Farewell Tokyo

Posted on 31 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

Our time in Tokyo has been brilliant. We leave this evening, so are all packed. We will leave our luggage at the hotel while we spend the day at the National Museum.

It is very easy to get around on the subway and train system, the streets are clean and the people very friendly and helpful.

Our hotel, The b suidobashi, has served us well. It is only a small hotel in Bunkyo Prefecture but has good access to the subway and many restaurants and food outlets only 5 minutes stroll away.


The subway and trains are very easy to get around on….except for the many stairs to navigate.


Maureen and I have been walking so much that we have gotten quite skinny since we arrived….haha. Thats even after we have tried several sorts of Meiji chocolate, with a little something to wash it down with.


The streets are very clean, absolutely no rubbish on the footpaths, and there are lots of these smoking booths around so no-one is walking around smoking.


The toilets are an absolute dream in this very cold weather. They come with built-in seat warmers, deodorisers, bidets and some even play soft music if you wish to keep your business quite.


The food has been delicious and the beers cold.

Curry with Rice Egg

And icecreams come in a fully enclosed cone….what a great idea!

We have been careful to pick our time to venture out so as to avoid the rush hours, but some places are still pretty busy during the day. Roads intersect over-top of each other, people are scurrying about and power lines are like black spaghetti hanging in the air.

It has been a fabulous trip. The Tokyo Quilt Festival was well worth coming too and Maureen and I have really enjoyed our sightseeing and textile adventures. This glimpse of Japan has me looking at another trip to explore the rest of the country with Jim.

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Out and About Again in Tokyo

Posted on 30 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

You really can’t come to Tokyo and not visit the iconic Shibuya Crossing. Not only was the view from Mag’s Park above the road impressive but crossing the street with the other pedestrians was fun. It is a very busy area and all the streets were bustling with people.


In the nearby Shibuya Hikarie building we found a wonderful display of handmade puppets used in traditional puppet animation.

In the alleyway a lovely lady was selling fruit and vegetables but her speciality seemed to be mushrooms.


We also visited a craft store called Blue & White. It was a small shop specialising in mostly traditional blue and white textiles, Indigo and Boro. Infortunatley no photos allowed.
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On our way home we passed through LaQua and the light display was brilliant.

Final day tomorrow…it has gone so fast!

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Tokyo Quilt Festival – Day 4 & Nippori Textile Town

Posted on 29 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

And now for the shopping experience!

Yesterday we visited the Nippori Textile Town, a street specialising in all things textile. Many shops selling mostly dressmaking fabrics, and or, heavier weight furnishing fabrics lined the streets, but the occasional shop had patchwork quality fabric. The two that we particularly liked were Pakira for its Liberty and the 5 storey Tomato store. Tomato was very busy, the 5th floor has the patchwork fabrics and the 4th floor the Japanese style fabrics and the toilet (with seat warmer of course).

Today we went back at the quilt festival to check out the market stalls.
We were asked not to take any photos. I suppose they wanted to protect their ideas and products, which I think is fair enough. So here is another overview of the size of the markets.

Instead I will show you our purchases. This is my fabric to keep me occupied for a while.

And now this is Maureen’s. Guess she wins!

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Tokyo Quilt Festival – Day 3

Posted on 27 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

After our visit to the gardens this morning we had a rest and returned so the festival to see the final sections of quilts. We will have to return over the next couple of days to do the market stalls….we must need something!!

Here are the final quilts including the Best of Show Category’s. Again the lighting is not good, shadows from the stands etc make it difficult to photograph.

Grand Prix First Prize


Grand Prix Second Prize

Hand Making Award

Sewing Machine Making Award

We then returned to the category quilts to see the final three sections. Here are some of the quilts we saw.

