The Birthday Blog

My 2 weeks in Scotland passed in a flash.......before I knew it, I was back on the plane returning to Japan. It was, however, an excellent time! 

Kano up a mountain

Early in my holiday, I met up with an old university friend and hiked to the top of Ben MacDui, Scotland's second highest mountain. The weather was kind and I picked up a little sunburn on my arms and legs - quite unusual for Scotland!

It had been some time since I last met Willie, but we still managed to share a good story or joke. On the way down the mountain, we sought out another old university friend, Gary Russell. Gary decided to quit his career in retail for one in the great outdoors - he is now self employed and spends his time sympathetically repairing mountain paths. Gary and his colleague really appreciated the two bottles of beer we gave them at the end of their day's work.

Uni chums - Gary and Willie

After descending the mountain with Gary and Willie, we stopped off for one drink to catch up a little more. The chilled bottle of Peroni beer has never tasted so good.

The days after the hike were pretty quiet - I walked around the shops in Inverness, had some nice home cooking (especially the breakfasts) prepared by my parents, went out a couple of times for lunch, and enjoyed the afternoon and evening sun in the back garden. What more could you want from a holiday?

The primary motivation for visiting Scotland this summer was to celebrate my birthday........my 40th birthday.....yes, 40th! Rather than sitting morosely in a Tokyo bar wondering what my family and friends would be doing on that day, I decided I had to make it back home. The added bonus is that Neil and I share the same birthday, so we regularly manage to make it an enjoyable event.

Birthday ales - Neil, Len, and Kane

This year, we had lunch at the Dores Inn next to Loch Ness. Neil's partner Jenn joined us, along with my mother, and the Whatleys - Len, Rhoda and the quick witted wee Orla. Oh, and I had better not forget their gorgeous little dog, Ruby. Orla was not happy when I suggested that perhaps Ruby could accompany me back to Japan.

A very pleasant and chilled out day with old mates - I haven't felt so at ease for a long time. 

The remaining highlight of my holiday was a short trip to Skye. Len kindly invited me to stay overnight at his mother's house in Bernisdale. The plan was to have dinner at the nearby Edinbane Inn, have a few pints, and enjoy the live music. A very sociable evening indeed!

Neil, true to form, made himself available for ales in The Castle Tavern in the evenings before I was due to return back to Japan. Thanks to all those I met over the duration of my birthday and visit to Scotland - it was a great homecoming.

The Last Night.....in the Pub

As readers to this blog will know, a great personal pleasure during time back in Scotland are my visits to the local pubs, especially ones selling good selections of real ale. Neil and I managed to spend quite a few enjoyable evenings in The Castle Tavern, and managed to meet up with an old school friend, Malcolm. Good stories of the old days were exchanged, whilst some memories which had faded were given a new lease of life.

Although I couldn't stay out too late on my final night in Scotland, I was able to stay out long enough to meet up with two of the Whatley brothers, Brian and Ash. Ash, Neil and I then went for the traditional catch up chat whilst applying our pool skills (acquired from many evenings in The Camanachd Bar in Portree).

Unfortunately, my pool skills seemed to have deserted me on my final night, evidenced by Neil clearing the table whilst I stood watching with my pint in my hand. Next time.

Nothing of note has been happening in Tokyo since my return from holiday, apart from the cherry blossoms appearing over the last few days. The power of the blossom to instill a multitude of positive feelings is quite remarkable. Despite the probability of anything noteworthy occurring over the next couple of months, I will try and post a couple of blogs on the minutiae of life in Tokyo.

Rosemarkie, Scotland

A visit to Scotland would not be complete without a walk along Rosemarkie beach with my parents. Rosemarkie is a lovely little beachside village brimming with character. The walk is always refreshing and is it also great to see other people enjoying the great Scottish outdoors. I particularly like seeing people's dogs playing on the beach and running in the surf.

As usual, the beach walk was finished with a pint in The Plough Inn - quite amazing to think that it is over 300 years old. The pint was very tasty but it was a little surprising there was not a larger selection from the Black Isle Brewery, just a couple of miles away down the road.

Although the video function on my SLR is rather rudimentary, I thought it would be nice to include a short clip of the beach on this blog.
The skies brightened on the drive back to Inverness and the views were soothing on the eyes. Since living in Tokyo, I have really come to appreciate the scenery in Scotland.

The final couple of days in Scotland were spent shopping (mainly in the supermarket), relaxing in my parents' house, or having some pints with Neil. As usual, a very nice trip home, made even more enjoyable by the unexpected nature of my visit.

