Looking back at Shimokitazawa station

Anyone for a walk on the tracks?

Waiting for the express train to go by

The Romance Car smoothly passes by

Toppo is getting adventurous here with some Cheesecake, double berry flavor and some chestnut cake flavor as well

Umeboshi flavored seaweed wrapped crackers

New York cheesecake in a chocolate bar

Banana crepe chocolate. very interesting

Banana obviously popular. Here is some banana chocolate custard

The sleepy fishing town of Yobuko, Saga-ken

Main street, Yobuko

Fishing tackle ready to go out and hook some squid

How do you like to eat your squid?

A very friendly and colorful part of town

Side street in Yobuko

Everyday life in a harbor town

The local Yobuko Womens Association meets here

Anyone for a trip out to catch squid?

Harbor, mountains and more squid

There are small boats going out to the islands in the harbor

Here are some live ones

This was my lunch, very fresh, still moving actually

Guess what they serve here

Yobuko is said to be one of Japanese 3 famous fish markets

Boats in the harbor

The lights on the boats are to attract the squid at night

The local bus station waiting to get the bus back to town

Really like this view of the train tracks leading from Okayama Station. Nothing like a railway hotel

Okayama Station

Very well organized roads

One of the trams on the road in Okayama

Night time at Okayama Station

Some beautiful old thatched roofs make this a very scenic spot

Okayama Castle in the distance. Like the greenery here

Would be nice to lie down on the grass and just look up at the sky

Crossing a stream to nowhere in particular

Like washing on the line, the kids put out their paintings to dry

Summer can be hot. This shady spot with water helps these boys to cool down

An old water wheel looks very peaceful

Gift shop

I feel cooler just looking at this photo

Lots of greenery, lots of hilly mounds and plenty of peaceful nature.

Islands in the stream

The water features are well shaped and looked after

Reflections in the stream

Water, Greenery, pathways and thatched roofs. Feels like a time warp

The color of the pathways are a nice contrast with the green grass

Time to stand back and check the painting for the day

Okayama Castle

All the children were busy painting the Castle in the background

A small Shrine in the park

Lots of people out even though it was a very hot day

The children paint pictures of Okayama Castle

A few shops along the way if you get hungry

Old style looking very at home in this park

The pond and buildings in a natural setting, with Okayama city close by

Time for some dango?

Lanterns covered with moss

The painting complete, time to take it home

Konan, Miyajima

Konan, Miyajima

The entrance to Ise Jingu Naiku leads over a wooden bridge with beautiful mountain views

A glimpse of the mountains and lake below. The air was really fresh and clean here

The pathways inside Ise Jingu were wide open and gave a very relaxed atmosphere

Some great trees in the surrounding gardens

Plenty of Mons and gravel pathways

Lots of walking involved around Ise Jingu

Cleansing the hands before offering prayers

You can go down to the stream and play in the water as this child was doing. Great on a hot day

Walking past some of the main buildings, used for selling charms and gifts

Very peaceful and relaxed even though it was a hot day and lots of people around

Beautiful architecture

Climbing the steps to the main shrine

It got crowded here with many people stopping to offer prayers

Liked the green roof cover here

Beautiful wooden bridges crossing this small stream area

Back in the main river, a group of people were enjoying the cool water

Walking back to the main entrance