Framed Quilt Category



3 Popular Quilters Arrive in Japan Category
Di Ford – Australia

Cecile Franconia – France

Tone Finnanger – Norway

New Quilts by Japanese Artists Category





And finally this quilt seemed to be the most popular quilt from the viewers. It has taken us 3 days to get the opportunity to photograph it. The quilt features 1500 individual ladies dressed in traditional kimonos. 60 across and 25 down. Each was perhaps 4 x 2 inches in size and colour graduated down the quilt.

I hope you have enjoyed the quilts, even if it is not your thing! We plan to get out and see some more of Tokyo now so hopefully the weather stays good.

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Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Posted on 27 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

It is said that Koishikawa Korakuen Garden was originally created in the early stage of the Edo period in 1629 by Mito Komen. It is built in the Kaiyu style of garden, which I think means that it has a path that encompasses a lake or pond. It has manmade hills surrounding the lake and is influenced by the Chinese style gardens. The 70,000 sqm garden was opened to the public in 1938.

Only a short walk from our accommodation, right near the Dome, we visited on this crisp morning in Tokyo.

Surrounded by tall buildings in this busy part of town, inside the garden walls you get a sense of peace and tranquility. Come for a stroll….

Trellises are heavy with Wisteria just waiting to spring into life.

The very fragrant yellow flowers of the Winter Sweet and the pink and white Plum blossoms were a lovely surprise.

I would love to have the opportunity to visit the gardens regularly to see how the change of seasons transforms the trees and flowers.

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Tokyo Quilt Festival – Day 2

Posted on 26 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

Well, we really have seen some very special quilts today. Again the dome was crowded with eager shoppers and onlookers.


Here are some of the amazing quilts we saw today. It has been interesting to be inspired, even enthralled, by quilts not normally in our colour palette or design.

Unfortunately the light has not been kind to some of the quilts but you will be able to see the details on most of them.

Traditional Quilt Winners.
Most of the quilts have been hand stitched and hand quilted.
1st Place and detail photos


2nd and 3rd place

And just some of the other many quilts entered into this category.

Original Design Category:
1st, 2nd and 3rd place, followed by some of the other entrants in the category

And finally Yoko Saito has a display of some quilts and gorgeous little houses.

I think we may need a day of rest tomorrow!!

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Tokyo Quilt Festival – Day 1

Posted on 25 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

With great excitement Maureen & I headed down to the Dome today to start our enjoyment of visiting the festival. And what a spectacle it is. We have decided to view all the quilt exhibits before we start on the retail outlets (good move, I think!). I would hazard a guess that there was 15,000 to 20,000 thousand visitors at the show today so waiting in line to get an opportunity to take photos was an act of patience. Whilst some of the quilts are not to my taste, the quality of workmanship is unquestionable, and the presentation of the quilts by the organisers very good.

The first of the exhibitions we saw is titled “Partnership Quilts”. The theme was inspired from a Yoko Saito pattern “Welcome to My House”. Japanese quilters were invited to make and send in a 15cm x 15cm block. The response was enormous; 10,142 blocks were received and made into 60 quilts, all of which are on display. After the festival the quilts will be raffled off for various charities. Here are just a few and some close up details for you to see.

The next exhibition is “Quilt Impressionism: An Encounter Between Quilting and Art”. Four of Japans leading quilters were invited to create quilts reflecting their interpretation of their favourite impressionist.

Reiko Washizawa chose Monet to bring to life the gardens at Monet’s home in Giverny.

Akane Sakamoto chose the self portrait and flowers of van Gogh.

With the help of some of her students they also created this sunflower garden. The detail in the flower heads were stunning.

Yoko Ueda’s depiction of the Renoir women was translated into photo quilts.

Kathy Nakajima chose Gauguin’s travels to Tahiti as her inspiration.

And finally we saw the work of Suzuka Koseki. Suzuko’s quilts are colourful and invoke a sense of fun. Here are a few of her quilts and a couple of close up shots as well.

We have only seen three of the eight special exhibitions and none of the general entries, so still a lot to see over the coming days.

