30 March 2010

Grandad's funeral today. I do so wish I could be there, and maybe if I didn't have Emily I would have flown back for it. I spoke to Mum just before the ceremony and she seemed to be handling it fairly well. John was particularly affected as he had lived with and worked with Grandad all his life. There was a good turn out of around 80 people. Grandad had many interests and Mum said they were all represented. Grandma did well but apparently had forgotten about it by the end of the day. The funeral unfortunately coincided with Tom's 3rd birthday, but he and Fern played with Eileen at her place so I don't expect he felt too hard done by.

28 March 2010

Not wanting to be stuck near home all weekend, I suggested a day out to Enoshima. Nick was in a foul mood and I hoped it would lift him to have a trip out of Tokyo. The forecast was for cloud cover and maximum 12C, but nothing prepared me for the bitter wind from the north, which was perishing. We rode to Ofuna in style in the green car, then stopped off there for coffee before taking the suspended monorail to landside of the island. Emily is still talking a lot about the 'white lady' (Kannon-sama) and was excited to catch glimpses of it as we travelled away from Ofuna.

The walk across the long bridge across to the island was unpleasant in the strong, freezing wind, and we didn't feel comfortable until we reached the shelter of the leeward side of the isle. The single street with its gift shops and restaurants was heaving and we pressed through and on up the hill to gain the tower before eating our picnic. In a nicely-planted garden we found several cats, basking in all the attention from many camera-toting tourists.

Unfortunately we found that there was little respite from the cold in the Samuel Cocking garden that tops the island, though we did quickly down our lunch. Emily hardly ate a thing and I wondered if she was coming down with the sickness that has bedevilled Isy and Tim in recent days. We spent quite a long time up in the tower's observation deck, where it was lovely and warm and good views could be had. A quick shufty from the exposed roof was curtailed as it was so icy cold up there. I had been up the tower before and suffered from vertigo walking down the outside steps back down, so I took the lift while Nick and Emily did the braver option. As soon as she realised I was not with them, Emily began wailing (probably also due to the piercing wind) and I could hear her cries all the way down as I waited at the bottom for Nick to carry her to ground level. We sought respite in the cafe there and tucked into sweet waffles, but I was amazed that Emily refused to have any.

It would have been nice to linger in the garden a while as there were some pretty beds

but what with worry about food and Nick still being gruff, we turned for home earlier than planned. We stopped by at the temples on the way down the hill; Emily fell asleep in the carrier. She didn't wake until we were safely aboard the monorail once more, and I couldn't believe she could remain asleep across the bridge with the blast chilling her.

Finally, on the train back to Tokyo she ate an onigiri; hardly sufficient but a good sign that there was nothing amiss, and she was very genki too. I did wonder if it was her toilet habits that were the problem. Recently she has gone from pooing every three days to only once every five days. It is rather worrying, and if it continues we had better see a doctor.

While Nick did the evening routine I managed to get out for my first run for a while, and I was pleased because I felt strong all the way through. If only I could run at least twice a week, then in combination with the aerobics and swimming I woud feel like I was achieving a reasonable level of exercise considering my responsibilities.

27 March 2010

Mum's birthday, but as she is in Braintree helping to organise the funeral I suppose it will pass unmarked.

Emily counted from 1 to 20 completely unprompted this morning. Until now she has always missed out thirteen and sixteen.

Some kinds of single-flowered cherry are almost fully out now, and look fabulous.

24 March 2010

We were up a bit early in order to escort Mum to Narita. I decided that rather than drag Mum through the onslaught of officeworkers that is Tamachi before 9am, we would splash out on a taxi to Shinagawa. Every time I use the NEX (Narita Express) it feels a little quicker - maybe because Emily is older and easier to cope with each time! Mum spotted a few cherries in bloom along the way and I was pleased; I am so disappointed that she missed out on hanami as that was the main reason for picking the dates we did, but if the trip was any later then it would have been obvious that Grandad was about to die and of course she would have cancelled anyway.

Thanks to a long check-in queue, we didn't get to spend any time with Mum before we had to part. There was just time for a hasty goodbye - on reflection maybe it was better that way - then I had to whisk Emily back down to our NEX train as we had already bought tickets for the return journey. I wondered what it is like to know that you won't ever see your parent again (not being one who believes in the afterlife) and if anyone ever really gets to say all that they want, or indeed, should, say.

