Steve & Lynne’s Japan Diary…

[Vik]

Absolutely love seeing what you get up to and the lovely photos! Can't wait for more!

[Lynne]

@Vik can’t wait to see yours too!

[Steve]

Kanazawa is indeed a ‘little’ Kyoto, and with our hire car we’ve explored a LOT - big up to @Lynne for finding all these places!

First up we went to Gokayama and the Ainokura Gassho Village - there’s only about 19 houses there, and has a Swiss Alps feel to the place.

[Steve]

From there, we drove along the Hakusan Shirakawago White Road for 2+ hours - breathtaking is the only word I can find for the views! It’s swinging mountain road, 33km long and rises to above 1400m above sea level. You really do need to hire a car to see some of these places!

[don_pipone]

Beautiful places and photos!

[Steve]

Finally we ended up at Chirihama Nagisa Driveway for sunset - This is the only place in Japan where you can drive right along the water’s edge - in any type of car (not just a 4x4).

It is an 8-km stretch of beach road — a type of road that would be hard to find anywhere else in the world. The unique sand of Chirihama makes it possible. The sand particles are small, a quarter of the size of ordinary ones. They have a uniform, angular shape, which makes the driveway hard when it absorbs water.

Seeing fishermen’s trucks for carrying unloaded fish at Chirihama, a local bus company employee tried driving a bus there in 1955. That is how Nagisa Driveway started.

End of lesson!

[Daniel San]

absolutely stunning, great pictures!!

[ROman]

beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Shane B]

@Steve & @Lynne Great pictures and journey! Thanks for sharing and have a great rest of your trip.

[Steve]

@Shane-B thanks mate - and also congrats to you and Maria!!!

[Shane B]

@Steve Many thanks Steve.

[Lynne]

Running out of ‘film’, but still going. This is a couple of days ago.

We started the day at Omicho Market for a gourmet wander before heading over to Higashi Chaya. Beautiful old streets with loads of character.

Picked up the car near Kanazawa Station and its huge wooden Tsuzumi Gate, then headed up into the mountains to Ainokura, one of the traditional gassho villages. A truly impressive place – steep thatched farmhouses tucked into the hills and a much quieter feel than some of the better-known villages.

Next stop was a washi paper workshop where we were introduced to traditional Japanese paper making. Really interesting despite language barriers - and something similar I want to do for ReLove by pulping our smallest denim offcuts.

From there we drove the sandy Chirihama Beach Driveway and watched the sun set over the Sea of Japan. Another highlight of the trip.

Then finished the day back in Kanazawa with a wander through the samurai district after dark. Definitely a brooding masculine vibe going on there.

Feeling fulfilled. Couldn’t have packed anything more into the day.

[goosehd]

I am loving following you two on this trip! Is there any one thing so far that you wish you could have spent more time?

[Steve]

@goosehd I know Lynne wanted to spend a day doing a weaving course, and there was also an Indigo dyeing course she had her eye on - she might still manage one, but I think we probably needed a few more days (or weeks)!!!