31 March 2011

I was still feeling awful, though at least I was not sick again. I could not face any food but forced down a Weetabix and as much water as I could bear because my kidneys were hurting. Mum and Dad had to go out, so I managed to take a stroll around the garden with Emily, but it must have been a very boring morning for her. At least the sun was out, though there were strong gusts of wind all day. In the afternoon we had a date to visit Maria and the girls, and I was glad that I was feeling well enough by then to go. Emily had a nice couple of hours with Alex (7) and Rhianna (nearly 5). Back at home I ate a decent tea and began to feel more or less human again.

30 March 2011

Another misty day. Nick got his transfer offer letter and the salary was quite reasonable. They are also throwing in a month's accommodation in London. the down side is that he has to return to Tokyo for April 11th. After lunch I took Emily to Kingdom Come, a softplay centre in Abergavenny. Predictably, she would only go on the equipment with me, but after a while she got talking to a girl of about four and they went on it together for a while. A good thing too, as I was feeling rather ropey. By the time we left I was very nauseous and forced myself to quickly do some shopping before hurrying home. Unfortunately Mum and Dad had just gone out, so I parked Emily in front of the TV and lay down. When they got back I felt progressively worse and around 5:30 I was horribly sick many times. Obviously, I had the same bug that Emily had two days ago. I felt achy and shivery all over and Mum was very good and got Emily's tea and then bathed her. I retired to bed at the same time as Emily, with a bucket beside me for good measure, but instead of sleeping deeply as I expected, I had a terrible night of tossing and turning and I don't think I notched up one complete hour of sleep.

29 March 2011

Another misty and cold day. We went to Hereford with Mum. I made a bad choice for Emily's lunch and she would not eat it, so I had to get her sushi from M&S afterwards. I have to say that British people are not really getting the best experience of Japanese cuisine. I had promised Emily a new puzzle and also got her set of melamine tableware. There are so many temptations to buy her, and individually justifiable, but I am worried about spoiling her. Note to self if I ever open a teashop: make sure to offer a cake covered in sprinkles or decorations as the kids will go for it every time! Emily wanted a huge Smartie covered muffin but of course, I ended up eating half of it once she had picked off all the sweets. At the playground it was amazingly very quiet, given that it was after school hours and the sun was showing signs of appearing . Emily and I had plenty of fun in the very good play area. It's a great facility. Nick forwarded an email from CS HR to say the transfer has been approved and things will start to happen. I feel oddly sad at the thought I may not now go back to Tokyo at all, though it seems sensible not to. I need some sort of closure; I'm mourning my life there, though without my friends it's not the same anyway. Emily is not talking much about it and doesn't mention her friends too much, but I'm glad to have been able to arrange a couple of playdates with Maria's and Ali's girls soon.

28 March 2011

Emily came into bed with me halfway through the night and I worried that she would be sick again, but thankfully she wasn't. We went into Abergavenny with Mum and Dad and had coffee and Welsh cakes, then carried on to Waitrose, where Emily enjoyed using the self-scanning device. But as we were nearly done, she suddenly threw up, all over herself and the floor. As she had had 'bumbleberry' juice at the cafe, it was a horrid purple mess for the staff to clear away, but they were very nice about it; I hurried her off to the loo to clean her up and she soon calmed down. She only managed a couple of breadsticks for lunch but seemed happy enough the rest of the day. Dad was using a bonfire in Rosemary's field to burn loads of tree offcuts and it was fun getting stuck in helping lug them across the field, hacking them to smaller pieces and then throwing them on to the pyre. I've always liked playing with fire. Emily enjoyed the attentions of Rosemary's friendly cats and was pleased with some pheasant tail feathers I gave her. While Emily had tea, I went off for an overdue run. At the bottom of the lane, I parked the car and did a figure of eight run round Pandy and Llanfihangel, which I estimate to be about three and a half miles. It was a real slog and I did not get any pleasure out of it. I was only running for 33 minutes and could not have managed much more. How can this be the same person who recently ran for nearly an hour and a half?