I had left the buggy at home, so we walked home in light rain from Tamachi. All the puddles along the way were predictably splashed in. We stayed at home in the afternoon but had to stock up. By the time we went out to shop at 5pm the temperature had dropped to a bitter 3C and it was raining heavily, so weatherwise at least, Mum was fortunate.

23 March 2010

No time to settle back in for Emily, as it was nursery day. After dropping her off Mum and I first popped into Starbucks for a coffee and ended up chatting with Jo and Bettina for an hour, as it was the first time we three mums had been together for 4 weeks, due to Jo's trip back to Aus.


Afterwards, Mum and I rode the Yurikamome light rail all the way to Toyosu, which turned out to be nearly a complete circuit of the bay. I didn't realise Toyosu was so close to Ginza. There was nothing particularly special there - just another mall - so we didn't linger. We went back on the Yurikamome to Daiba and had lunch and a potter round the shops. We enjoyed the trip back across to Shibaura on the Urban Launch boat, and I hoped that our day out was helping to take Mum's mind off her imminent return and Grandad's funeral.



I just realised that Emily is not really stammering any more. Hopefully it was just a temporary glitch in her speech centre as her brain was growing. Quite a relief, as I was getting concerned.

22 March 2010

After a dull Sunday the sun was out, but the air was still cool. We were soon packed, and determined to make the most of our last breakfast buffet. The novelty of chocolate cake and cream puffs at 9am had worn off, but we still filled our faces with fruit, cereal and bread. We took our last ride in the buggy (Emily at the wheel once more) to ferry our things to the car then checked out. I think it is too easy to slip into aircon mode with modern cars; on such a lovely morning it was so nice to have the windows down and hear the birds and rustling trees as we drove northwards.

Our aim was to have a look around a mangrove forest we'd read about, before turning south for the airport. The mangroves turned out to be much further up the coast that I'd recollected so it was all a bit of a rush. We stopped there for about half an hour: enough time to watch dozens of people exploring the trees via hired kayaks (next time...), then stroll along the raised boardwalk a while.

We saw many mudhoppers, which are fish that behave more like amphibians, as they spend long periods out of the water and can move very quickly over the mud using their fins. There were also a lot of small crabs that seemed to be in mating mood, as the males, which each had one much-enlarged pincer, were rushing towards each other and waving them menacingly, the one with the smaller pincer usually backing down and retreating into its small mud hole.

We had decided that we would cut short our visit so that we could eat our picnic by the sea before we had to make for Naha. On the way there, we had noticed a great beach behind some trees next to the road and there were a few pull-ins we could use to park. We had a mile or so of beach completely to ourselves, and a very picturesque one at that, with lots of shells and coral pieces, and tree-topped rock stacks in the distance.

The sea was just too inviting, so although we only had a little time before we must make a move, we all changed and went in for a swim. It was still cold, but once immersed it became comfortable quickly, and it would have been wonderful to stay longer, though Nick would have soon burnt to a crisp in the strong sunshine. Emily was a bit reluctant at first but Nick took her in and she seemed to enjoy it. We all air-dried in the warm breeze then wolfed our food.


Emily slept most of the way back to the city, and we made good time getting back to the rental place, but it was rather stressful navigating the traffic to track down a petrol station and back at the rental outlet it was chaotic, being the end of a holiday weekend and with several full 747s about to transport the hordes back to Tokyo. I could not relax until we were finally in the airport terminal and at the gate, with only 10 minutes to spare before boarding. Emily was again very good on the flight, though a lot of it was spent on foot once more. By the time we got back to the apartment we were all worn out.


Switching on Skype, we had a call from Fi, who had to pass on the news that Grandad died yesterday (21st). While not unexpected, I suppose I had thought he might make it until Mum got back. Maybe it was better that she wasn't there at the very end. Both Fi and Sarah had seen him at the hospital and I would have liked to have gone too, though perhaps it is preferable not to have my final image of him in such a state; he looked bad enough last summer. He was very peaceful at the end, Fi said. It is somewhat of a relief for Mum and John, really, as they have been under immense strain for a few years and especially the last one. By all accounts, poor Grandma was not taking the news in, though I am sure there will be lucid moments when it hits home. I am very lucky that I knew all my grandparents and they were fun to be with. We used to love it when they visited, or we went up to Braintree for a holiday.

