The far east...

The Tori Gate at Miyajima

The Golden Pagoda
Goju, the 'water' town

The Peace Bell, Horishima

Glassware at Matsushima

I recently went to Japan for work; spending a week in the Goto Islands, south of Nagasaki after a night and a morning in Tokyo.

Fukue is the home of Ironman Japan, and I was based at the delightful Downtown Hotel in that city I once again enjoyed the unique delights of Japan, this year for the first time, accompanied by my wife.

Food, scenery, culture are a wonderful mix here and the off-shore islands are the best way to find a Japan that is not lost in tourism tours and a made for the west environment.

The food in Fukue goes both ways; fish (in any variety of cooked and uncooked you can think of) and beef, as this is the home of the wonderful, if a little expensive Goto Beef!

The race? Ironman in any part of the world is an incredible event; the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km marathon run is never easy in any setting and on the island of Fukue, set in rolling hills and lush vegetation it's a great experience...

Heather Fuhr and Chris Lieto from the US were the winners this year.

Following the race I flew back to Fukuoka on the Japanese 'mainland' and from here set aboard the Shinkashen to Hiroshima to overnight on the wonderful if tourist oriented island of Miyajima.

Staying in a not quite so traditional Rykoken here was one of the highlights of a week's touring
I would now share with my wife through Japan.

Our first and final morning on Miyajima was spent roaming through the back trails (away from the tourists) and joining them for the more trodden pathways to the tourist attractions of the red Tora and temples here...

From Miyajima we took the JR ferry back to the mainland and then the train back to Hiroshima, where we found a cleaning shop to care for our luggage while we caught the trolley bus to the A dome and Peace Park.

Both are an emotional experience, made more so by the interaction with the many school groups there and perhaps to by the incredible rose gardens also present.

Our itinerary led us back to the station by early afternoon and back to the Shinkashen and north to Kyoto, via Osaka. Many kilometres and not so many hours later we were in Kyoto via the JR express from Osaka and nestled into the sumptious splendour of the Granvia Hotel, above the newly rebuilt Kyoto Station.

We were to be based in Kyoto for two days, three nights; the first spend making our own way through the varius ancient temples and shrines here. The second on tour and a quick side trip to Nara to see the big Bhudda there.

From Kyoto it was ever northward as we head to Gifu, a quick 43 minute journey by Shinkansen from where, with friends, we visited 'water' town, Guju a quick one hour's journey by car on near deserted freeway!

Goju is a marvellous town, scenic and peaceful and we were very sorry to say our good byes back at Gifu and head once more to Tokyo for the weekend.

In Tokyo we stepped out for dinner, the first night heading to 'hunt' Geisha or Maiko with out success and then catching up with friends for dinner Saturday night, filling in the day with water bus rides and some more tourist type sight seeing.

Sunday we boarded the Shinkasen once again for a ride to Sendai before a local express took us to Matsushima, like Miyajima one of three great sites in Japan.

The highlight for us, apart from the 50 minute island tour was finding a unique glass museum.

The trip back to Tokyo closed our trip to Japan, and a quiet night followed by a last bus to Narita.

Ahead? Hong Kong and Singapore; our next adventure...