27 March 2011

Mum's birthday; it's been quite a few years since I was able to spend the special occasion with her. It was another day of mist and cool temperatures so we just hung out at home with Fi and the kids until it was time for Nick to get his train to London. We will be reunited on Friday night, but somehow it is harder to be without him here than it would be at home. Maybe it is because we have just had 10 days together and I've become used to having him around. After we watched the train pull away, we took the children for a play in Bailey Park. The playground has been completely revamped, with loads of new equipment since we were here last summer. The trouble was that it was full of older kids, so Emily and Fern were put off using some of the structures. We shall have to go back when all the older kids will be in school. Emily was sick around 11pm. She threw up all over herself, the bedding and Goki. I got her cleaned up and made up a fresh set of bedding, then within 5 minutes she vomited again, entailing more cleaning up and another clean sheet and blanket. I was close to chucking up myself as I cleared it all up - not the best way to wind down before going to bed!

26 March 2011

We drove to Mum's, our big hire car laden down with luggage and recent purchases. I was so pleased and surprised to find that Fi was there with the kids. Emily and Fern played happily for three hours, which was just what she needed after the journey. It was very misty - the sun seemed about to break through many times but couldn't quite manage to do so.

25 March 2011

Graham was at the trains again, but Pam and Kate joined us for our final day as we drove over to Buxton, half an hour away via the Cat and Fiddle pass. The moors looked quite bleak and remote, despite their proximity to civilisation. We had a very decent lunch at the restaurant housed in the old pavilion building, then Nick and Pam took Emily to the play area in the adjacent park, while Kate and I popped into the small town centre for a while.

After we rejoined them we went back to the same cafe for tea and cake; Emily chose a big cupcake with green icing and sparkles sprinkled on. I couldn't resist having a browse in the great gift shop attached, before heading back to the car. It was packed with the sort of trinkets that bleed money from fools like me whose heads are easily turned by smart designs and appealing packaging. In my defence, I rarely buy anything for myself in those places but stock up on gifts for friends and relatives.

24 March 2011

The weather continued to be kind to us for a trip to Lyme Park. As it was a weekday it was fairly quiet there, which was just as well, because they had opened a new wood-based adventure playground since last year and Emily got to try everything out without being put off by bigger kids or crowds. Nick and I also had plenty of fun on the equipment.

It was a very impressive facility and is sure to be well received by young visitors. For some reason, Emily was being a bit of a pain and we had many words but in retrospect I think a lot of it was down to hunger; as soon as she had eaten lunch she was a little angel again. We came away from the gift shop laden down - it is one of the most enticing I have been in, and I am in the mood to splash a lot of cash at the moment for some reason. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to use my debit card again and not worry if I am short of readies.

After the shop we walked up onto the grassy ridge and along to the folly. Emily is still obsessed by magic, thanks to Ben and Holly, so we imagined that the tower was a wizard's house and that he was having tea with a witch in one of the other odd buildings scattered around the country estate. We played in the grassy depressions along the hilltop and climbed the rocks.

In the evening I again went for a run with Graham and Nick. This time we ran up Brookledge Lane to the old railway track footpath and then back down Holehouse Lane. It took about 50 minutes and it was a struggle most of the way, though a lovely route, especially as the sun went down in an attractive orange sky while we were out.

23 March 2011

While Nick and I went off for a day's splurge in Manchester, Pam and Kate did an admirable job looking after Emily all day. We left them making gingerbread men;

on our return they met us at Adlington station. Nick and I both made many purchases so we were pleased with our shopping trip. It was a lovely spring day in the city and there were many vest tops and pastey legs in evidence. It will take a while to get used to tattooed women again! I did once see a young Japanese woman with one, but she was a surf chick. Body art is normally strictly limited to members of the yakuza and their associates.

22 March 2011

We were blessed with a pleasant day's weather for our trip to Tatton Park. Nick rode with Graham in the sports car while us womenfolk went in the hire car. Being a term-time weekday it was lovely and quiet at the country house, and the adventure playground (first port of call, naturally) was practically deserted. Last year when we went there, Emily had just sustained her wrist sprain and been unable to give it a go, so she made up for it this time. She tried out pretty much every piece of equipment before we carried on to the cafe for lunch. I felt a bit sorry to see one little girl attended by five adults and a pang came over me about being unable to provide her with a sibling - such sentiments are less frequent these days but none the less poignant when they surface.

Unlike the previous visit we were able to eat our delicious lunch in the courtyard without being plagued by wasps; Emily managed to tip over the chair she was standing on and yelled long and hard when she sustained a bump. With calm eventually restored, we continued straight on into the gardens. I think Emily was a bit disappointed at first as she clearly recalled eating big juicy raspberries from the canes last time and also seeing huge pumpkins and melons, but at least the scarecrows were still in the vegetable garden - she liked the ghostly one best. We moved on through the rose garden and past the clipped yew hedging. On the broad walk we discovered a very macabre scarecrow dressed like a tree surgeon and suspended from a large beech tree like one newly-hanged. Luckily Emily was not frightened by it but it was rather curious.

