This year, we went down to the local park for our community Bon Odori event.
This family friendly event entails dancing around a raised platform where drummers beat out the tune. Traditionally people don yukata (summer kimono) for the dances but it seems in modern times adults leave this to the children. My guess is it is too hot to get dressed up as even the slow pace of the dance steps works up a good sweat.

It was hard to get a good picture of the dancers in the low-light conditions, ending up a blurry mess, though I spent some time trying. I had my suspicions that some of the more enthusiastic in the crowd maybe followed the dancing around different communities. Judging by their impeccable, exaggerated dancing style they had had a lot of practice.

A really nice touch to the locally organised and run evening is the towel and fan given out to everyone who joins in for a dance. As the only foreigners present we were quickly picked out, presented with towel and fan, and ushered up to dance.  The dance steps are essentially walking around in a circle in repetitive movements but are strangely difficult to remember.

They even have a quaint half-time drinks break where juice, soda and beer are distributed. All of this for free.

The drummers all take their role very seriously but there is something about beating the bejeezuz outta a drum that makes even the stoic Japanese crack a smile in their work.

When your neon sign breaks just add fairy lights, good as new....

 This year I have decided to take advantage of the green-house like conditions that characterize western-japanese spring and summer to cultivate my own Japanese garden.

Though still very much in its infancy the herbs are going crazy already and the tomato plants have quadrupled in size in only a few weeks.... we have even had our first salad picked fresh from right outside our door....

A certain someone is also very proud of himself in having constructed an authentically Japanese bamboo fence to protect/decorate the garden as it grows...and I have to give him credit it does look very nice.....

Just hoping that as the weather heats up and bugs start taking over the place that I can both keep up with the watering and fight off all the hungry things that want to munch my tasty plants before I get a chance to....

Spring this year arrived much faster than it did last year and as such we were treated to pretty much perfect conditions for Hanami....

The blossoms were out together this year, creating a much more interesting display. I hadn't realised just how many different types of blossom there are....

The main street in Itsukaichi is named Coin-dori because it is home to the Hiroshima Mint (where I am told they make all the 1 yen coins for Hiroshima Prefecture/all of Japan?? I forget which) for some reason they have planted a veritable oasis of cherry blossom trees of all different kinds and colours...of course because this is in the grounds of the Mint (incidentally surrounded by a concrete moat) you cant just wander in there and admire the blossoms...oh no....there is highly regulated 3-day period when the blossoms are deemed to be at their best and co-inciding with a weekend that you can walk through the maze of concrete paths and built up cherry tree beds to piped tinny sounding faux-traditional music...

Despite all this I actually quite enjoyed the modern-Japan experience. It reminded me of the very strange culture this country really has. That it is able to mix its traditional respect and admiration for nature in so seemlessly with this regimented, musically enhanced sideshow...the only thing missing was having to buy a ticket to enter!!

On a grey, non-descript day we decided to explore the tourist walks in and around the city....by that I mean the one walk that goes up a hill behind Hiroshima train station to the Peace Pagoda...

What was purported to be a well sign-posted trail was in fact not sign-posted at all...but given the location perched on top of a hill it was fairly visible from below, so after a few dead-end streets and an awkward conversation with a lady walking her dog we managed to stumble upon the dirt trail behind the temple parking lot....

Once at the top we were somewhat non-plussed by the bizzare pagoda of peace...  it is a weird silver buddhist dome thingee that was impossible to get a decent picture of given the grey on grey conditions, but maybe on a blue sky day it would have made more of an impression...

Taking in the cityscape was probably the most memorable part of the day, as not only did you get a feeling for just how sprawling the city really is, you can also admire just how ugly it is....Japanese cities, like so many other things in this country, take no regard for aesthetics in urban planning or building design.... It was nice to go for a walk however......

The changing of the autumn leaves is possibly more anticipated than cherry blossom season...

We were both a little early and a little late to see the height of the spectacle however both my visits to Miyotaki Temple (of course famous for its autumn display) were very peaceful. The temple gardens wind their way up the side of a mountain, shaded entirely with Japanese maples that give the place a red glow as the sun shines through.

In my opinion this is by far my most 'Japanese' experience to date as it is has managed to retain the old style culture, complete with real monks sweeping the paths and ramshackle tea-room. It is nice to finally see somewhere that has resisted the modernization that has so ruined many other places.

