Our first mail stop was at Dangar Island, just off Brooklyn. It is a settled island with ‘facilities’ (electricity, sewerage, and garbage pickup) but no cars.
As you can see, all the residents (and pets) get around by boat. Some even commute to work from here.
The island’s public jetty has ferries to the mainland, and a rural fire service boat in case of emergencies.
The riverboat drops off and picks up not only mail but supplies as well. It’s a crucial service!
We’re back on the Hawkesbury again, this time on its lower reaches, and on the water with the Hawkesbury Riverboat Postman. Yes, it’s a cruise that also delivers mail to the river-only-access communities of the Lower Hawkesbury.
The cruise started and ended in Brooklyn, which has the honours of having a train station and a fully-fledged marina.
However it somehow still manages to remain a fisherman’s village. The harbour itself is more practical rather than pretty.
Well, the heat beat us. We wanted to stay three nights at Upper Colo Reserve, but after a 37C day, and with 41C predicted for the next, we decided to cut our losses at two nights and head back home.
On the way, we decided to go the long way home, and explore the lower reaches of the Hawkesbury. That’s where we found the car ferries.
We had been on the ferry at Wisemans Ferry, but we discovered others at Sackville, and the one pictured at Webbs Creek. All are maintained by the state and are free of charge. Makes any car trip bit of an adventure.
Well, all good things must come to an end, and this is the last post from our visit to Japan. To end, we slip back into the traditional with a visit to the Imperial Palace grounds.
We came expecting a European set-up, where we could view certain parts of the palace, but we soon found out that the grounds were the only place we could visit. It seems that the Japanese still hold a certain reverence for their royal family.
The palace itself, unlike its European counterparts, has always been out-of-bounds to the general public except on New Year and the Emperor’s Birthday. There certainly were no paparazzi hanging around the gates.
Nevertheless, there were some nice bits of garden.
A 19th Century Meiji-era bridge, walls and moat.
And acres and acres of park land of the kind where walking on grass is prohibited. There are in fact 3.4 square km of palace grounds, and it’s all theirs from top to bottom. No public road, even subway, has been allowed to go through it. And given that it’s in the middle of Tokyo, one of the most expensive cities in the world, I’m guessing it’s worth the price of a country or three.
It’s a shame, because I would think there were some nice gardens inside if this was any indication.
And so ends our visit to Japan. Even after three visits, it is still a land that holds much mystique. Would I come back for a 4th visit? Sure would, although I would like to explore the other islands next time, like Kyushu in the south, or Hokkaido in the north. What is certain is that wherever I go, I’m sure to have fun, meet very lovely people, and eat very, very well.
We conclude our visit to Takayama with a walk up to one of the surrounding hilltops, Shiroyama. We are a bit above the town there, and had a good view.
Overlooking the town is a rather big bell, attached to a nearby temple.
The hilltop was forested, with many wandering paths.
It’s forested enough to attract all sorts of wildlife, although we didn’t see any!
And we of course got a final glimpse of the wonderful autumn leaves. It’s a sight to remember this mountain town by.
The Miyagawa markets are open every day. It’s mainly a produce market, but the permanent shops alongside it cater to tourists. It was rather quiet when we first arrived, probably because it was a little cold.
The stall holders were well-prepared though. This lady selling assorted pickles was all kitted out with crocheted blankets, and I’m even guessing a mini heater too.
There was plenty of autumnal fresh produce around – this stall sold different types of radish and other root vegetables.
Being late autumn, we saw plenty of late harvest apples for sale. This variety is called Hida, after the region that Takayama is in. They are much larger than the apples seen in Australia – some were the size of a lawn bowls ball, and so were priced accordingly.
The Tomato Lady even wore her special hat. Given how cold it was, I’m guessing that these were grown in poly tunnels or green houses.
We arrived at Takayama at the end of a long day, hungry and a bit cold – the temperature was near freezing up in the mountains. So we were glad to stay at Sumiyoshi, an ‘Antique Inn’.
It’s a ryokan set up in an old house, run by one family (grandparents, parents, children) with quaint rooms, plenty of antiques, and most importantly, good old hospitality.
Our main host was the grandmother (or obaasan, as the Japanese call their grannies), and she was a hoot. Outgoing, very friendly and jokey, she was bounding up steep stairs with our dinner, which was very homely and welcome after all the more high-end eating we’d done.
A few little appetisers – some sashimi, tofu prepared in various ways, and assorted pickles.
Fish and scallop cooked in butter.
Tempura vegetables with a wedge of ponzu.
And last but not least shabu-shabu hotpot featuring local beef.
A perfect meal to end a winter’s day.
Our next destination was a town deep into the Japan Alps. It was another 5-train journey, and on the way, we saw the other side of Fujisan.
From sea-level, the mountain looms large, and gave us a more realistic idea of just how high 3,776 metres was.
We passed through the cities of Yokohama and Nagoya, and on to our final train. Soon the suburbs thinned out, and the scenes became more rural.
And then civilisation disappeared almost altogether.
Eventually we passed by some small, mountain settlements, and saw some of its people in action.
Evacuation drills are taken very seriously in an area that is very prone to earthquakes.
It was a lovely, slow journey through the valleys and gorges. Goes to show that Japan isn’t all about being in the fast lane.
Fujisan wasn’t the only thing to see at Kawaguchiko. The lake itself was a pretty sight in itself. We saw it from above.
And from ground level.
As we walked around the lake, we caught plenty of autumn foliage that was bright as can be.
Our destination was the tourist town of Kawaguchiko, famous for its view of Mount Fuji (or Fujisan, as the Japanese call the sacred mountain). At 3776 metres, it’s Japan’s highest mountain and renowned for being a bit camera-shy – it’s obscured by cloud for most of the year. We felt very lucky to get many fantastic views of the mountain. In fact, you really couldn’t miss it.
From our hotel rooftop early in the morning.
Zooming in up-close.
From the train station.
And the main road.
My favourite views were from the lakeside mid-morning.
It was a view to admire (or distract) while fishing.
And a spectacular accompaniment to autumn foliage.
And peeping from behind the hills.
By late afternoon the clouds had started to roll in, though it didn’t make the view any less spectacular. It almost made us forget that we were looking at a volcano (albeit a dormant one).
Static and Silence 