21 March 2010

After a late night to bed for us all, it took the alarm to wake us, at 8am. Again, we filled up heartily on the buffet breakfast. Overnight, the temperature had dropped significantly so we were a bit cold though we did still eat outside. A layer of high cloud kept the best of the sun's heat at bay all day. Our plan was to drive around the northern peninsula, so we first headed to Nago then north on the highway that runs up the west side to the tip. It was a really scenic drive, as the road hugs the coast all the way up. There were lots of solitary rock stacks and small islets near shore, and the water was pale blue above the many reefs.

Halfway up, we turned inland a couple of miles at Kunigami as the guide book said that we could do a short walk to 25 metre high Hiji waterfall. As we read that it was only 1.5km each way we assumed that it would only take an hour. However, the path went up and down many steep sections of steps and from start to finish we were gone three hours. The trail began at a campsite, where you pitch your tent on a raised wooden platform. It looked fantastic, in its woodland setting right by the small river, though I would be nervous about the island's venomous pit viper, the habu, lurking in the leaf litter under the dais. The track followed the river upstream, through unbroken native forest. We revelled in the glorious variety of trees and shrubs, unable to identify many. The tree-ferns were awesome, some at least 20 feet high.

At the halfway point we came to a suspension bridge that was about 20 metres across and maybe the same in height above the river below. As we approached we passed beneath masses of dangling black-red locust flowers.

I felt very nervous as the bridge swayed whenever someone walked across, and could only cope if I stood rigidly in the very middle, though the view of the surrounding forest was certainly wonderful.

From there, the path seemed to go on forever, up and down steep staircases, before we finally rounded a corner and saw the 80 foot gushing Hiji waterfall.

By now we were tired and hungry so didn't linger at the spectacle long before backtracking to a wooden shelter we'd passed, so that we could tuck into our picnic. Emily refused to go in the carrier afterwards, saying 'I'm a big girl now, I want to walk', so we let her have her way and she managed a few flights of steps before we got her to agree to ride. Having nodded off just before Nick got back to the car, she woke when he tried to transfer her to the car seat. I assumed that she would drop off again once we hit the road for the final 15 miles to Cape Hedo, but I was wrong and she was still awake when we pulled into the car park there, though the rest of us were all very groggy after food and exertion!

The bracing wind soon perked us up and we enjoyed the karst scenery and crashing waves.

Emily was very taken with a statue of an island mascot, which I think is a cockerel though Nick said the sign didn't mention what type of creature it was supposed to be.

It seemed rather out of character in the place of natural beauty, but not as much as the hideous eyesore of a concrete block housing a restaurant and shop.

A mile inland we made a last brief stop to look out from a 70-metre cliff to the bay below, before the ubiquitous piped 5 o'clock music told us that it was high time we turned for home. Emily resisted sleep for more than an hour as we drove back to Kanucha, cutting across from west to east coast halfway down. We passed many pineapples on the road that linked the two coastal highways. The scenery here was equally as spectacular, though we had to pass inland several times to cut behind uninhabited headlands with high cliffs. Emily's eyes were on the brink of shutting as we pulled into the resort at six, with the sun hovering close to the horizon on this eve of the Equinox. She was happy as Larry to be allowed to 'drive' the buggy back to our room.

I was pleased that after being awake more than 10 hours she still ate plenty of fare from the all-you-can-eat buffet. Her meal culminated in an icecream cornet, her first cone, which she licked at delicately. It was a cooler evening, so we sat in the room and drank some wine after Emily had gone to bed, but we were all weary after another big day out and all those steps, so we were a-bed around 10pm.

20 March 2010

Returning to the same restaurant where we had dined the night before, we enjoyed a great buffet breakfast of both Japanese and Western dishes. The fresh fruit was to die for: we pigged out on fresh lychees and I was surprised to see that Emily liked them. As we were going out of the resort for the day, it was my turn to drive the buggy down to where the car was parked. It was fun driving the cart, though a little frustrating as its top speed was only about 5mph. Once on our way, where the road passed along beside a tidal river we noticed lots of mangroves with their roots sunk into the salt water. We cut across to Nago over a hilltop road, which passed through beautiful virgin forest with hardly any sign of mankind to be seen.