Real Ales and Pool

One of the great developments in Scotland over the last decade or so has been the growing success of Scottish produced real ales. During my brief stay in the Highlands, I have managed to visit a good number of bars which have sold some absolutely delicious ales. The best bar selling real ales which I have visited over the last week is called The Castle Tavern, near the center of Inverness. The Castle Tavern has about 6 real ales on tap at any one time and these ales change regularly when the cask is emptied. Not only are the ales in the pub quite excellent, but the atmosphere is friendly and convivial. If you are looking for some great Scottish real ales, the Castle Tavern is the place to go. Although the Isle of Skye Brewery does indeed produce some excellent beer e.g. Flora and Blaven ales, I really became fond of some of the produce from the Orkney Brewery, especially Northern Light Ale.Last night Neil and I had a good night out in Inverness. We placed a few small bets on the football results, drank a number of great beers (mostly in The Castle Tavern), and played 10 games of pool in the pool hall in Inverness. I was obviously very happy to wipe the floor with Neil, beating him 7 games to 3. Neil looked slightly shell shocked after 'The Tokyo Typhoon' taught him a few lessons on the green baize.

I am now nearing the end of my stay in Scotland, but will have a few more blog entries (with photos) to make over the next few days.

Slainte bha! / Cheers!

Scotland - An Impromptu Visit

Well, I wasn't at all sure I would manage a trip to Scotland in 2012, but fate has decided otherwise. From looking at flight prices, it seems that February is the cheapest month when flying from Japan. I managed to get a last minute British Airways flight (Boeing 777-300) for about GBP 650. Quite reasonable!

I arrived in Scotland late on the 23rd February and will be here for a total of about 10 days. So far, I have managed to meet up with my friend Neil, do a bit of shopping in Tescos supermarket, and have eaten some great Scottish food. Today (Sunday), my parents and I had a lovely Sunday lunch at the Dores Inn near Inverness. I ordered the haggis, neeps, and tatties along with some great ale from Orkney (Scapa Ale and Northern Light). Excellent food, only bettered by the location of the Dores Inn on the banks of Loch Ness. The wind was cold and brisk and the waters of Loch Ness were quite choppy. It was really surprising to see three swimmers working their way down the loch.I plan to travel to Skye on Wednesday and spend a night there, meet a few relations, and do a couple of odd jobs. On Wednesday night, I'll stay in the Skeabost Country House Hotel and have a nice bar meal along with some more ales - really looking forward to it!

More blogs and pictures to follow soon.

Back to Japan, but not before.....

In a blink of an eye, it was time to start thinking about my return flight to Japan. With all the events over the preceding days, coupled with the fact I was laid low with food poisoning for a few days, I again found myself short of time and having to rush to do the things I needed to do, and see the people I needed to see.

I made a day trip from Inverness to Skye on Tuesday 3rd May as I wanted to pop up to Staffin House Residential home to pass on my thanks, see my Great Auntie Annie, and visit my Auntie Marie. As I was trying to achieve multiple goals in only one day, I was kept busy and was quite tired when I arrived back in Inverness that evening.

As can be seen in the photos, the weather was fantastic. When the sun is shining, Skye really does make your heart skip a beat.

After the recent passing of my granny, it was comforting to see new signs of life brought about by spring in Skye. The gorse bushes were in full bloom and new born lambs were scampering about the fields. I must have really looked like the tourists I used to make fun of when I lived on the island - walking round with a big zoom lens taking photos and anything that moved.A constant regret that I have when I visit Scotland is never having enough time to do the things I want to do. I would really love to spend a few weeks back in Skye, going with the flow, and reacquainting myself with island life. Instead, my visits seem like a whistle-stop tour where all I manage to do is tick boxes. Perhaps before I begin my next job (whenever that might be), I will be able to spend a month back in Skye and finally recover the level of familiarity I once felt.My last full day in Scotland was spent having lunch with my mother and then getting some essential shopping done - tea bags, deodorant, brown sauce, English mustard etc.

Over the duration of my visit, I also managed to drink a few good Scottish ales, but my appetite for beer and food quickly disappeared after my bout of food poisoning - a great way to save money. As I was feeling under the weather for the final 4 or 5 days of my visit to Scotland, I was unable to eat or drink much of anything. I feel guilty that when I visited Neil & Jen's new house, I was only able to pick at the lovely roast beef they had prepared. Sorry guys.

