First place : http://mangetudou.net Deep snow, very warm due to the huge Jotul woodburner in main living area.
I had a series of Jotuls when living in the cold Jura mountains of France. Madame prepares fabulous meal.Slices of venison filet, shot by owner. I have already scoffed one, salmon poached with shellfish and veg, rice with lots of veg in it, custard with shrimp and fish, salad with octopus sashimi, soup whose specific deliciousness I have forgotten, All home cooked.
I stagger upstairs to my room and lie on the bed. It collapses under my huge bulk! Very sheepish I ask the owner for help.
Luckily there is no permanent damage! I am abashed.View from my window next morning.
Can you see the french windows in the the white building? This is where Ichiro san and I kept vigil, taking incredible photos of the massive owls.
There is a small dining hall for 10 people or so and two ladies beavering away in a tiny kitchen. I expect ramen.
Holy cow! Cold whole fish, pork hotpot, incredible salmon, scallop, tuna sashimi, rice of course, an exquisite spider crab soup nd salad. Astonishing meal.One of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.Breakfast next morning; there is nato in the white box, the rice has not yet arrived. We are in a shed.
All fish! All fish from the lake, er except for the outstanding octopus sashimi. Octopi do not live in lakes. Great fish soup.
By the way, this astonishing food is not expensive. We eat with a bunch of young Japanese birders, maybe 18 to 20 years old. They demonstrate no surprise at the quality of the food. The meal would cost hundreds of $ in most capital cities.
Breakfast comes. The owner loves making jam and he sets out a sampling selection for me in English.
Rhubarb!Hokkaido milk – brown mug, is the best in the world.
Well, what can I say? The Japanese expect to and do eat very well. I did not see any other tourists. So please y’all do not come to Northern Hokkaido. It is fine as it is.
So now I am back in Okinawa! What a change! It is so hot. A continuation of the food narrative.
Asuka san, Arisa san and I have lunch in a tuna speciality restaurant in Itoman. This is what we ate.
Me – Butter/garlic fish wit sashimi rice bowl.Pretty much the same.Whoa! Asuka san san goes for the “Tuna Happiness Meal!” Tuna Fish EyeI feel good.
In front of our table a young woman cuts up a huge Tuna.
Ichiro san and I head north for a birding adventure in Hokkaido! Two flights later we arrive at Nakashibetsu airport -deep snow and freezing cold. We are no longer in Okinawa. As we pick up a car, a policeman and another guy come running up to me. I make a run for it it but I am too old and fat. Turns out that there is a special safety campaign about driving on snow and ice. The other guy is a journalist and takes lots of photos of fat gaijin being instructed. Great fun!
I go quietly.
We are also met by Fukuda san, an old buddy of Ichiro san. He is some kind of environment ranger for the area. He immediately takes us birding, lots of sea ducks, rare Rosy Finches and to my huge excitement and astonishment, a Steller’s Sea Eagle just sitting in a tree. It is massive!
Sorry folks, this post is going to be a long succession of bird photos. Those who are not bird-minded are forewarned. We stay at a very good guesthouse. I will write a separate post on the guesthouses and the food they prepared for us,
Next day we drive up the coast of Northeast Hokkaido looking for seabirds of which there are strangely few on Okinawa. We meet Fukuda san who shows a pod of Killer Whales who seem to be stuck in the pack ice. There are about ten who are swimming back and forth in a frenzied manner. Fukuda san rushes off to arrange rescue. We also see a lot of eagles.
Glaucous-Winged GullSlaty-Backed GullWhooper SwansDipperUnloading CodHarlequin Duck with Glaucous-Winged GullEnd of the road- furthest point North on Eastern Hokkaido. Very cold!
That night is Owl night! Blackiston’s Fish Owl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blakiston%27s_fish_owl is the biggest owl in the world and very, very rare. The birds come down to fish in a little river near Rausu. A little, very basic, guesthouse has installed lights where the owls often fish. Ichiro and I lie on our futons and watch. Not much going on until 2:00 am when Ichiro san shakes me awake. A huge owl is sitting on the bank just in front of us. Ichiro san slides back the french window and I am able to take amazing photos! Wow! He slides the window back as it is insanely cold.
He/she catches a fish!Ferocious birdFlies off with fish. They are enormous birds!
The owl comes back 3 times before dawn.
Early next morning we get on a boat to track down eagles on the pack ice.
At least -20C. Not much sleep.
