JAPAN ADVENTURES

We are off on a day trip to Kyoto and tonight is our last night in Osaka. Although it is 56 kilometres in distance, it's only 10 minutes via train, from Osaka to Kyoto, if we take the Shinkansen (bullet train). We will have a few hours to wonder around in daylight and after dark at around 5pm we will go to see a light show in the bamboo forest. Tim got back here very late last night from a few days in Toyama where he visited a glass museum and studio. He had a great time; two glassblowing friends of his from the Chech Republic happened to be there giving a glass blowing demonstration. Tim said it was a world class studio - a huge space with amazing facilities. And they all got taken out to dinner by the professors of the Toyama glass institute.                                                                                                            Meanwhile I've just completed a week of working in a wonderful print studio in Osaka, which has been another

Tim and I are on the train heading to the Kumano Kodo  for a 7 day adventure that Tim has planned and booked. The Kumano Kodo is an ancient and very famous pilgrimage; we will pass Shrines, temples and finally Japan's largest waterfall. There is a river half way through the walk of volcanic water called the thousand people bath.  Tim has booked accommodation in a different guest house each night and has arranged for our luggage to be sent on for us.  We will walk from one guest house to the next on a route that the Japanese have taken for over 1,000 years. I think it's going to be tough - lots of very steep climbing and old steps through the forest. I hope we don’t get lost; I’m a bit scared as the days are very short now so we don’t have that long to walk in day light. But Tim has printed off lots of maps and assures me it will be alright. We have just come from Naoshima having spent 3 nights there. Naoshima is a small island off the south coast of Japan and a very specia