On our way to the train station to catch the first of three trains to Mitake, where we will begin our walk along the Nakasendo Trail.... 

...waiting at the station....the trains came every two minutes...astounding...

These are some photos that I took from the train of the suburbs on the outskirts of Nagoya .

Feeling very glad that I can comfortably reach a handle in these trains...loving this country.

On board the second train ... country trains aren't as packed as the city trains...obviously..

Our third ride had these cute curtains....

Reached our destination .....Mitake....

It was such a cute little train...

Mitake Train Station ....

Mitake...

Interesting house ....

Off we go on the Nakasendo Trail ....

....so much rice grown along the way...

.......walking through the forest...

.....many Shrines along the path...

These persimmon trees were everywhere....and so many pretty little streams running through the villages...

Amazing stone path....

The Nakasendo Trail characters...

I was captivated by the magnificent bamboo forests....

....our lunch spot...

....the stunning autumn colours are beginning to show...

Daikokuya Ryokan in Hosokute where we are staying tonight....

The owners greeted us with a cool drink, some Japanese tea and banana cake...

This is our sitting room and we have a separate bedroom ....and our own bathroom down the hall. Our luggage had been delivered.

Looks pretty cool in his Yukata....

This was the first of our seven courses for dinner....the owner explained what foods were in each course...we ate everything, it was delicious....

 

Our hotel doesn't have a restaurant ....we were given vouchers for breakfast at Mr Donut, a little cafe on the ground floor ...not the healthiest way to start the day ....but I DO LOVE DONUTS...

After breakfast, we set off on foot to explore Nagoya. Along the way, we came across this designated   smoking area - but interestingly, we didn't see a single person smoking for the rest of the day.

The Horikawa River that flows through the heart of Nagoya.

Osu-kannon Temple

...inside the temple....

This statue is a depiction of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and compassion, located at the Osu kannon Temple.

Another shrine .....with a purification fountain.

The Osu Shopping District in Nagoya ...such a wide variety of shops....

A skate park under the Nagoya Expressway.....

A sundial in front of the Nagoya City Science Museum....which sadly is closed on Monday.

It took Pete and me a while to realise that these tall buildings without any windows are car parks...

The Nagoya TV Tower which is in the Hisaya Odori park...

Nagoya....from a footbridge in Hisaya Odori park

The moat that surrounds the Nagoya Castle...

Hommaru Palace in the heart of the castle.

 

Pete and I left Perth at 9pm last night ....I was so pleased to see the sunrise from the plane this morning ...

....the clouds were beautiful in the morning light ...

...Japan ....we had a very comfortable journey....

Narita airport....

On a smaller plane to Nagoya ...a short flight ...

We caught the train from the airport to our hotel in the city....

...a bullet train, we are hoping to have a ride on one at some stage....notice how litter free the tracks are...

Hot coffee in a can...and it tasted great!

The Marriot Hotel...beautiful building but we are not staying there, it is just around the corner from our hotel...

Where we had dinner....looked very inviting....

...the food was delicious...

...probably the most impressive building on our after dinner walk...

Our hotel....the Fresa Inn ...our room is quite small but comfortable ....

...and the hotel pyjama's fit me...what a fabulous 24 hours Pete and I have had..

 

It was a windy morning but the sun was out....I was so happy to see Margot, Pauline and Jen at the beach ...we enjoyed a walk on the sand but were then disappointed when we saw the no swimming signs..it was very rough, and so much seaweed....so...we had a coffee and a good long chat....

 

Will and Ethan found our Scrabble game in the cupboard and asked me to teach them how to play ...they loved it..

 

Ethan and Flynn found two new books on the shelves after their bath....Tash and family visited on the way back to Cowaramup from Coral Bay....

 

A beautiful photo of the boys that Tash sent me....they are camping up in Coral Bay, enjoying their school holiday.

A fabulous night out with the cheap and cheerful gang. After delicious nibbles at Jeff and Christine's gorgeous home, we walked up to this cosy Italian Restaurant ...La Vela.