Our plan was to take a 15 minute boat trip from Motobu to Minnajima, a small paradise isle ringed with white sand that we could see in the distance. Unfortunately as it was off-season there were only two sailings a day and we were too late (in the end it turned out that there weren't any boats that day anyway due to high wind). Emily was not impressed by being stuck in the car, even for half an hour, but luckily there was a playground close by to entertain her for a while.

The sun was very strong and it felt really hot out of the wind, so we didn't stay very long.

Nearby there was another island, Sesoko, which was accessible over a steeply-inclined bridge, so we decided to go and find a beach there instead. We hit upon a beach of very pale sand, backed by overhanging rocks that made a great place to shelter and set up camp. Due to an onshore reef the sea was very shallow for several hundred metres, beyond which the surf broke at the boundary with deeper water. After a quick paddle (when we discovered that the shallow sea was actually quite chilly) we sat out of the burning sun and scoffed our picnic lunch. Though a bit ginger, I eventually plucked up enough courage to fully immerse myself in the thigh-deep water.

We could see people standing in the shallow water further out and looking at something, so I began to wade out too. I was glad of my sandals as it was rough underfoot, and the first time I put on my goggles and peered underwater at a rocky outcrop just below the surface I saw a lot of spiky sea urchins that made me even more pleased I was not barefoot.

Young corals were clustered all over the sea floor and I hated treading on any, though it was impossible not to. Wherever there were any rocks there were small brain corals growing on them, and there were also urchins in every crevice. Best of all, small bright-blue fish darted around these havens. There was one nicely-marked fish about the size of my hand that I saw a few times and which watched me inquisitively from a safe distance as I peered at it under the surface. Foot-long black sea cucumbers were everywhere too, and it was hard not to step on their gross, squidgy bodies. Near the shore I found a large blue starfish and Emily was very excited to see it.

She was having a rare old time pottering along the shore picking up shells, sticks and leaves, though she was still scared of the little hermit crabs.

After my reef walk ,Nick went in too for a short while, then we packed up and moved on. Emily soon nodded off as we continued driving clockwise around the almost circular protrusion that is Motobu peninsula. On the north-east side is a string of small islands linked by bridges, and we drove up to the top one, Kouri. At the northern end of the isle we diverted off down a narrow dead-end road and found a beach. We weren't the only ones as there were a good dozen cars already there, not to mention a few military-looking Americans camping on the sand. The tide was out, revealing many large rockpools. We spent an hour or so nosing around these. They were full of urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars and a few different types of small fish.

The sun was dropping quickly as we turned south, but we decided to stop one more time at the beach next to the long bridge.

Even in the fading light the sea still looked turquoise.

It was obviously a popular spot for sunset as there were dozens there, but the fiery ball disappointingly faded out behind cloud before it reached the horizon. In the dark, we joined the heavy traffic heading back into Nago, and it was already eight o'clock by the time we pulled in at Kanucha Bay again. We went straight to dinner, picking the Chinese restaurant this time. Faced with a very comprehensive menu and feeling ravenous, we ordered far too many dishes. Emily ate better than I expected, especially the vegetables. I ploughed through as much as I could but we could not manage to finish everything and I wished we hadn't let our enthusiasm carry us away.

It was 9.30 before we drove back up to the room in our buggy, and Emily was not asleep until 10.15. As soon as she went off, Nick and I walked down to the beach. Though the outdoor pool and minigolf weren't open for the season there were lots of lights blazing, annoyingly. The tide was up quite high so we took up a perch in the lifeguards' stand at the top of the sand and swigged red wine as we listened to the surf break and looked across the bay to the lights of Camp Schwab. We stayed longer than intended and it was midnight by the time we got back and flaked out.

19 March 2010

I got an unpleasant taste of Nick's daily ordeal, having to wake at 5.15. I felt calm as I had packed the night before, and amazingly Emily was easy to wake and ready to leave on time. It was chilly, and overnight rain was still heavy in the air as we hailed a cab to take us to Hamamatsucho station. As always, Emily found the monorail ride to Haneda exciting, and we arrived in plenty of time to fill our grumbling tummies in Starbucks before getting to the gate just as the 747 flight to Naha was boarding. The two and a half hour journey was relatively painless; we spent a large part of it wandering the aisles, and the seat and tray table were plastered with Emily's stickers.