So, all in all, a mixed visit to Scotland. I will be making what will probably be another brief visit this summer as Clara will again spend nearly one month with her grandparents in Inverness. Looks like it will be another mad rush to do the things I need to do.

Back Budhmor

Hi

Just wondering if any of the Scottish readers of this blog would consider a small donation for Back Budhmor. Budhmor House is an old folks home in Portree which is now in need of major renovations costing roughly GBP 1.5 million. As my Granny has spent some time there, I know it is a worthy cause.

Neil and Grace Souter will cycle the arduous 115 mile journey from Inverness to Portree at the end of next week, so there is not much time to raise funds. If you would like to help ensure the survival of Budhmor, please make a donation to:

http://www.justgiving.com/grace-neil-souter

Good luck Neil and Grace. Wish I could join you on the cycle and share a pint in Kintail.

Leaving Scotland

My departure from Scotland was by no means smooth, with the exception of the ice on the runways at Aberdeen and Heathrow. I was supposed to leave Scotland early on the 6th January. However, with the snow and ice closing roads and disrupting rail services, it became increasingly clear that my departure would be delayed. After a couple of calls to British Airways, I moved back my flight by a day.

So, I travelled through on the train to Aberdeen a day later than planned, but still with the hope that I might actually manage to hop on a plane down to Heathrow. That wasn't to be, so I stayed in the Menzies Hotel next to the airport in Dyce for a night. Nice room and the bed was the same size as a football pitch.

My extra day in Inverness allowed me to revisit my Mum's mince and tatties, a staple food in our household when we were growing up. Although I wasn't so chuffed to be eating mince when I was a kid, I certainly do enjoy it nowadays. Very nice, especially with the freezing cold temperatures in Scotland.

I awoke on the morning of the 7th January and wondered if my attempts at travelling would be any more successful than the previous day. Things started to look up when I was allowed to board the train to Aberdeen. The busy train was full of passengers who should have travelled on previous days, rumbled out of Inverness and my hopes of making it to Aberdeen increased. I quite like long rail journeys as you have no other option but to sit still and relax with a newspaper or just watch the world flash by. I am sure that calendars for 2011 will not be short of spectacular winter scenes. The coast ringed by snow, snow covered fields, and beautiful blue sky made it a very pleasant trip indeed!The train rolled into Elgin, a bit behind schedule, but nothing too much to worry about. I had enjoyed two seats to myself since Inverness so I was a bit disappointed when another passenger sat down beside me...what a miserable sod I am! As my new travelling companion made himself comfy, the train driver announced that there were problems with the signals and that the train travelling in the opposite direction was delayed, therefore requiring our train to remain at Elgin for an additional 45 minutes or so....oh well.

I struck up a conversation with my new found passenger who it turned out was going to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for 3 days of medical training. Interesting. After a bit more digging, it turned out that Garry was a winchman on an RAF Sea King.VERY interesting! At this stage, Garry was still unawares that I have a particular interest in aviation and can hold my own with the best of them. Garry started talking about his interest in flight safety and that was when I pulled out of my bag an old book which I had decided to take back to Japan titled 'British Military Aircraft Accidents: The Last 25 years'. Although I was very fond of the book and have owned it since I was a teenager, it seemed clear that Garry was interested in the book himself as he was flicking through the pages with some interest. I decided to give him the book provided that he promised to leave it in the Sea King squadron room for the rest of Sea King crews to read. Quality! Just thinking about the Sea King crews in RAF Lossiemouth reading one of my books about aviation safety puts a big smile on my face. In return for my book, I was half-promised to be sent a newly published book about the work of RAF Search and Rescue squadrons...I'm not quite sure if it will ever materialise, but you never know.

Garry then proceeded to show my his recent pictures and videos of a trip to the Falkland Islands. RAF Search and Rescue crew have to do an annual 6 week rotation to the Falklands and Garry had recently returned from his stint in the South Atlantic. Great videos of low flying Hercules, Sea King winching practice, and photos on the Antonov 124 Ruslan picking up the retired Tornadoes for flight back to the UK. He was even there to see the new Eurofighter Typhoons arriving at RAF Mount Pleasant.

Further discussions involved how to pronounce place names on the Isle of Skye. Garry had flown around the island on a number of occasions but was not quite sure how to pronounce Sligachan or Skeabost. Although I understood why he would ask about Sligachan (it is a common place for the Sea King to land during rescue operations), I was a bit surprised that he was asking about Skeabost. It transpired that Garry has to organise the squadron 2010 Christmas party, and Skeabost Hotel is at the top of his list because the crew who have to remain on duty can land in the hotel grounds, eat their dinner and then fly off again. He asked me what I knew about the hotel and was surprised when I told him my cousin Janet was the manageress. I'm sure he'll be in touch with her soon.