We strolled around the small lake past rhododendron bushes already bedecked with luxuriant flowers

and on to the Japanese garden, which made me a little homesick for some of my favourite Tokyo haunts. There were fine views from the end of the garden over the grassland and lake, with a large herd of deer grazing peacefully. Emily was flagging a bit and we stopped at the African bush hut for a snack.

The others went on ahead and we followed, but diverted to the maze on the way, since Emily really likes them. It took somewhat longer than I'd expected to complete, by which time Nick had gone in search of us, so he was a bit miffed with me for going off unplanned. After running the gauntlet of the gift shop's temptations more or less unscathed we went home.

21 March 2011

Nick, Emily and I had lunch in Macclesfield. It was a bit of a trial: first Nick's cappucino was made with rancid milk, then they brought me a potato instead of a baguette and were out of Emmenthal, my coffee tasted like third-rate instant and Emily couldn't have juice as it was sold out and then had to wait ages for a milkshake while they went to Iceland for some that had not gone off.

Anyway, we ate tolerably well despite all that. Nick and Emily went and played in the great playground next to Sainsbury's while I spent an hour in wide-eyed wonder scanning the shelves laden with wonders. We had been planning to go swimming but as the sun had come out and Emily was having such fun we just stayed there in the park a while longer then went home. There was one place in the park that was an absolute carpet of purple and white crocuses, which made me glad to be back. On the other hand a small group of teenagers was hanging around in the playground and I felt annoyed that none of the parents could feel safe to say anything to them. I am still referring to Tokyo as 'home' and wonder how long that will last. Once we have somewhere to live and our things around us maybe.

After Emily had her dinner I left her in Pam's tender care and went out for a run with Graham and Nick. We were gone for exactly an hour, and she was well asleep on my return. I was really pleased with my performance, starting strongly and managing to keep up with Graham for the whole 6.5 mile run.

20 March 2011

Our first day in Adlington was unfortunately damp and cold. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen watching all the birds visiting the feeder: various tits and finches, a robin and a wren.

In the morning Nick, Graham, Emily and I went for a walk along the nearby canal and fed mainly geese and a lone male duck. Emily did well on her feet but eventually complained of being cold - it really was very chilly and the light rain didn't help.

Gail and Dave came up for the day and we had a late lunch then took a trip to Brookside and its miniature railway. Emily also enjoyed poking around the garden playhouses and inspecting the many toys and books that are obligatory in garden centres these days.

18 March 2011

Amazingly, Emily woke at 2am and said she wasn't tired. I took her into bed with us and she napped until four but then was definitely awake. There was no way I was getting up then but I could only hold her off until 5am. We had a massive breakfast and played until the others stirred. As dawn approached it was lovely to hear the birdsong; they don't seem to have an equivalent of the blackbird in Japan. We had breakfast number two with the others. Later, as it was wet, Fi and I took the kids to Asda. In the coffee shop we were surrounded by obese people and I regretted the hasty purchase of a brownie. In the store, as expected, I was like a child in a toy shop, marvelling at the choice and low prices.

Emily and Fern went crazy in the aisles since the on-site creche was closed. It continued to rain until about 4pm, at which point we took them for a stroll round the local park and they burned off some of their pent-up energy. Despite her incredibly early rising, Emily made it through until about 7.30 before crashing to sleep.

17 March 2011

Flee for your lives! At 4.30 we rose to prepare for our hasty departure. Our taxi passed through the near-empty streets before dawn and down the ghostly expressway to Narita airport. We took up station near the head of the queue for the Virgin check-in, which was to open three and a half hours later. My heart sank as I contemplated the prospect of keeping Emily entertained all that time, but in the end it passed fairly quickly with visits to the cafe and souvenir shops. Our sleep sacrifice paid off when we got checked in ahead of the long queue and we ushered Emily through security and immigration without further delay.

After take-off, Emily fell asleep almost immediately and I got to watch Oscar-winning The Kings Speech before she woke. Somehow the next nine hours or so passed without much stress. We exhausted all the kids TV options soon, but luckily Emma and Ellie were on our flight and the two girls got on really well. They spent hours running up and down the aisles together and played with stickers and read books. Towards Heathrow, Emily became quite distressed and I was very relieved that we didn't go into a holding pattern.