Touching down in Naha, basking at 25C, it really felt like a different country, and as it is 1,000 miles from Tokyo and a good way further south of the capital the vegetation is of a nearly tropical character. I was surprised to see that the airport was not overrun with foreigners as I expected: there are thousands of Americans stationed on the island. After a hasty lunch in the terminal we made the bus transfer to the car hire depot, which was situated behind a bizarre treehouse bar.



As Nick was a bit hungover and extremely weary, I took the wheel of the rental car. Naha is a busy city, and I was a bit stressed at first, but I soon relaxed into the drive, which took about 90 minutes. Once we got onto the two-lane expressway we made swift progress to Nago, enjoying the fantastic landscape. There was so much lush, verdant plant life, and coming from still-wintry Tokyo it really lifted our hearts. Some of the hills looked quite jagged, too young to be weathered and eroded yet. As we neared Nago we skirted a bay with patches of astonishingly light turquoise water. Our destination was across on the east coast though: Kanucha Bay.

Another 20 minutes brought us to the huge, sprawling hotel/villa/golf course resort. Our car was taken away to be parked and we were ushered into the large lobby, which has a balcony overlooking a pretty bay. We were offered a golf buggy to drive to our room a few hundred metres away up a hill, but we declined in favour of stretching our legs, while the bellboy drove ahead with our things. I thought the resort buildings had seen better days as some of them were a bit streaked and patchy outside. However, our room, one of about 100 spread along the hill on four floors, was of a decent standard and a good size, being nearly as large as our apartment. It had three double beds and a cot, plus table and chairs, a desk and a large south-facing patio with furniture and parasol.


Emily had slept all the way in the car, so was now very lively, and wasted no time in leaping on the beds and bouncing in the cot, before we went out onto the patio to cool off. The sun lounger also made a good trampoline.



After relaxing out there with a cuppa we went off to investigate the beach. The bellboy had left us the buggy anyway, so we decided it would be fun to try it out.


In fact, most guests were using one to get around the complex, though there are also two courtesy buses circling the site continuously. Part of the beach was out of bounds as they were piling it up with new sand. Large lorries thundered down through the resort with their heavy loads of sand, and a big digger was moving it onto the beach. However, by cutting across the miniature golf course we could go further along and explore. Sadly, the season doesn't start until April 1st, so the outdoor pools weren't open, and also Nick was told that we couldn't swim in the sea. We had a lovely time down along the shore though. It was littered with coral debris and pretty shells, and the rocks were very attractive too.

We found that there were many small hermit crabs scuttling about. At first Emily was intrigued by them, but Nick picked one up and then yelped as it suddenly emerged from its shell; after that she was scared of them, though they were only an inch or so across at most.

Emily was blissful, paddling in rock pools and a small stream that cut across the sand from the base of the cliff. I felt really happy, to see her face lit up and so intent on what she was doing.

Nick couldn't resist the lure of the sea and as he had his trunks on he went in for a few minutes. It was a trifle cold for my liking, but if I'd had my swimsuit on and it had been calmer I would have braved the surf. We found some interesting fruit growing at the back of the beach that we thought might be bread fruit, as the foliage was not that of pineapple, though the latter is an Okinawan speciality.



We'd only had a light lunch so by now I was shaking with hunger. The sun was starting its slow descent so reluctantly I suggested that we had better return and find some sustenance. We made our way back to the golf cart, stopping to admire what must be the world's smallest digger.



Mum drove the buggy back up the steep hill to our room. We swiftly changed into warmer clothes, as at 6pm it was cooling down now, then walked a couple of hundred metres to an Italian-style restaurant which is right next to a large outdoor pool (sadly empty until April but a pleasant setting for all that). We took a table outside and enjoyed the fact that we could do so in March. Nick made the right choice and took the all-you-can-eat option, while Mum and I ordered separate starter, main and sweet, which turned out a little disappointing. He returned to the buffet time and time again, bringing many tidbits for Emily (a few found their way to me too! ). Best of all was a fabulous selection of fresh tropical fruit, and Emily gorged herself on watermelon, while we all tucked into starfruit, passionfruit, papaya and pineapple.

After the feast we went straight to the room, pausing to admire the night sky, as it was clear and starlit. Emily had lots of fun with the shower in the massive bathroom before reluctantly going to bed. She seemd to still be very energetic, but she dropped off quite fast, and Nick did too as he lay in the dark room alongside her while Mum and I sat out on the patio. Having all had an early start we turned in before 10pm for a big catch-up.

