We have uploaded photos from the May Shoguns and Samurai tour, taken by guide Yumiko Sugai.
May Shoguns and Samurai tour photos
June 3rd, 2011Earthquake page
May 27th, 2011We have today put up a dedicated earthquake page. This page has a map showing the affected area, messages from our guides, accommodations and customers who have been on our April and May tours, as well as links to pages with information about the situation in Japan.
View our earthquake page here.
April Land of Fire tour photos
May 16th, 2011
Mt.Fuji in Kyushu island???
Mt. Kaimon Dake at the southernmost point of the Satsuma Peninsula called ‘Satsuma Fuji’. It’s shape is exactly like Mount Fuji.
Delicacies from sea
Can you imagine? Huge Spiny lobster was still moving his feeler on the plate. Really fresh and tasty. Thanks for the gift from Nature.
Our Amazones girls team
Look at our brave Amazones soldier! We tried traditional ‘Shihan-mato’ in Obi for the very first time. This particular Japanese archery plays only in Obi with sitting on Tatami.
Volcanic Group in Kagoshima
Yes! We are on Land of Fire (Kyushu’s nickname) . We are very happy to be with an energetic Volcano! It smokes everyday!
Volcanic Wedding!
Local People love their Sakura-jima island’s Volcano even at a Wedding!!
Azalea in Yakushima
Walking by beautiful Azalea in Yakushima island. Of-course there were many more lovely flowers in this tropical island.
Yo-zakura in Kyoto
We saw many people doing ‘Hanami’ picnic (most likely partying, drinking happily…..) while this was a famous cherry blossom season. Sakura blooms every year and every year we celebrate those beauty what ever happens.
Photos from the Hongu trail
May 2nd, 2011The Hongu-do trail is part of the network of trails known as the Kumano Kodo (Kumano Ancient Trail). It links the Grand Shrine of Kumano at Hongu with the sacred Ise shrine to the north.
Over three days I walked from Kumano city on the coast, through the remote mountains of Kumano to Hongu, and then finished off with a hike along the Nakahechi-do trail.
On the first day I passed an old couple preparing their paddy field for the planting. In some parts of Japan there are two plantings per year, and in some just one. As you might expect, there is a lot of manual labour involved in owning a rice field. First of all, there is the red tape. You can’t just grow rice, you need to have the correct paperwork. After that, there is a lot of maintenance throughout the year to keep it free of weeds, etc. Most people own rice paddies that are near to those of their neighbours, so if they don’t maintain them properly, it affects their neighbours too!
This trail is less walked and less well-known than the Nakahechi-do, so many locals asked where we were headed. They were always extremely polite and friendly.
From the coast we entered the mountainous Kumano forests. Small wayside shrines known as Oji are placed at regular spots.
The attention to detail is one thing I have always loved about Japan. Even the wood is neatly-stacked, almost like it will be entered into a design competition!
The terraced rice paddies at Maruyama are something special, and now a mini tourist spot in their own right. They were created over several hundred years.
The warm climate of Wakayama and Mie make it one of the best places in Japan to grow oranges or tangerines. Here they are being sold in a ‘mujin-hanbai’ stall (honesty box stall).
Eating vegetarian in Kyoto
April 13th, 2011Kyoto is a wonderful place to eat, and the diversity of food is incredible. It’s probably one of the best places in Japan to be vegetarian, owing to the good number of vegetarian restaurants. Most regular restaurants still don’t have may vegetarian choices, however.
Outside the specialist vegetarian restaurants, the general understanding of what it is to be vegetarian is limited. They make think you can eat chicken and fish, and often do not take into account that many dishes in Japan are made with sauces combining fish with other ingredients, or pork. It’s odd, since eating vegetarian food was actually very common, based on Buddhist beliefs. If you visit a shukubo (temple lodging) today, you will normally be given vegetarian shojin cuisine. Indeed, beef has only been eaten in Japan since the middle of the 19th century.
A very well-known vegetarian restaurant in Kyoto is Café Proverbs 15:17.
Cafe Proverb 1517
Café Proverbs 15:17 is a very modern café restaurant located near Demachiyanagi station on the Keihan Railway. From the centre of the city (the Kawaramachi area), walking from Sanjo station along the Kamo River to Demachiyanagi takes about a 15-20 minutes and can be very relaxing.
The unusual name of the café derives from the Book of Proverbs Chapter 15 Verse 17 stating ‘Better a small serving of vegetables with love, than a fattened calf with hatred’. This passage is the motto of their restaurant. The restaurant uses only organic ingredients. Their menu consists of various fusion dishes combining Mexican, Chinese, Asian and Italian. The Soy Milk Ramen (Chinese noodles in soy milk soup) is a very popular menu and a must try dish at Proverbs. Some of their recent menus include cow’s milk, honey and cheese but vegan dishes are also available. During lunch time there is usually a line of people waiting so if you do decide to go an early lunch is recommended.
It’s official: OK to visit Tokyo
April 7th, 2011The British government today revised its advice to people heading for Japan. It’s now OK to visit Tokyo:
http://ow.ly/4uVyI
Organic Hotel Kiri-no-sato Takahara
April 4th, 2011In February I visited the Nakahechi route again, as we do every year to check the condition of the trail and do our aisatsu (formal greetings) with the owners of the inns along the route.
It was my first time to stay at the newly-built Organic Hotel Kiri-no-sato Takahara. Constructed by Wakayama Prefecture, it is run by Jian Shino. He is from a local family and his father was involved with the development of nearby Shirahama Hot Spring on the coast (often referred to as Japan’s Little Hawaii).
The new inn has been beautifully built out of wood with huge beams arching over the central hall. Each guest room has a spectacular view of the valley and mountains beyond, and they have both Japanese and western style beds. The food, as the name suggests, is organic and locally-sourced.
Jian’s father was also a francophile, and when Jian was born in January, he took the French word for January – janvier – to make his name. Jian speaks English, Spanish and Chinese as well as his native Japanese.
Organic Hotel Kiri-no-sato Takahara
Jian Shino, the owner of Organic Hotel Kiri-no-sato Takahara
Corridor the guest rooms
Organic locally-grown ingredients are used in the beautifully-prepared meals
Spring tours update
March 15th, 2011UPDATE: We are now contacting all clients booked on our spring tours.
If you have not heard from us, please do get in touch: info at oxal.is
Our April and May tours are still running as scheduled. All of the tours travel through areas unaffected by last Friday’s tragedy, and will operate as normal. We are in constant contact with our local hosts and transportation providers, and they are all operating normally and asking for us to spread the word that they are open for business and you will be sure of a very warm welcome!
The rural Japanese inns and other establishments need our support. At the moment trains within metropolitan Tokyo are reduced to 60% of normal operating levels in order to save power, but there is little other impact.
We look forward to seeing you in Japan next month!
Earthquake disaster relief
March 14th, 2011You can donate to the relief effort and help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan using the following links:
Tohoku earthquake
March 12th, 2011Following the devastating earthquake in the north of Japan, we understand many clients with tours booked will be anxious.
At the moment, the affected areas do not include any areas our clients are visiting in the next few months. There is some damage in Tokyo but it is quickly returning to normal and all transportation networks are working as normal.
We plan to RUN ALL APRIL AND MAY TOURS AS SCHEDULED.
These tours are unaffected by the earthquake, and all accommodations are open and operating normally.
Please contact us with any questions and we will do our best to help.