On terra firma I felt strangely numb. The sky was grey and so was the airport, as always. The gloomy and grubby corridors were a stark contrast to the smart Terminal 1 at Narita. Fortunately Fiona had been able to come to meet us and it was good to see her waiting. We queued once more for the trolley lifts and then we were home free, off down the M4 to Earley. I tried my bet to stop Emily's eyes from closing on the way but 5 minutes from Fi's she gave in to the sandman. After we extracted her from the car she was on the verge of severe upset but luckily Homer hove into view and she revived. Once Fern got back from nursery Emily was rampant right until I forced her to bed at 7.30, at which point she had been awake for about 17 hours.

Nick and I made it to nine o'clock and then zonked straight out.

16 March 2011

We are very worried that radiation will result in cancellation of the flight and spent the day thinking about alternatives. Emily had cabin fever and square eyes as I spent much of the day packing and she got to watch a lot of TV. Jo called to say that they were in Hokkaido as planned, in a deserted Niseko, and were flying on from there to Sydney. I felt very sad as she said Oli may lose his job because they are unsympathetic to him taking off, despite circumstances and his offer to work from their Sydney office. So I didn't get to say goodbye properly, after all this time and so much water under the bridge.

15 March 2011

Nick has been affected by all this more than me, I think, but after waking at 5am to a largish tremor I could not get back to sleep as I had such tightness in my chest. I resolved to see the doctor the same day. Around 10am Nick called from work to say that he wanted to fly home as soon as possible. His boss agreed he could take some time off and then work from the London office, but whether that means his transfer will happen and be brought forward is anybody's guess. Anyway, I managed to get a flight reservation for Thursday though the phone lines at No 1 Travel must have been red hot judging by how hard it was to get through. At the clinic, the doctor took X-rays and said that Emily has a chest infection. My blood pressure reading was still borderline hypertension and once this crisis blows over I had better take some action. Bettina and family are on their way to Thailand. Julia should be aboard the plane bound for Chicago now. Lydia called to say they had decided to go to HK earlier than planned and may well carry straight on to the UK after that. Jo returned to Tokyo briefly but only to pack ready for their trip to Hokkaido, which they are going through with. There was another big aftershock in the evening while we were on Skype with Nick's family. I had to get Emily out of bed and drag her under the table.

14 March 2011

A warm spring day lifted spirits a bit. Nick had to go in to work (very reluctantly, given the number of aftershocks and not wanting to be separated) but Emily and I stayed at home in the morning to bake a loaf of bread, as I had not been able to get any thanks to panic buying - luckily I already had yeast and flour at home. Julia called with an SOS as she needed Charlize entertained while she finalised packing ready for their departure on Tuesday. Cliff and I took the girls to Midtown park where they played happily for some time. We parted company so that Charlize could nap in the buggy and I took Emily to Appi for a while, then we returned to Julia's and stayed for pizza and bath before saying our goodbyes. It seems we are to be the only foreigners left in Tokyo. All our friends and acquaintances are out of town. Osaka seems to be the location of choice, if not returning to home countries to ride out the crisis. Nick is still putting on the pressure for me and Emily to get out too, but I don't want to go anywhere without him.

13 March 2011

We slept well, though partially woken several times by aftershocks. We decided to go out for the day as it was very springlike and because we were too anxious staying at home. The news from the north east gets more and more appalling - they now say that more than 10,000 are feared dead thanks to the tsunami. And the Fukushima nuclear plant is another worry as the shell of one reactor exploded yesterday and another is likely to blow too.

Anyway, we walked to Hamarikyu, stopping off for refreshment at a near-empty Starbucks on the way. At the park we were heartened by the beautiful plum blossom and the field of honey-scented rape flowers. A newly-married couple in their finery were having their photos taken in the park.

Emily enjoyed playing football on the grass and running around the 'maze' of peony plant beds. We had a picnic under one tree in fragrant flower

then took a boat ride up the Sumida river to Asakusa. From the riverbank there we had fine views of the Sky Tree and the Eternal Flame (aka Golden Turd).

We wandered the streets in search of a cafe we once went to and finally tracked it down in the maze of streets near Sensoji Temple. On the way, we were accosted by a couple of guys with a camera who were making a TV programme. I ended up doing an impression of a cow - I thought they just wanted me to say what noise I heard in their headphones but then they explained that they wanted me to copy the sound!