We chug out to the pack ice . There are eagles everywhere. The boat stays on the edge of the ice and a guy throws fish out to the eagles. Everyone should do this at least once! Hundreds of Eagles swirl around the boat, screaming and bickering.
White-Tailed EagleSteller’s Sea EagleIchiro san
Fishing boat crashes through the ice. White -TailedI get no kick from Champagne.Get off my lawnFussy eater.Volare
We drive South to stay in a great guesthouse on the banks of Lake Furen.
This what Hokkaido looks like in the winter. Miles and miles of snowy hills and forests. Beautiful!Just to break birdie ennui – a squirrel!
Thursday is Red Crested Crane day!
These birds are so beautiful, so elegant, so emblematic of Japan. We find hundreds!
Shorter hours and better pay!So elegant!JapanThey are noisyYep
We drive down to Kushiro and catch flights the next morning back to Naha. -18C in Kushiro, 18 C in Naha.
Above all, thanks to Ichiro san! He organized the itinerary, booked all the guesthouses and provided expert knowledge on all the birds. He is a wonderful man. Do not forget the he is a extraordinary artist!
I do lots of boat stuff. The pipe that runs from the cockpit sump up to pump is blocked. I have spent many frustrating hours trying to unblock it with absolutely no success. The situation is not good as when the boat cover is off, rain gathers in the cockpit and generally sloshes about. This does not feel very seamanlike, you know having water sloshing around the cockpit.
I drill a hole in the gratin
I can now use the hand pump that I carry on the boat anyway.
Hooray, it reopened today. It is better than ever! You can get everything you want here 24/7. It is now brand new and shiny with lots of new stuff. It wonderful to have great restaurants and a place to get a USB cable at 3:00am, only 2 minutes walk away. I never want to live in the country again.
Thanks you Lawson
I replace the leather on the gaff jaws – traditional in the Spring. I use this activity as an excuse to buy a new battery screwdriver.
This will do the job.I strip off the old leather.Lots of sanding and varnish.Soak the scarlet leather. Makes it more flexibleIt does not go very well – the brass tacks keep bendingNot a great job but it will do until next SpringThere are hoppers of Tunnocks wafers in most Okinawan supermarkets. Archetypal Scottish biscuits that I have only seen in Argyll and Okinawa.
Yesterday was the start of the new year; the Year of the Rabbit, A very cuddly year to you all.
We celebrated with an epic picnic on the boat.
Albrecht and Martine show up from Switzerland!
We pass a wonderful afternoon.
Martine, Tomomi, Ichiro, me and Kano san.Octopus coctel.
Kiyuna san and his doggie Jacko arrive.
Kiyuna san and Albrecht ponder important stuffTomomi does the cooking – thanks!She keeps the sizzling lamb chops coming. We eat lots! Delicious!Wonderful afternoonWe did not eat this Pacific Golden PloverI finally track down silver polish.
Ginowan, the town where I live, has lots of little specialist shops.
This guy only sells leather. He cuts me a nice chunk for my gaff jaws.High time I replaced the old stuffThis lady does every sort of clothing repair and alteration. She recently darned moth holes in one of my woolen sweaters. Amazing job – impossible to find the darns.
I am feeling fairly smug as I write this in Kagoshima airport. I am on my way back home to Okinawa after the first mainland jaunt that I have organized all by myself. In the old days I was very well looked after and adorable people organized my travel and such, leaving me childlike once that support evaporated. I have tried in the past to set up jaunts but have always given up. Complex websites in Japanese for hotel, flight, rental car, bookings soon drained me of ambition.
This time I booked my own flights, a rental car and 3 different hotels with no help. I feel this is a turning point. Many more adventures loom.
The designated crane watching building is remarkable as it is surrounded by thousands of cranes. But when it comes to photography you really want to get as close as possible. This is not a problem as the fields surrounding the center are full of cranes who seem indifferent to my presence as I crawl around in my little car.
Hooded Crane on the ground. Click twice on all photos.
There are two species of crane, Hooded and White Naped. They are both very big birds! It is such a pleasure to see so many, so close.
A family of White Naped Cranes, mum, dad and sulky teenager.
We are right on the coast, which means only one thing – seafood!
There was also a plate of sashimi, so good, so cheap ~ $14.
There are lots of other birds.
Northern Lapwing. Look at the colors on his/her back!GreyHeronShelduckGrilled sprats – delicious!Broad billed CrowIntermediate EgretHot, deep fried sweet potato for lunch snack – delicious!Black eared Kite
One day I ramble over to Nagashima. Wonderful sea views.
