Miyajima

Miyajima was a small island near Hiroshima. It is famous for its beautiful floating tori gate. When I got there, it was not floating and did not look very nice. As I was leaving, the sun was setting, and the sea had risen so from a distance the tori gate looked very picturesque.

A giant rice scoop!

Atami

Just a few of the hundreds of pics I took at Atami... a beautiful garden, lovely beach, massive castle, great views from my Hotel! Spoiled by the weather... was raining most of the weekend :(

Stayed at a Ryokan - a traditional Japanese Hotel. Slept on the floor on a tatami mat, was not very comfortable and would probably never do this again. The hotel had a Hot Spring which was also a weird experience...

Like all toilets in Japan... the toilets had buttons which squirted water...

A very beautiful garden... there were several areas in the garden, not all were Japanese style.

Thomas the tank engine!!

I visited Atami Castle which housed a museum spread over 7 floors.

Hotel New Otani

A hotel near my apartment which had a beautiful Japanese garden!

Maccha Chiffon Cake

I went on a baking course and made Maccha and Dainagon Mini Chiffon Cake (Green Tea and Red Bean Cake). The cake looked so perfect, and was so simple to make. It was delicious!

Kamakura

I went for a day trip to Kamakura - another temple town...

Kamakura - Part 2

The stones on the ground all had writing on!

Kamakura - Part 3