rather than a dramatic massive eruption, it blows steam and ash 3 or 4 times a day. We took a leisurely drive around the island and found that many parts of it are permanently covered in a layer of ash.

On the way to Kyushu we took a side trip to Easter Island 10,000 kilometers out of the way in the south Pacific. Just kidding. This is a tourist attraction in Miyazaki prefecture. Kind of a tourist trap but the scenery is stunning. Reminds me a lot of the central California coast.

On the overnight ferry from Osaka to Miyazaki. We had second class beds in a room with 12 beds. It was very comfortable but unfortunately there were kids crying all night long maing it hard to get a good nights sleep.