All in all, it was a lovely day out, and seemed possible to almost forget the tragic events unfolding elsewhere in the country, until we saw the TV in the cafe.

My evening run came in at 1hr 23min and afterwards I got a reading of 61.5kg (9st 10lb)! The lowest yet by miles. Must be all the worry. Actually, I have been feeling ravenous the whole time so maybe my body is in survival mode.

12 March 2011

During the night I was aware of several sizable shakes but overall was amazed at how well I slept and Emily didn't stir until at least 7am. Masahiko managed to get himself booked on a an early shinkansen from Shinagawa, and I was sceptical that he would be able to go, but Nick walked him there and amazingly he was able to take the train home. Nick said that the three lane road was closed southbound to allow for all the pedestrians, with all cars sharing the other carriageway. I was keen to look at footage but wary of frightening Emily so I didn't see much. What I did see was like nothing imaginable. I wondered at how people could build so near and low to the water level and hope they are never allowed to do so again. To be honest, it almost seems like a different country, seeing those homes smashed to matchwood, cars washed away, large ships lying askew. There are literally tens of thousands unaccounted for. We ended up having a very quiet morning at home, though with every tremor Emily was scared and I felt seasick all morning. My every move made me query whether there was a quake; my only corroboration that I was not imagining it was the rattly door and the swaying of the light cords. After lunch we finally got outside into the spring sunlight, and played outside at a couple of playgrounds. After coffee in a surprisingly normal Azabu, we went up to Julia's where Cliff was in charge while Julia did some last minute chores before their move. Emily was extremely weary and it showed. After she finally went to bed we watched more footage of the Fukushima nuclear plant seemingly blowing up, and hoped we were not about to be engulfed in radioactive fallout (just in case, we filled a 20 litre container of water and I checked our tinned food supplies). Just before bed there was a warning on TV of a strong quake off Fukushima and we surfed the wave of quivers washing through our apartment. Once upon a time a tremor like this would have terrified me, but after yesterday I am almost casual about it.

11 March 2011

We won't forget this day in a hurry. At 2:45 this afternoon a massive 8.9 earthquake hit off Miyagi and triggered a 10 metre high tsunami. The area has been experiencing strong tremors lately, some felt as minor shakes in Tokyo, so it was no surprise that it blew, but the scale was unbelievable. One of the largest quakes in the world in magnitude since records began.

Emily was at nursery and Nick at work, at the time it hit. I was walking to a dental appointment at the clinic next to Tokyo Tower. Standing at Akabanebashi crossing, a busy intersection, I became aware that the ground was rolling; akin to being on a ship in a lively sea, and I felt off-balance. When I looked around it was like a windless hurricane: trees were waving wildly and the traffic light gantries were shaking hard. People were looking around for confirmation from passersby that they were not going crazy. There was a gaijin next to me and we got talking, with a little nervous laughter, about never experiencing anything in this scale before. From where I was standing I could see Izumi Garden Tower about a kilometre away and could clearly see it swaying, so I was worried for Nick up on the 26th floor. My thoughts turned quickly to Emily and I prayed that her teachers were taking good care of her.

Once the quake was over I continued to the clinic, where I found patients and staff outside the building and felt more comfortable being able to chat with some of them. Though phone lines seemed to be down I was immensely relieved to get a call from Nick saying he was OK and that he had been able to talk to Ui and Emily was alright. After quarter of an hour we were allowed to go inside and my appointment began. However, there was soon a strong aftershock and we quickly evacuated. I realised I had been fortunate not to be indoors the first time as it was a lot scarier to be in a building. Outside the nearby koban (police box), an officer was sweeping up hundreds of stinky ginnan that had been shaken out of the ginkgo tree, and it seemed that the aerial atop Tokyo Tower had bent a little too. Finally we went back into the building and I had my check-up. After the afternoon's events it was child's play (not that I have ever been scared of the dentist's chair). However, he told me I need a number of cavities filling so it could get very expensive.

Going home, it was immediately noticeable how the pavements were packed with people making their way home. The trains had all been suspended so some commuters must have been facing very long walks and decided to start their journey early. Going into the apartment (after walking up 10 flights of stairs because no-one was allowed to use the lift) I saw that Nick had been home as his bag was there, but he was no longer home. I wasn't quite sure where he could be but eventually concluded (correctly) that he must have gone to pick up Emily. When I went into the living room it was like a bomb site. The two 2 metre high CD shelves had toppled, crashing into the table and shedding hundreds of plastic cases. The heavy upper half of the computer desk had crashed down too and the PC was hanging amongst the wreckage.