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More Tokyo Sights

Posted on 24 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

We have had another wonderful day exploring Tokyo. It was much colder today as the wind is still blowing making it feel very much colder than the 8-9 deg it was.

First stop was Senso-ji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo, said to have been built in 628.

It is surrounded by halls and pagoda and is a very popular attraction.

Here people can hire traditional Japanese costumes to be seen in. Or perhaps some of the girls own their own costumes.

We noticed the first signs of leaves and blossom on the trees.

Between Kaminarimon Gate and Hozomon Gate, Nakamise Street leads to the temple.

We then visited the nearby Amuze Musuem to see see its Boro Exhibtion. Boro is a particular type of Japanese textile that has been stitched together to mend or add additional layers to old and worn fabrics, particularly clothing and blankets.

At the end of the day we could not help ourselves – we just had to go to the Quilt Festival and have a look from the top of the stands – just to see what awaits us tomorrow. The Tokyo Dome, which is housing the festival, is large enough to hold baseball games undercover. This is what we saw! Really looking foward to getting down there tomorrow to start exploring.

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Tokyo Sightseeing

Posted on 23 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

Our first day has been such a lovely experience. The people are very helpful and polite, the subway easy to navigate, the sights a contrast of old and new, and the food excellent.

We took the subway to pick up the Sky Hop sightseeing bus and did the loops to get a feel for the city. Although very chilly (8-10 deg with wind) on the upper deck of the bus we zipped up our jackets, used the blankets provided for our knees and enjoyed the sights. Here are some photos of the scenes and diversity of buildings in Tokyo.

From Floor 350 of the Tokyo Skytree the views of the city were vast. Although not the clearest of days it was still a great chance to see the expanse of this very large city.

This lovely little garden was tucked in behind some tall buildings.

Our choice of food was delightful. Noodles (with some unknown ingredients), Tempura Prawn and Sweet Potato, and surprisingly the coffee here is very good. We won’t starve that’s for sure.

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We have arrived in Tokyo

Posted on 22 January 2019 by Kerry & Jim

Maureen and I have safely arrived in Tokyo to attend the Tokyo Quilt Festival and I can assure you we are very excited to be here. This photo was taken at the Perth Airport at about 1am Tuesday morning as we awaited our departure.

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The Quilt Festival is at Tokyo City Dome in the Bunkyo Prefecture and our hotel is only a few hundred metres away. After settling into our rooms we took a quick walk to stretch our legs and check out the area. A fairly chilly 5 deg at the time but no wind so brisk but not freezing cold.

These photos are around the Dome this evening. More to come over the coming week of the quilt festival and our other outings.


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We’re in Heaven!

Posted on 10 October 2018 by Kerry & Jim

We are spending a couple of nights up at Casa Debbio, Deb & Jim’s mountain holiday house in Italy and let me tell you we are in heaven.

Since we were here last the garden has progressed beautifully….and the views are just as we remember.

The last of the summer flowers are just hanging on.

The chestnut trees are shedding their nuts.


The walnuts are almost done.

The persimmon won’t be too far away from picking.

The pomegranate are ripening well.

And the kiwi fruit are looking great.

How could you ever tire of this view?

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If you are coming to Italy and would like a relaxing holiday or you enjoy hiking this is the place to stay.

http://www.casadebbio.com

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We are back in Italy

Posted on 8 October 2018 by Kerry & Jim

What a joy it is to be back in Italy after 5 years to visit Deb and our other friends.
Ponte a Serraglio is still as lovely as ever.

It has been so nice to spend time with Deb and catch up with Cherry and Aldo.

Of course the food has been fabulous. Nothing is better than fresh Italian pasta.

Actually, it is all delicious!

We decided on a trip over to Pietrasanta for the Medieval Festival. We arrived early to see these art pieces which have been installed in the piazza.

In the late afternoon the crowd gathered and the festival began. Dancers and jousters put on their displays but the flag throwers were the highlight. They band announced their entrance – the flag throwers are very skilled – it must take a lot of practice!