The Hiroshima Toyo Carp team is a much supported but fairly dismally performing local baseball team. We went to see them play one ot the last games of the season against the Hanshin Tigers from Osaka.

It was predictably a pretty poor showing by the home team against the third on the table Tigers, but it was interesting to see the differences between western sports supporters and the Japanese.

Firstly it is refreshing to see the variety and general healthyness of sporting snacks; soup, yakitori, noodles, obento and of course popcorn and overpriced hotdogs but not only this the japanese are, as ever, super respectful and (for the most part) clean up their trash rather than leaving it wherever they happen to be....suprisingly you were also allowed to bring your own alcohol into the stadium, though you did have to empty it from the can or bottle into paper cups, I guess there just isnt the same problem with drunkenness here. It was a very family oriented event, which though it took place on a saturday night, seemed very like a sunday afternoon picnic atmosphere instead!

Also they are unwavering supporters of their team...as you can see the game was a complete whitewash but the stadium was still pretty full (the next final two games are sold out) and the fans wearing their favourite players shirt still chanted the same repetitive encouraging cheer throughout. They were also so very polite about it taking it in turns with only the batting teams fans chanting and everyone else staying strangely silent. I also thought it was interesting that they have special 'performance seats' in seperate raised sections for each team specifically for those fans that want to be especially involved and noisy...this wasnt messy like you would think, though a lot of them were drunk, it was highly organized with band music and flag waving in time...amazing is the only word....

After the game instead of hurling abuse they were excited to see them as they drove away on the team bus, crowding around to catch a glimpse of the sporting celebrities...now anywhere else there would be a lot being said about how crap they were but not here, saying anything bad about anyone or anything is to be avoided at all costs...

I do feel bad for the Hiroshima supporters though as the team has a low salary cap and very little money to spend on players so any half-decent young player they might nurture inevitably gets stolen by teams with more money to throw about...but again this just speaks to the nature of the Japanese and their sense of pride...its kinda endearing in a way...

 Autumn is a time for outdoor activities in Japan as it is you are finally able to walk around without sweating profusely. In the last few weeks I have climbed two mountains on two different islands in the Hiroshima Harbour.

1. Mount Misen on Miyajima.
The summit is 500 meters above sea level, which didnt look so high from the ferry over, so we stupidly took the shortest/steepest Momijidani course. This basically equates to never-ending roughly cut/made and awkwardly sized stone/concrete/dirt steps from bottom to top... the next day I was definitely regretting the stairmaster-style workout!...It was however quite a nice trek through the forest the entire way, nice and cool with the occasional free roaming deer wandering past going about its business....I was kinda disappointed we didnt see any wild monkeys along the way, that was pretty much the main reason I wanted to go....well after I found out about them, that is.....the view from the top was impressive though gotta say it didnt blow me away. You can however get a sense of appreciation for the new Japanese plan to take over the world.... (see picture one)

2. Mount Aki-no-kofuji on Ninoshima.
The summit of this mountain, dubbed 'small mount fuji' and also 'rice-ball mountain' because of its triangular shape when seen from the city, is 278 meters above sea level. Far less touristy than Miyajima the trail begins through an overgrown bamboo grove and progresses to winding through overgrown bush to scrambling up gritty slopes carved into mini ravines by the rain runoff...The view from the top was more impressive for me as it felt more outdoorsy even though the cityscape still looms large...you can see the workings of the harbour more from Ninoshima as the many oysters the more well known Miyajima is famous for, are grown around it and the neighbouring smaller islands...(you might be able to make them out in the second picture)....Even though the island is only a short ferry trip from the city it has a real-world feel that Hiroshima lacks..the city is all about the future, progress and erasing the past (unless you can make money from it) but Ninoshima has been largely forgotten and stands almost still in time. During the war the island was used as a quarantine station and also the bodies of many bomb victims were buried there...the old time feeling remains as most of the residents are significantly older, think 80+, and the houses are still mostly old style, slightly rundown patched together but authentic Japanese houses..I really liked it, it was a much needed taste of authentic Japan not the bustling overwhelming assault of fakeness that you become desensitized by in the city...

