On Monday 14th September 2009, one day after my 59^th birthday and also a day after the 127th anniversary of the Battle of Tel-El-Kebir, my wife Ann and myself set off on our second adventure to Japan.

We had an inauspicious start when the train we were meant to take from Inverness to Aberdeen broke down even before we had time to board it. However, that was almost the only hiccup in a journey of many thousand of miles, which included travel by aeroplane, train – very fast and local, bus, taxi, private car and boat.

Our objective in returning was:

• To visit our Japanese friends in Tokyo and their parents in Aomori, a town located in the far north of the country.
• To visit smaller towns. We didn’t manage to do this during our short visit in 2003.
• Attend a special festival in the town of Aizu Wakamatsu.
• Generally see more of the country making full use of our Japan Rail Pass.

Looking back at what we did, where we travelled, whom we met and what we saw I feel we achieved these and more.

Having travelled from Aberdeen to Amsterdam and then onwards to Tokyo we arrived at our hotel surprisingly refreshed. We had stayed at this hotel before so we thought we were going back to familiar territory. We were not disappointed.

Over the next couple of days we caught up on sleep and retraced some old steps and made some new discoveries such as the large market we didn’t see the first time round and the changing features of the park near our hotel. Last time we were there it was blossom time and the trees in the park were heavy with lovely pink flowers.

However, the days passed quickly and it was soon Friday and time for us to travel by train to our Japanese friends who live in a town on the outskirts of Tokyo. Manao is a University Professor and his wife, Shizuko, was a primary School Teacher. They have 3 children to boys Rifu, Gou and a girl Marin. My wife and I first met the family some 15 years ago due to our involvement in the Inverness Tattoo. We have kept in contact ever since and only last December Manao visited us in Inverness whilst he was in the UK on a business trip.

We spent a pleasant day and night with them getting re-acquainted and the next day took off on a tour into the country visiting many interesting sites including Mount Fuji – from a distance and a re-constructed Japanese village. We spent the night in the hospitality bungalow owned by his University. This meant that we spent two nights sleeping on the floor, as their own guest room at home and the bungalow’s bedroom were traditional Japanese rather than Western.

The next day we did some more sightseeing and some rowing on lovely lake Hakone from the banks of which you can also see the top of Mount Fuji.

We returned to Tokyo that night having had a wonderful couple of days with our friends.

The next day we set off early to catch the Shinkansen or Bullet Train for a 2-hour journey to Koriyama and then another hour by local train to Aizu-Wakamutsu.

Each year in late September this is the venue for a big festival which dates back many centuries. Locals dress up as Samurai and Soldiers and parade through the town both on foot and on horseback. It was a great spectacle and there was a real buzz about the place.

We also spent some time seeing a selection of the other sights such as the Sake Museum, the local Castle and a re-constructed Samurai Compound. There was much more we could have seen but time was marching on.

After 3 nights we took the local train back to Koriyama and then another Bullet Train journey of around 90 minutes north to the town of Morioko.

We had planned that Morioko would be our hub for visiting two other places so we did not spend too much time, during the day, in the town itself. However, we did find it a most pleasant place with nice walks, shops, a park and ancient Castle Walls.

As with Aizu we stayed in a Western Style Hotel, which had, every amenity and our room had excellent views over the town.

A local Primary School was by so on going out for our morning walk we popped in and presented them, with amongst other things, a tape of the Highlanders Pipes and Drums, which I had purchased, from the Museum. Only time will tell if this encourages the formation of a Schools Pipes and Drums ??

From Morioka we visited, by train, both the large village of Kakunodate and the large town one of Aomori.

Kakunodate is where there are a number of ancient Samurai houses. Some have free entry others you pay to view inside. Some are family operated and some by the Local Authority. There is also a large craft centre.

On the other hand Aomori is a large town, which was also completely destroyed in WW2 and has been built again from scratch.

We went there to visit our friends' mother and father. We had met them almost 12 years ago when they were visiting their son Manao who at that time was attached to Edinburgh University for a year.

They visited us in our house and apart from their son’s flat ours was the first Western house they had visited.

Keiko, Manao’s mother was there to meet us at the station with her friend who could speak some English. She was dressed in a kimono and I thought that might happen I wore my kilt.

We had a great day with them. Keiko teaches the tea ceremony and she had arranged for one of her pupils to come to her house and give us a personal demonstration. She also plays a traditional Japanese instrument, the Koto, and she tried to teach Ann and I the basics – not too successfully but fun trying!

All too soon it was time to get on to the train and return and after another very pleasant and smooth journey we arrived back for our last night in Morioko

The next day it was back by Bullet Train to Tokyo and our last 2 nights in Japan. We spent the time visiting some old haunts and other areas we hadn’t ventured before.

This included the famous Ginza district where all the designer shops are located.

Ann had the good fortune to be outside a traditional Japanese Theatre when all the performers came out to meet some of the audience – similar to a Women’s Guild outing – and managed to photograph the performers in their costumes.

Sadly it was time to head back to Narita Airport and onward to Amsterdam and Aberdeen for another overnight stay before heading home to Inverness on the train.

I do hope that this note and the attached pictures convey a fair picture of this adventure and Japan in general. As with our last visit we found all the people we met welcoming, helpful and very, very polite and this applied to all ages. Everything from streets, railway stations and hotels to restaurants and cafes were extremely clean and with no sign of any graffiti.

The trains were fast and extremely punctual and taxi drivers wore white gloves and drove immaculate taxis very carefully. A Japan Rail 7 day or 14 day pass is a must if you wish to travel around comfortably and smoothly.

Some traditional accommodation is expensive but Western Hotels, of around 3 Star rating, are reasonably priced and have every amenity.

Food was the only area where we really had any difficulty but there again it wasn’t insurmountable. Most restaurants have pictures of the various dishes but relatively few, outside Tokyo, had menus in English – but we didn’t starve.

Over the centuries Britain has had a series of different relationships with Japan. For example – Allies in WW1 and opponents in WW2. However, both Ann and I would suggest that if you can, go and see for yourself. As I have tried to convey it is so different to anything you may have experienced to date in travelling outside the UK. Transportation, food and customs are but three areas where you will see marked differences.

However, if you do go, we both feel you will be glad you made the effort. If fact, we are certain you will think back on your time there as not “just another holiday” but an enjoyable adventure.

Robert Shanks
26.10.2009.