We still have 3 more days here so you will see more soon.

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London

Posted on 7 October 2018 by Kerry & Jim

What a busy time we have had in London.

Our hotel overlooked Kensington Gardens.

We toured the city on the Hop On Hop Off bus.

The views from the London Eye were pretty good…don’t you think!

We visited both the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. This is just a very small sample of what there is to see.


We are now in Italy for the final week of our holiday….more to come on that soon.

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Oxford

Posted on 2 October 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Cited as one of the best university, Oxford caters for approximately 24,000 enrolled scholars per year. Its 38 colleges are spead throughout the city and many are fabulous buildings. Bars, restaurants and shops cater for the wide range of academics who attend Oxford, as well as all the support services required to keep the university functioning.

To get a good overview of the city we rode the city sightseeing bus. Most of these photos were taken from the top deck of the bus.

On our tour along the Thames River, which runs past the city, we passed where the Head of the River rowing race is held. It is surprisingly narrow for the eight competing boats to manoeuvre the course.

Oxford is a very exciting and interesting city – we really needed to spend more time here exploring.

Now off to London for a few days – then Italy for a week to visit friends.

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Blenheim Palace

Posted on 1 October 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Blenheim Palace has been the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough since the palace was completed in 1722 and is the only non-royal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The land was gifted to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, as a reward for his military triumphs by Queen Anne. It is also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Today over half of the palace is open to the public, while the remainder continues to be the family home of the 12th Duke of Marlborough. On the walls in the interior of the palace are priceless family portraits and large tapestries depicting historical battle scenes in which the 1st Duke is prominent. Contemporary French artist Yves Klein currently has as exhibition at the palace – you can not miss the bright ultramarine artwork and sculptures in the photos.

The formal Water Terrace and Italian Garden are close to the palace. The grassy landscaped parklands designed by ‘Capability’ Brown between 1763 and 1774 has many walking paths to explore.

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Classic Cotswolds

Posted on 27 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Bibury, a typically beautiful Cotswold village was once described by William Morris (1834-96) as “the most beautiful village in England”. The cottages of Arlington Row are said to be the most photographed and beautiful cottages in the country.

Referred to as the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’ Bourton-on-the-Water has several little bridges that cross the River Windrush. Charming shops line the river and tourists meander the banks enjoying the sunshine.

The lovely little village of Upper Slaughter is on the banks of the River Eye. The oldest part of Manor House hotel dates back to the 15th century and the front is said to be Elizabethan.

Naunton is another very small village and here the River Windrush flows through the village and its water meadows, making it as picturesque as all the other villages.

Burford’s sloping high street offers lovely views down the street and then up into the countryside. The streets are lined with elegant shops, cafes and a collection of building styles.

It seems that all the houses in these villages have lovely gardens which adds to the beauty of the villages.

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Mevagissey & Fowey

Posted on 24 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

The small fishing village of Mevagissey is spectacular. The twin harbour provides sheltered safe waters where the colourful fishing boats rise and fall as the tide ebbs and flows.

Sole, lobster, skate and plaice are the main catches. Seafood restaurants and Fish & Chips shops are plentiful in the village, which dates back to 1313.


We visited again a few days later and the tide was out. Makes for a very different look of the village.

The visitor parking area for Fowey is high above the village. Taking the walk down is okay but we definitely caught the village bus back up to the car.

On the River Fowey the deep harbour the Fowey allows large vessels, including cruise ships, to enter the estuary. The narrow winding streets have a great variety of restaurants, cafes and shops to entice the visitor to part with their money. It was a pretty gloomy day when we visit.

By mid afternoon the rain started in Fowey; seems to be the normal weather pattern for us at the moment.