17 March 2010

Mum, Emily and I had a day out to meet Toshiko. We took the train down to Kamakura, where we met her, then continued on the dinky little Enoden line to Hase station. At Ofuna, Emily was very excited to see the 'white lady' (ie. Kannon-sama) as we passed the huge statue near the station.


We walked up to Hasedera temple first. Though the cherry blossom was not yet out it was still very attractive in the gardens there and we spent more than an hour strolling (well, Mum and Toshiko strolled while Emily and I did our own thing).

The maximum temperature was supposed to be only 12C, but out of the wind it felt warmer and it was mixed cloud and sun. The viewing platform had great views out to sea and over to the Miura peninsula.

Down in the bottom garden I was surpised to bump into Victoria with a sleeping Soraya. Yet another second-time pregnant mum. Emily was fascinated by hundreds of tadpoles in a pond, and also seemed very taken with a modern representation of Jizo.



Feeling peckish, we crossed the street to Cafe Chaca, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. For once Emily ate fish and rice (mine), though she barely touched the savoury waffle I had ordered for her.Up the road a bit further is Daibutsu, or Great Buddha. This bronze statue is massive, but very serene, I think. Emily seems interested in many religious images lately.

10 minutes walk away is a beach and Emily played there for half an hour, though there was a very cold, strong wind blowing.

Naptime came and went and I decided to try to get through without it and go for an early night instead. We took the Enoden back to Kamakura where we had coffee and cake, then parted from Toshiko and rode the train back to Tokyo.


Emily fell asleep in the buggy as we approached the apartment and slept on the sofa for 50 mins. When she woke she was hysterically upset for quarter of an hour. A new boxed set of Peppa Pig DVDs finally dried up the tears, but she got upset again when I paused it for dinner. We watched more afterwards and again she got upset when I took her off for her bath.

Grandad is still in hospital. He is responding OK to antibiotics but John told Mum he doesn't think he will last much longer. They may send him back to the home to be with Grandma until the end.

16 March 2010

Overnight rain had passed leaving clear skies and there was a very warm breeze from the south. It must have been more than 20C at times. Emily was in nursery and after we dropped her off I took Mum to Kyu Shiba Rikyu where we spent a good hour and a half. The turtles are now back after a winter absence. I don't know if they hibernate, or are removed somewhere warmer for a while. The garden looked wonderful, despite the lack of cherry blossom.

We made our way home as I had lots of chores to take care of, then we took the train to Hibiya Park. We strolled there briefly, stopping to watch a graceful heron trying to catch fish in the pool, then carried on through Ginza before picking Emily back up.

She was very genki but I felt really stressed for some reason (probably PMT). My BP was higher than it has been in ages and it must have worried Mum to see me lose it like I did. I was trying to get tea ready and had too many things on the go at once, plus I am very worried as Emily has begun stammering in the last day or so. I managed to calm down by bathtime though.

14 March 2010

After another Starbucks breakfast, we checked out from the room then made our way to the home of Nick's friends the Tateyamas. Unfortunately their son, Eito, who is six, was out hiking. We had been talking about him to Emily so she was disappointed not to see him, but she certainly enjoyed playing with his toys.


We spent quite a while looking over their wedding albums (they married at Gleneagles), though I recall that we saw the photos last time too! In true hospitable Japanese style, Mr Tateyama kindly gave us a lift afterwards to Fushimi Inari shrine, where we were due to meet another friend, Masahiko. We were a little early but were more than happy in the lovely warm sunshine. We were intrigued by a stall set up nearby, which had lots of dead snakes on display. Nick enquired and found out that they were selling snake oil, in dried form. If you purchased a jar you got the relevant snake into the bargain.


Masahiko and his wife and son (Satoko and Kaoru) duly arrived and we walked through the shrine

and on up the wooded hillside via a path that passed under hundreds of red torii which are donated by businessmen hoping to improve their fortune.


We had lunch in a restaurant by the path, staffed by old crones as these places often seem to be. On the way back down Emily dropped off in the carrier and had a short nap. Soon it was time to go back into the centre of Kyoto and pick up our late afternoon shinkansen. Emily munched contentedly on an apple nearly as big as her head while we waited on the busy platform for our train.

The journey went OK but Emily wanted to walk up and down a lot so Nick and I took it in turns to accompany her.