I began clearing up and was relieved to discover that there was little damage other than the CD cases and a couple of broken ornaments. The computer even seemed to be working normally. Several times I went back outside to see if Nick and Emily were coming home, entailing a tough climb back up to the 11th floor each time. Finally, they arrived home at 7.30, after walking most of the 5 km from Ginza, with Nick carrying her and her bag towards the end. At the same time, Nick's friend Masahiko arrived. He had called earlier asking if we could put him up. He is from near Kyoto and had been in the city on business and could not get a hotel room. I offered him a futon and he turned up just after they got back. I think Nick was quite happy to have someone else around to share the burden and take in the additional details emerging.

There was a truly horrific piece of footage of the tsunami pulverising a town on the coast and instantly demolishing all in its path. It seemed almost alive, and very sinister, boiling with wreckage. The early estimates of hundreds dead will surely be proven too low.

There were many more aftershocks during the evening. Emily was very scared each time the door began rattling on its catch, signalling the start of another one. I stayed with her until she fell asleep, amazed she would even agree to sleep in a different room to us, and for the first time, I left the light on in the hallway for her. On turning in, Nick and I remained half-dressed, just in case, and had emergency supplies close at hand.

9 March 2011

Emily is very resistant to writing letters or even drawing. I wish we knew for sure our medium term future, because if we are staying here she needs to be in a more structured pre-school environment. She's into magic heavily, perhaps influenced by our recent discovery of Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, and the acquisition of the Princess and the Wizard, her current favourite book. She has such an odd accent at times, and some words are positively yokel in pronunciation, eg. oys (eyes) and insoide (inside). I know I grew up in Somerset but I don't think that is coming from me. In fact, to mollify Nick I often stress a slightly northern pronunciation, such as trying not to elongate the 'a' in grass, bath etc. Her teachers mainly speak in an Americanised accent so where can she be picking it up? Ballet went very well; even after so few classes she seems to be really picking the moves up.

7 March 2011

We were up early as we had booked on a 2 hour boat trip. While packing, Nick got a call from the operator, asking us to go as soon as possible as the forecast was for increasing wind and waves, so we ended up getting in a flap. The bad vibes were compounded when we went to the wrong car park. After emerging from five floors of the exit ramp because the store below the car park was still closed, a man ushered us urgently to the pier. We found a medium sized boat waiting for us, with a 50-strong contingent of teenaged schoolgirls aboard. As soon as we went on deck there was a mass chorus of 'kawaii' (cute), and much giggling behind hands.

It was calm enough in the harbour area and we enjoyed looking at the Mitsubishi shipyards and waterfront area of the city.

After we passed under the large Megami Bridge the sea became gradually choppier.

We passed dozens of islets until we reached the turnaround point and main interest of the trip, Gunkanjima (warboat island). This Japanese version of Alcatraz did indeed resemble a naval vessel in profile, though the former occupants were actually there by choice, mining coal. The hideous concrete buildings were actually once apartments, a school, a hospital and even a cinema.

In the lee of the island it was more or less flat but out in the open sea we were being rolled about quite a bit, and I don't have the best sea-legs at the best of times. Actually I ended up nodding off in the indoor lower deck, while Nick and Emily sat outside. They saw a jetfoil boat whizzing past at one point, similar to the one we took when we went to Oshima.

Amazingly, we managed to lose the car park ticket twice. Nick mislaid it first - it had fallen down the crease between seat and chairback. After he had set off to speak to the customer services people in the store, I called him back as I had found it, but by the time he got to the car I had lost it again. None of that helped the stress levels, but luckily the drive to the airport was quicker than expected, which was just as well as I had misremembered the flight time by 20 minutes. In the end the departure back to Tokyo was delayed by nearly half an hour though.

6 March 2011

We passed over the disappointing breakfast experience in favour of bread rolls and yogurt in our room. It was a rainy day in Nagasaki, but we pressed on with our planned itinerary. First up was Dejima, which was the only foreign enclave allowed during the long period that Japan closed itself off from the world. All that was to be seen now was a pier housing a few shops and restaurants, a pleasant enough place to hang out for a short while but nothing particular to show that it had a special history.