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The Lost Gardens of Heligan & The Eden Project

Posted on 23 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

The Lost Gardens of Heligan and The Eden Projecct are not far from where we are staying here in St Austell.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan had been lost to brambles and completely overgrown since the outbreak of WW1. In 1990 the largest garden restoration project in Europe began the mammoth task of uncovering the lost gardens. Today over 20 gardeners and estate workers maintain the garden and cultivate heritage plants and vegetables throughout the seasons.


The garden is divided into landscaped ‘rooms’ and this is the Italian garden.

The vegetable garden.

A few animals for the kids to enjoy.

And the beautiful flower garden.

The Eden Project offers quite a different experience.

Once a huge crater as a result of mining china clay, the garden has been established as a horticultural spectacle with the massive covered Biomes to show off the worlds most important plants.


The Rainforest Biome

The Mediterranean Biome

We were surprised to see an area dedicated to the South West area of Western Australia.

This is a photograph of the original site.
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Both gardens were lovely and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

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Padstow, Rick Stein’s & Newquay

Posted on 22 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Padstow has a large influx of daily tourists, partly thanks to the popularity of Rick Stein’s TV shows. He has a big presence in the town, with 5 eateries, a deli, fresh fish outlet, cooking school and accommodation and other business interests. Known locally as ‘Padstein’, it is a lovely small fishing village on the Cornwall coast.

High on the ‘to do’ list in the UK was lunching at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant. To ensure we didn’t miss the opportunity we made our reservation on-line back in April. As you can see we were the first to arrive, but it didn’t take long for the restaurant to fill up.

Our entrees were:
* Fish and Shellfish Soup with Rouille, Parmesan and Croutons
* Char-grilled Sea Bass with a Mango, Avocado, Prawn and Chilli Salsa

And the mains:
* Seared Cod on reduction of red wine and shallots
* Indonesian Seafood Curry with Sea Bass, Hake, Prawns and Squid

Excellent food, service and setting. It was everything we had hoped it would be.

We also visited nearby Newquay today, UK’s surfing mecca. The town sits high on the seaside cliffs and below is a wide beach with the surf rolling in.
 

What a great day we have had – we even had sunshine for most of the day!

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Dartmoor National Park

Posted on 21 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

The weather at the moment is being very uncooperative! After consulting the weather app we decided today was the best day to explore the Dartmooor National Park in the county of Devon. Perhaps the app needs a new setting to advise the visibility!

As we entered the park we were lucky to see a few of the Dartmoor ponies that roam the countryside.

Before we drove into the fog the moors looked lovely and green.

Along the way we passed these two gorgeous little bridges.

On the edge of the Dartmoor NP the exclusive golf club at Bovey Castle looked very elegant.

On the eastern side of the moors we stopped for lunch in the little village of Chagford, a historic stannary town, with buildings dating back to the 15th and 16th century. The town was quite somber as we believe a funeral in the local church was taking place.

On the way back we stopped briefly in Tavistock on the River Tavy. The busy Pannier Market was a great find.


I wish we had had more time here but once again the afternoon rains sent us homeward bound.

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The South West Corner of Cornwall

Posted on 19 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

We have been really looking forward to our visit to Cornwall and so it was with great anticipation that we headed off today.

First stop…St Ives. We parked out at the ‘train park and ride’. These first glimpses of the West Cornwall coast are taken from the moving train.

From the train station we strolled down to the waters edge.

We arrived quite early so it was pretty quiet and easy to get around.

From here we travelled to Lands End. Unfortunately rain and wind meant we didn’t get out of the car.

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Next stop was Porthcurno to visit the Minack Open Air Theatre which sits right on edge of a rock outcrop overlook the sea. But…..closed, performance on and we could not get near the place! I wonder if they go wet!

Next stop – St Michael’s Mount. Although we arrived on a high tide the walk had been cancelled today due to inclement weather!

Our final stop was Falmouth and the weather was good. A walk around the main shopping streets and the harbour was very relaxing.

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Hereford

Posted on 17 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Hereford, in Herefordshire in the West Midlands, sits on the River Wye. It has been a great base for the past week.