I wallow in the steaming hot water and the sauna. Japanese men have no shame in nakedness, I am bashful.
After an hour in the Onsen.
I have to go back to Kagoshima. I notice a little restaurant with drawings of fish displayed. It is lunchtime.
Vegetable and fish tempura, sashimi, fish head, fish soup, rice, pickles, pork with vegetables, salad, fruit all exquisitely prepared and presented. One of the all time great lunches. 2000 yen.
Anyway, I could post a lot more photos but you have probably got the idea. I love birdwatching and photography. In my dotage, I find few things really excite me, much have I travelled in the realms of gold, but birds spotting and trying to get a good shot is still so enthralling.
A couple of vignettes of Japanese sweetness.
When I check out of the Onsen, all the reception staff and the manageresse come out to say goodbye. They help me put on my hiking boots, which are kept in a locker outside the onsen. They chortle and grin, “Come back Neil san! Happy New Year, Neil san!” No being cool, no innuendo, just happy people being sweet.
I look out of the airplane window as we slowly pull away from the gate at Kagoshima airport. All the ground staff and baggage handlers are in a line. They bow in unison then grin and wave until the plane moves out of sight.
Shorter hours, better pay. You must click twice on all these bad photos to gain maximum joy.
The light is still very dull but I thrill to see the birds. I dread that old men staring at young birds will soon transgress a rule of decency. I get away with it for the moment.
Great White Egret amongst Spoonbills. You must double click on these photos to get super hi-res views,Northern Shoveler who didn’t get what he wanted for XmasBlack backed Stilt hopes the Black Ferns style of rugby becomes contagious.Mrs ShovelerVADE RETRO SATANA Great White Egret contemplates 2023Scruffy Eurasian Teal
I love watching birds.
On my way home I stop off at the Tomari Fish Market to get some hours old fish for dinner.
Huge lobster, difficult to get the scale but as Burns would have it is “as lang’s my arm”Normal LobstersSlabs of Tuna.
One of the things that surprised me most when I came to Okinawa was the number of excellent bakeries. I had never associated Japan with bread and croissants. When I moved to Ginowan the outstanding Hoppepan bakery was just up the road.
True it is hidden in a nondescript cluster of apartment buildings and there is no sign, but all the same I am astonished I have not spotted it before.
One drawback with Japanese bakeries is that they open at 10:00 – too late for breakfast.Stroll to the bakery. Super clean and the stream is full of fish.Fresh loaf of bread, croissant, pain au chocolate and a fried chicken and egg roll.
There used to be a good fish restaurant just across the road from my place.
Covid killed it but it has been replaced by a meat restaurant
Taken from my terrace.
We finally go. It is more like an izakaya that a thoroughbred restaurant. You can drink as much as you want for 90 minutes for 1500 yen!
Pork, Beef, ChickenCamembert in olive oil and garlic
It is OK but I prefered the fish restaurant.
I am lucky enough to have a beautiful mahogany table. I have spent a long time cleaning and waxing it.
Such a satisfying job.
I am planning two trips to the mainland, one to Izumi in Kagoshima to see cranes and then to Northern Hokkaido to see Steller’s Eagles and White tailed Eagles. Sub zero temperatures and snow in both places. I only have sandals and flip flops. Next to the marina is a huge sports store where I buy a fantastic and very expensive pair of waterproof hiking boots. They have my size! I am so proud of my new boots.
I know, it makes me uneasy too to see a hiking boot on a tatami mat but I was only trying them on
I take a friend to the airport. I like doing this as not far away is the famous triangle pond home of many birds; in particular the extraordinarily rare Black Faced Spoonbill. There are lots; in fact more than I have ever seen together at one time. Alas it is the gloomiest of days and all the birds have been partying very hard and are now fast asleep trying to slough off bad hangovers. Not great for dazzling bird photos.
Mrs Eurasian TealGrey HeronBlack Faced Spoonbill wakes up for a scratchMr and Mrs Eurasian Teal sleep it off.
Lots of birds but terrible light. maybe there will be some sun tomorrow.
Xmas approaches and it is still very cold by our standards. I spot something that I never thought I would see on Okinawa – a hot water bottle!
