A few shots around Aomori and Sapporo, Japan

I didn't have very long in these places, they were stopovers to break up long train journeys. I did manage to fit in a trip to the Sapporo Beer Museum. It was here that my tolerance for the Japanese using the word premium pretty much everywhere snapped when I was given a pretty poor dairylea cheese … Continue reading A few shots around Aomori and Sapporo, Japan

Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park, Nagano; Japan

My friend is a primate keeper and really wanted to go and see the Snow Monkeys (Macaca fuscata) and who was I to argue? Monkeys are amazing after all. We spent a long time amongst them watching them knock about, feed, fight and play. They are endlessly fascinating. There was a brief moment when I thought one … Continue reading Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park, Nagano; Japan

Trains and Tracks, Japan

Okay - doesn't sound exciting, but one of the highlights of a trip to Japan is using the transport. I've travelled in Japan from Nagasaki in the south to Rishiri in the North and always enjoy the journey. The Shinkansen are ,of course,  great and they were the only place I was sleeping properly last … Continue reading Trains and Tracks, Japan

Rishiri Island, Hokkaido; Japan

This is a small island off the North West of Hokkaido. My friend and I rented mountain bikes and cycled round the island (Roughly 50 miles or so I think) and I also cycled up a HEP service track until it turned into boulders which my non elite skills didn't allow me to surpass. It's … Continue reading Rishiri Island, Hokkaido; Japan