Hakodate - Churches and Temples

There is a singular lack of dedicated religious buildings on Hokkaido, as far as I can see, only one or two temples have we passed in over 1,000 miles.  But here on a rise from the harbour are a Roman Catholic Church, an Anglican church, a Russian Orthodox church and a Commemorative Temple.

Some of the older architecture here looks to me  French, lots of pointed towers,

 whilst this building seems to have both French and Russian influences.

Very Chinese but with a curved roof instead of a pointed profile.

Visiting Friends

Maiko and Michitaka, Geks friends from her days at Emerson College together, 9 years ago.

And this is where they live and work, a college not dissimilar to the Emerson College set up, with art related courses  for adults. They are also starting a bio dynamic  farm.  A beautiful place to be.

Jigoku-dani - Hell Valley

A scar in the hillside.  The walkway takes you to a geyser which does not need soap powder to set is off.

It is very smelly down here.

 After a walk over a ridge, another steaming hole.  The bottom of the lake is at 90 C and the surface is 50 C.  Hot

The Driver

Taxi drivers in Japan are dressed very smartly.  All wear a tie and white gloves, some also wear a cap.  There was grumbling in  the ranks.  Their driver wasn't really up to the mark when it came to portraying a professional image.  In fact, he was letting the side down very, very badly. A trip to the departmental store was urgently needed  to make good his driving accessory short comings. I only hope the police don't stop us and arrest me for working without a permit.

Lake Toya - A drive Round the Lake

Mount Yotei from the Lake Hill Farm where they sell the most delicious pizza and ice cream.  I know, this is Japan and you are eating pizza, but it was very, very good pizza, much better than the Hut.  We visited this place three times.

 Everywhere you point your camera around here there is a classic.

Most of the house designs in this part of the world owe their origins to the San Francisco painted ladies.  Four days on Hokkaido and we have seen only a handful of 'traditional' Japanese style homes.

The backside of Lake Toya.  No other travelers here.

Mount Yotei

The most recent eruption was circa 1050 BC from a cone emerging from the northwest flank of the mountain at Lake Hangetsu. The earlier eruption is dated from circa 3550 BC. The mountain  is 1,898 mts.  This view from Lake Toya side on the first day,

on the second day,

and on the drive over to Otaru a few days later.  Always messing with the clouds.

Lake Toya - Above and Around

This is a very active volcanic area, as this plan shows.  The place is pock marked with craters, a kind to the meteorited moon's surface.

The islands were created after the big eruption by smaller ones, tiny in comparison.

The latest seismic/volcanic activity in 2007(?) caused mud slides that distorted roadways or simple swept them away, leaving road side furniture behind for our amusement.  The writing says BEWARE.     But of what,  volcanoes, speeding cars or these four desperadoes?

The smoking gun.

 Once over ridge there is a view across the bay to Mount Kamagatake.

Late lunch stop.  MaryAnn insisted we stop here.  Next door was a field of sun flowers.  Very good grub we had.

Lake Toya - A First View

We drove over to Lake Toya through wet and windy weather which was still whipping up the waves on the lake as we arrived.  A rescue boat was picking people off one of those hideous peddle yourself swans as we walked along the front, a missed photo opportunity.  Mount Yotei in the background. More on her later.

 The islands in the middle of caldera lake, the biggest is Oshima.

The water front is pretty much deserted during the day as all the tourist are out and about on their coaches.

Apparently we arrived as the weather turn, it had been very wet over the previous week.  The air is so dry here, great for landscape photographs.

Sapporo -Transport

Steet Cars, trams to you and me, ply a single route through the city centre.

Not as cute as a trolley bus of the same era but still more lovable than a bus.  I wonder what the American is for trolley bus?

The tram is coming back into fashion with sex new designs.  Perhaps the network will be expanded too.

Sapporo - The Night Fall

Moiwa hill behind the city is a rope way away.  A cable car to you and me.  

Looking over the city just as the sun was about to set behind the hill turn all the buildings a light shade of orange.  I had preorder the cloud to complete the image.

Turn around and wow, rocket ships on the sky line.

Sapporo - Out and About

A novel way to prevent car crime.

Sculptures all over the place.

A tidy place, in ever meaning of the word.

The old government house during colonial times.

The final stop of the day, the Sapporo Brewery Museum. 

An unusual find was Oyster Black Beer, and very nice it was too.

Sapporo

Our first day in the city and a Sunday.  It was a peoples day, from the sartorial guy in a white suit and bowler hat at the entrance to the Metro

to the gentleman and his cute dog on the University Campus.

Dr. Clarke the American who founded the University at the end of the 19c.

Resting,

before a selfie at the clock tower.

and perhaps the most bizarre of all, the body builders showing off at the Sunday street fair.

Book - Home is a Roof over a Pig

An American family's experience living in rural China.  The title refers to the components that make up the Chinese character for 'home,

 

This is your starter for ten. What is the component for 'wood'?

Gek's Renoir Miniatures

 A Study of Lise,  Water Colour on Paper - 5ins x 3ins

La Parisian, Water Colour on Paper - 5ins x 3ins

Aren't these lovely?  So now we have our own collection of Renoir, Dega, Monet and Turner.  Go to 

http://www.gekart.net/Miniatures/Miniatures.html 

To see more of Gek's miniature paintings.  This is turning into a joint venture, the painter and the frame maker.

Sunrise over Kedah

Up early, couldn't sleep.  Eagle on the left, Firefly on the right.

Worth it I think

Book - George Orwell

I read my first novel at 18, George Orwell's 1984.  When I had finished it I thought, "That explains a lot!!!"  I had to read all his other works after the first to see if they all so insightful and I wasn't disappointed.  This book explains how he could write the way he did about what bothered him,  portraying George as an outsider in every aspect of his life, seeming always to be an observer and not a participant in it.