The Old House is a timber-framed Jacobean building, built in 1621, and is now a museum.

We enjoyed a coffee down on the River Wye.

Hereford Cathedral, which dates from the early 12th century, has architectural style from Norman times to modern technology in recent renovations and repairs.

Indian restaurants are very popular over here so after a drink at the Barrels we dined at Marygolds.

Our apartment, The Flat 72, is on the second and third floor above Guy Patience. Guy & Laura rent out the apartment above Guy’s barber shop. Very comfortable.

From here we are moving down to Cornwall for the next week.

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A Family Connection

Posted on 16 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Jim’s brother, David, has researched their family history and this story begins in the Staffordshire and Shropshire areas. David and Lynette visited in 2015 so we followed in their footsteps to see the villages as well.

David had the information on the burial site of their nanna’s grandparents, Josiah & Elizabeth Prince; both are buried in the Cannock cemetery in county Staffordshire.

Amazingly, the house in which they lived on Newhall Farm, 2 miles from Cannock, is still standing. It is the three story building in the following photos. Next door the Newhall Farm Hotel has been built to replicate the style of the old stables.

Both grandparents were born in the UK.

Nanna, Ivy, was born at Bridgnorth in Shropshire. It was market day when we visited so very busy in the village square.

Pop, Bill, was born at Newport in Shropshire only 20 miles north of Bridgnorth. It is another very pretty little village – but rain forced us into The Barley for lunch!

Thanks for sending us the information David. We had a great day visiting the sites you suggested.

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Beautiful Bath

Posted on 15 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

The lovely city of Bath is located in the Somerset countryside. Local honey-coloured Bath stone has been used extensively in the Georgian architecture. The many chimney pots can’t go unnoticed.

Built as a spa town, Bath still draws many visitors to ‘take the waters’. The Roman Baths still flow with natural hot water but bathing is on longer allowed. More modern facilities are now in use. We didn’t join the queues to see to see the Roman Baths – several tourist buses had beaten us to the ticket line.

The Bath Abbey, which was restored in 1616, is noted for its fan-vaulting, tower and large stained-glass windows.

Completed around 1775, The Royal Crescent and The Circus are curved streets with Georgian style houses. Today it is still mostly private homes, with the exception of a small hotel and museum.  

Pulteney Bridge was completed in 1774 with shops across its full span on both sides. The curved weir below was built across a river in the early 1970s in order to control the water level. The nearby garden offers a lovely place to enjoy some green space.

On our way down to Bath we crossed the Severn Bridge near Bristol which was completed in 1996. The bridge allows easy access between Wales and England and is 1.6km long, 136m high and has a clearance of 47m. The longest span of the bridge is an amazing 988m long.

The weather was lovely for us in Bath. We enjoyed the views from the open top of the sightseeing bus.

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Malvern, Tewkesbury and Ledbury

Posted on 14 September 2018 by Kerry & Jim

Leaving North Wales we are now staying for a week in Hereford, a great base in the Midlands to visit the West Cotswolds and surrounding area. The rolling hills in the countryside are beautiful.

On our first outing we visit Malvern, Tewkesbury and Ledbury.

Malvern is in Worcestershire and lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Malvern is also the home of Morgan Motors so Jim toured the Morgan Factory to see how these sport cars are handmade by very skilled craftsmen.

Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, lies on the meeting point of the Avon and River Severn, giving it a lovely riverside setting for visitors to enjoy.

It’s 17th century black and white half–timbered buildings, overhanging upper-storeys and narrow alleyways make it a very popular tourist attraction.

Ledbury is a market town in Herefordshire, and again has the black and white half-timber buildings. The central Market House, which had originally served as a grain store was completed in 1653.

Whilst the hedgerows can inhibit the views of the countryside at times, there are still plenty of opportunities to see the lovely scenery. Except when travelling to longer destinations we are using the quieter backroads and avoiding the motorways.

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