Story Japan 31st March

 As I write, I am seeing snow directly out our train  window.

We are travelling to Takayama by train - the last leg of our travels today,  on a more rickerty train.  However, we are getting a readout, in real time, as to what is powering the train - either engine, battery or motor. A truly hybrid train. There is snow everywhere, now.  We are in very steep country .  I can't see the top of the mountains from here.  There are still plenty of trees.  It looks as though it's a metre deep.  There were racing rivers visible from the train which are a beautiful arctic mint colour.  Very exciting to see from the comfort of the train carriage. 

Meanwhile back to the story.  It was a very easy start to the day. A late breakast and we even had time for a walk to the local shrine. Interestingly, Lyle tells us the large gate structure is the important part- being Dutch Christian,  Japenese and Chinese  architectural elements. Just goes to show

Buddhist?  and Shinto? -  people can get along and respect each others' heritage. The temple gardens were a delight and included a pretty lake with stone and wooden bridges and cascades and obelisks. All of this right in the heart of town. 

We are underway again, bags packed and onto bueses and taxis, to the station.  There was even plenty of time for a coffee and a chat. Then it's JR Rail pass and onto the platform again. Three trains. number three, mentioned above was a bit of drama.  We had 13 minutes to change trains, sounds like a generous amount of time, but by the time we all got off the train, figured out whether we needed the JR pass and went up two floors, we were running/scurrying to this little train at the far end of the platform. It wasn't pretty. I lost a few tyre treads off my port - they went flying in all directions.

There was even some doubt at first whether we all, in fact, got on board.  Alas yes. We made it. I guess the drama made the scenery all the more enjoyable.

We arrived in Takayama,and checked into the hotel.  It is a great hotel.  Thanks, Lyle.

We settled in for half an hour and we were dispatched again under the care of the chivalrous  Sir Peter.  He led us around the old town and gave good directions for returning home.  Very characteristic, little old buildings with deep gutters directly in front and narrow streets.  These deep gutters meant that there was nowhere for me to lean to rest my weary legs.  So I gave up and went home, only to meet Lyle.

She persuaded me to turn around.  I'm glad because I  tried Sake for the first time. The brewery had tricky sampling arrangement -  for $1.00 you put into a machine you got a wee cup to keep and a sample of one sake. .  Then it was a $1.00 token for each subsequent sample.  My choice tasted like lighter fluid so I chucked it.  My second choice, delicious, was that Japanese citrus Uuzi.  Yum

I left early after that to sleep it off.  Don and I had dinner in an Isakaya "restaurant".  Though they told us it wasn't  a restaurant. Shoes off. We were shown into a little room just for us with our own table and a sliding door - a bit like a James Bond movie.

We ordered off the screen always tricky.  We had a lovely light meal. Home, then in the cold.  But first, Don needed milk first.  Tomorrow might, very well, be cold.