After that we spied a nice looking seaside park and wandered around there, as the rain became gradually heavier. As usual we had a disagreement about where to eat, but this time we finished up 'dining' in Starbucks as it was just too wet to spend much time traipsing about looking for a Japanese restaurant that I approved of.

Ten minutes up the road was the start of a string of temples and shrines spread out along the hillside. The first, Sofukuji, was built in the Ming style and had a rather attractive gate.

Up some stone-flagged steps was the main complex, where we could furl our umbrellas a while. Emily took a dislike to it because there was one room full of stern stone figures, including the one she calls the ghost buddha (actually a bodhisattva, Pindaro).

After missing our way a couple of times we made our way down the street and to the next temple, Daionji, pausing on the way to admire Hosshinji bell, cast in 1438. We found a heavenly-scented plum tree in a graveyard along the road.

After seeing a number of sights in the downpour we felt that Emily had done very well staying on her feet and decided to search out a cafe for some respite from the rain. This we found in a long covered arcade. Nearby was the Nakashima river, spanned by no fewer than ten 17th century bridges (most of which are modern reconstructions of originals that had been washed away in floods). Most famous is Meganebashi; Spectacles Bridge, so called because the bridge and its reflection look like a pair of glasses.

Emily was happy exploring along the riverside despite the continuing deluge, but we'd had enough and wanted to get back to the shelter of the mall. We spent a good half hour looking for somewhere to have an early dinner but in the end we turned to the guide book and I am so glad that we did. The place we chose, Ginnabe, was fantastic and I would happily have eaten there all three days if we had found it sooner. It was a Japanese restaurant with all the usual favourites, but done very well, and some with a bit of a modern twist. We over-ordered but really enjoyed the half dozen or so dishes. It had a lovely ambience, with wooden decks and footwells for seating, each table divided by a transparent hanging screen, to Emily's delight.

We got back to the hotel fairly early and once Emily was asleep we had time to relax and enjoy the night view for a couple of hours.

5 March 2011

For once the forecast was spot on as we got great weather for our day trip to Shimabara and its very active volcano cluster, Unzen-dake. We didn't linger long over our very poor breakfast and were soon away; it took a little over an hour to drive over the hills surrounding Nagasaki, and around the coast road. The bulk of the mountains loomed across the curve of the bay.

The final quarter hour of the drive ascended a narrow switchback road and then we took a toll route and climbed higher again. From a roadside panoramic spot we drank in stunning views over hundreds of islands, and panning round, over extensive lavaflows and up to Heisei Shinzan.

Just 20 years ago a 250 metre addition to the existing volcano was pushed up, accompanied by violent rending of the earth and massive lava outpourings. It was named after the current emperor's reign.

Though it was very cold in the shade, we found a sheltered and sunny spot and ate a picnic outside the ropeway station a little further on from the viewpoint. The gondola took us up a short but steep cable to a station planted on one of a ring of older lava stack hills ringing the central cone.

We spent more than an hour pottering around up there; there was even a scattering of snow in north-facing nooks and crannies. Nick found some amazing trees with wind-sculpted ice-crusts thawing in the sun.

On the return drive we stopped off further down the mountain to wander around the town of Unzen Spa, a sulphurous, steamy hot springs resort. We strolled around the pathways wending among the bubbling mudpools and steamy geysers. Several centuries ago a bunch of Christians were put to death in the boiling 'hells' - I could not imagine dying in such a gruesome and slow manner. Emily thought the persistent pong was very amusing at first, but you quickly become accustomed to the stench.

Back down at sea level we ended the day at a beach we'd spotted on the way. Unfortunately Emily had fallen asleep just before we pulled into the car park facing the sea. We took it in turns to stay in the car with her while the other strolled on the sand. By the time she woke the sun was just about to slip below the distant hills, so we only managed a quick ten minute walk on the beach before it became too dark.

In any case it was bitterly cold by then. We decided to eat somewhere on the way back to the hotel and in the end we dined rather well at a cheap Japanese family restaurant chain, Joyfull, in a small town near the beach. I suspect that they probably see foreigners there only once or twice a year, if that, judging by the amount of attention we got in the packed 200+ seater eatery. The waiting staff were ridiculously obsequious (to everyone, not just us), bowing low after delivering the food to the table.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly 9pm. A child's yukata had been put out for Emily and she tried it on, though it was far too long. We let her play briefly and then it was time for her to sleep. Nick and I sat by the window and enjoyed the pretty night view.