'Toro nagashi' or floating lantern ceremony is held every year in the Peace Memorial Park to send off the spirits of those who died during the atomic bombing.

People write messages of hope and peace on the paper lanterns and float them down the river to the sea. We sent a blue one down.

Being Japanese of course the lanterns can't actually be left to float to the sea as this would be very untidy, so a few hours later an army of boats collect them all up. But its a nice idea anyway....

Cherry Blossom season in Japan means that for a month or so you can not go anywhere without somebody commenting on how nice the blossoms are..it is very infectious and I caught myself a few times looking for the tree most in bloom...

During Hanami it is traditional to picnic under the blossom trees and there are many places that are specifically planted for this purpose, like along the river banks and in the parks...

of course the stereotypically conservative Japanese dont just have a nice quiet picnic they get rolling drunk on sake in public places in the middle of the day....another of the bizarre contradictions that exist within Japanese culture....

The Botanic Gardens also has night viewing, lighting the trees from underneath... similarly this appreciation of nature is contrasted with covering the rest of the gardens in garish christmas-style fairy lights....very very strange....

Congratulations Tom and Yuko....

A traditional japanese wedding has a lot of things that I think are better than western weddings like the ring relay; where everyone can get a good up close look at the wedding rings, especially the aunties, and the million course meal; gold bits in the soup I mean come on, that might give you some idea of how nice it was, I particularly enjoyed the *many* accompanying bottles of Rothschild merlot mmmmmMM....

I think Tom enjoyed breaking open the sake the most...aside from the fact it was his wedding day he not only got to dress up and play with a sword but he got to smash stuff with a giant hammer too!

The island is just a few minutes drive from where we are living. The floating Torii Gate is the entrance to the shrine. We were there at low tide so could walk around in front of the shrine. Deer are considered to be the messengers of God in the Shinto religion so they wander freely all over the island. Unfortunately for me when one started chewing on my bag!

I had to carefully frame this shot as, interestingly though classified as one of the Three Views of Japan, somebody has allowed a massive hotel or apartment building to go up across the other side of the harbour, a massive oversight?? or it seems just typical of Japan and their oblivion to visual pollution??

It is impossible to think of Hiroshima and not also think of the atomic bomb....Genbaku Dome has been left standing as a reminder of the effects of the bomb, it is almost exactly underneath the epicentre of the explosion, there is also a stone statue across the road that bears the shadow of the radiation blast, it gives you pause to consider....the memorial museum also gives a fairly soul destroying description of events, not a very happy tourist experience....

The Snow Festival was freezing....but the big ice carvings were very impressive, the amount of detail alone is impressive but each one was created in less than a day...this one was my favourite a peacock that glowed different colours as the lights in the buiding signs behind it changed...an unexpected effect im pretty sure...

I dont think I would go back again but definitely worth the visit and its always nice to get off the mountain for a dose of junk food and retail therapy....

So most of the time I was just to busy skiing to take photos but...
it really was a pretty breathtaking place and I dont just mean the snow.....

Mt Yohtei is said to be even more beautiful than the famous Fuji and I believe it...this is the view back down the skihill with Grand Hirafu (where we lived) just peeking out and to the left is the big town of Kutchan...you really are in the sticks out here but its worth it...

and you might also notice that night skiing means you got the place to yourself, which was nice....

Division One, Pontefract and Districts
Hooton Pagnell vs Featherston Town

Craig is bowling and yes the heavens did eventually open!

Joyeux Noël from La Tania, Courchevel Valley, Trois Vallees, France...


This is the view down into the centre of the village from next to our apartment, what you see is pretty much it, its a fairly small place, you can just see the gondola up to the slopes at the far end.....and there is a big mountain on the skyline I promise but the weather is a little bit snowy for christmas and Im not complaining....

Two weeks in Egypt, 30 degrees every day made bearable by a blessed light breeze...
Spent most of the time working on my tan beachside, snorkling off the pier *Red Sea coral reef is just like floating in a massive tropical fish tank* , playing beach volleyball and generally eating and drinking too much...
There was of course the obligatory trip into the desert and camel riding too...
Attempted shopping at the local stores down the road, constant hassling from store owners a bit much and am not very good at the bartering, my attention span is far too short but all in all a great dose of sunshine before another winter in the snow...