Hard to believe.Pacific Golden Plover dreaming of hot water bottles
Anyway on Xmas Day we have a fantastic dinner at my place. Few people have ovens on Okinawa so traditional roast turkeys and geese are out. Instead, we have a Mexican/ Spanish extravaganza.
Tacos de Carne Asada, Lengua, Tripas and Pescado – Champagne
Paella – Rioja
Okinawan Salad – Champagne
Christmas Pudding with Brandy Butter – none of us can drink anymore
Dundee Cake – various Japanese tisanes.
It is a staggeringly delicious and fun meal!
Coctel de Pulpo. Just add the cold Clamato!Saora san and Izumi sensei cook up taco meats.We gorge on tacosPaella! with Naoko’s delicious salad, it it skillfully interlayered with salad and tuna. A healthy millefeuilles.
Christmas Pudding! Arisa, Izumi, Manami Sophia, Naoko! Ichiro, Saora, Tomomi. I am so lucky to have such talented and funny friends. A singer, a professor of neuroscience, a university administrator, an artist, a Yachimun potter, an ikebana sensei. So much more I could add!Tomomi san bakes a delicious Dundee cake!
Especially good to see guests of honor Naoko and her daughter, who now live in Hokkaido.
Everybody brings something and the cooking is communal, much glee.
It went down to 11 yesterday. The island is in shock
I actually like this as I can wear a sweater and even socks!
The engine is fixed!
Thunka, thunk
I start the massive clean up. The boat is filthy. All internal spaces are black with mildew and all the wood is dry and grey.
The wood glugs down teak oil.Getting better but a couple more doses I think.
The cabin is a disgrace, especially the roof.
Buy this stuff. It is instant death to mildew.Cabin roof beforeCabin roof after.
All the painted surfaces are grimed and I patiently wash them down.
Tuna eyes, here only to mark break in this narrative.
I get this.
Google translate tells me that Ginowan city wants to give me 50,000 yen because times are hard for we old timers
Unfortunately there is a form to fill in that defeats even Google translate.
See what I mean.
I go up to the Ginowan Town Hall to beg help. Everyone is adorable and help me fill in the form with lots of laughter and smiles. I point out that I do not really need this money. “Happy Xmas Neil san ” they chortle.
All Japanese school kids carry a satchel. I am amazed how much they cost!
Japan do not qualify for the quarter finals but they have been magnificent. In some ways, through their joyful play, sportsmanship, good manners and of course the behavior of their fans, Japan won the tournament.
There has been nothing but praise here in Japan. Other countries might turn on their players and management when in defeat. Not here, it is just respect and thanks.
Some more stuff about how nice it is to live in Okinawa. When in the housing office, Tomiya Housing by the way, I notice a sign that indicates that they can organize, cleaning and servicing of air-conditioning units. Mine have been blowing away for getting on for 3 years, so I ask Sumiya san if she can get a technician to come round my place. A couple of minutes on the phone, “Neil san, two technicians will be there at 09:00 tomorrow.”
High pressure water line
Two very cool young guys, wearing classic Japanese tool belts, show up at exactly 09:00. They are happy, smiling and of course extremely polite.
Notice belt.
To avoid getting under their feet, I go to the Post Office, 5 mins walk away, to send off Xmas stuff to the family in UK.
If you do street view in the Post Office photos and scroll to the right, you can see my apartment building. It has a blue box on the roof.
Conveniently sister Rosy and husband Barry hold a big family get together at Xmas so I can send everything in one box.
The Post Office. The box.
This used to be relatively straightforward; pack all the trinkets in Japan Post Office box, fill in a reasonably simple form and that was that.
No longer!
Oh no
Now everything has to be done online through an app.
I try but fail totally. Click on image a couple of times to get a close up.
Although the instructions in English are clear, it does not work out like that and I get horribly lost. In the end I despair and give up. One of the ladies behind the counter notices my desperation and comes to see if everything is dai jo bu. I explain in useless Japanese and mime and Google translate that I am abandoning. “On no!” she says, ” Little children want Santa Claus come. They be very happy!”
She gets an IPad and does everything for me. This takes a really long time as you now have to describe each item and state its value. There are probably 20 knick-knacks in the box! The Post Office is very busy but she concentrates on getting my package sent. So kind!
Happy official Post Office posterAnother – so playful!
Thanks so much Japanese Post Office lady.
I charge back to the apartment. I have taken much, much longer than I thought and expect the repair A/C guys to be understandably annoyed. Silly me, they are waiting patiently, all smiles. No charge!
The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond 