Best posts made by Chap

Out for a walk and a smoke with the old boy.
Quai D'Orsay No. 50
IH N1 (first run from ????)
IHxB01xRAW
Wesco

The Real McCoy's
PIH10ANS
Wesco

Vienna Hotel room pic

Samurai Type I Lot 24
IHJ-118-OLV
Merz b. Schwanen 2S14
IHxB01xRAW
Clinch Boots

My son Maxi has spent almost half a year in Kyoto from October 2023 to March 2024. Mainly to learn Japanese in a language school and to learn more about Japanese life and culture. I picked him up in March and we spent a week in Kyoto together. When we returned home I already knew I would love to come back to Japan as soon as possible. In November we went back for two weeks and did a round trip Tokyo - Nagoya - Kyoto - Kanazawa area - Tokyo.
We did a bit of Tokyo sightseeing, stayed some time in a Buddhist Temple, explored Kyoto by bike, visited many temples, went to tea cermonies, hiked in the mountains around Kyoto, stayed in an Onsen Ryokan near Kaga, hiked through rural Japan countryside and mountains there... and of course lots of Japanese food.

I will add some pics of the trip the next couple of days.

Quick Hotel room mirror pic

Any denim nerds here?

Maxi went for a pair of Lewis Leather Boots

Lunch

14 oz broken twill in the house

The goodest boy turned 11 years today. Happy Birthday Chap!

Some of pictures from Kyoto. We were manly in the North driving around with the bikes to see temples, shrines and gardens.

Autumn foliage has started at many places all over Kyoto. (Maple leaves turning red)

First things first: Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Seafood haven

Some hotel room and Tokyo nightlife pics...

Our next stop was a Buddhist temple near Kanagawa. Took us a while and a couple of train changes to get there but it was worth it. It is a tiny temple with only one resident monk (the first picture). We stayed there for two days and slept on tatamis in the temple. We had meditations with the monk, evening and morning prayers, did sutra copying and learned a bit about Buddhism and the philosophy of Zen in Japan. The temple had no bath or shower so we went to a public onsen in the area. Amazing experience as well... sorry no pics .

Couple of pictures from the temple.

Breakfast

Sutra copying

On the bikes again for breakfast and more temples

Luckily we had a nonstop night flight from Vienna to Haneda

Boarding in Ironheart

Flying with ANA means Japanese beer and meals

Breakfast

...and don't forget to get a Bento box before boarding

Out for (japanese) dinner wearing japanese stuff
FDMTL Haori
Samurai T
Momotaro Sashiko vest
IH 18oz Beatle Buster
IH sneakers

Many temples serve Matcha tea while sitting on Tatami and enjoying views to the gardens around.

Bonsai

Happy Holidays to everyone in Gosport and around the world!

My Goshuin book, collecting Goshuin from the Temples (stamps, handwritten by the monks, that work as a kind of proof that you have visited a specific temple or shrine, Maxi has already completed three books )

Stolen from the Brits some years ago and now a holiday tradition in our family