After a pleasant journey chatting to Garry, assisted by a couple of tins of Tennent's Lager from the Lidl supermarket next to Elgin Station, I alighted the train at Dyce and went to book in to the Menzies Hotel. I was under the impression that the hotel would pick me up from the station, but that service only starts from 6pm. As there were no taxis to meet the train at Dyce (why would there be!! [sarcasm alert]), I carried over 30kg of luggage through the snow and down the road to the hotel. By the time I had arrived, my feet were sodden and I thought I would also end up spending a few days in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Once in my nice room, I sprawled out on the bed for a bit before hitting the hotel bar for a couple of beers. The bar was full of roughnecks (rig workers) and I felt a bit out of place....I think they noticed I was the odd one out as I got a couple of quizzical looks. They all seemed to be having a good time - either enjoying being back on land after a tough few weeks on the rigs or enjoying a final few beers before heading out to the rigs in the North Sea.

After my beers, I got a taxi into Aberdeen for a few beers with Garry. I met up with him in Ma Cameron's, an old haunt from my university days. It felt strange to be back in Aberdeen, the scene of many happy days during my time at Aberdeen University, but happy memories were aroused with my every step. The taxi journey was a particular pleasure. The driver was a friendly sort so we engaged in some football chat - it turns out he is a Celtic fan. Driving towards the center of Aberdeen, the sights became more familiar, especially when we drove around Mount Hooly roundabout. We passed Spring Gardens Halls of Residence and I managed to catch sight of my old bedroom and kitchen - I found myself wondering what the students living there now were like. Probably just like I used to be...

Some things had changed. Blandford Supplies near the Blue Lamp pub had closed down and the university union had also shut. Apart from those two changes, most other things were very similar and Garry and I enjoyed a couple of pints in Ma Cameron's before heading to get some Italian food in the Castlegate at the head of King Street (right below the flat where Willie, Hank and Grambo stayed for a couple of years). Following the food, we made a short crossing of the square to the Tilted Wig pub where the remainder of the night would be spent. Great fun chatting to the various characters inside - that's something that I miss about Scotland.

At the end of the evening, I said my farewells to Garry and flagged down another taxi to return me to the Menzies Hotel in Dyce for a shorter than planned sleep. I woke up in the morning and went to reception to check out and take the complementary hotel bus to the airport. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when the dipstick at reception accused me of not paying my hotel bill. He seemed non-plussed when I informed him I had paid my bill in cash the night before. He then accused me of never having stayed in the hotel and that I was being classed as a no show!!! He wanted my credit card details so that he could charge me for the room - by this stage I began to suspect that he was trying to scam me and so I decided to leave and get on the hotel bus. According to the bus driver, lots of people have complained about the receptionist (called DJ) and my mother added my name to the list of complainees when she called the hotel later that day. The whole episode was bizarre and I cannot but think that he was trying to scam me.

I was lucky to make it onto my flight from Aberdeen - it turned out that my flight was the only one to make it to Heathrow that day, despite it being delayed by a couple of hours. Once at Heathrow, the travel nightmare continued as I was told that I had missed my flight and would need to queue for a couple of hours to make alternative flight arrangements. However, eagle-eyed Joep noticed that my original flight had not yet left and that the gate had in fact reopened!! I told this to some BA ground staff (not the most capable of people it transpired) who told me that I would still have to stand in line for another couple of hours. This would guarantee that I would miss my plane. Fortunately, my conversation was overheard by a supervisor who got onto her radio and checked whether the information I had received form my dad was correct or not. After having this information confirmed, I was ushered through the security gates and into the departure lounge. The whole journey was still hanging by a thread but progress was being made. My main concern at this stage was that my case would be lost in the confusion - not uncommon at Heathrow by all accounts.

I hung around the airport and spent an extravagant amount of money on coffee and sandwiches until we were finally allowed to board the aircraft. Great! I just wanted the journey to be over as soon as possible and to enjoy the final few days of my holiday back in Tokyo. However, due to the ice on the runway and on the wings of the aircraft, we had to sit inside the sweltering plane for a further 5 hours of misery. The delay was caused by a shortage of deicing liquid to remove ice from the wings of the plane. Due to the delay, the flight crew had to be changed as they would breach their maximum permitted cockpit time had they flown to Tokyo. The stress of delay and the heat in the aircraft led to a few on the female passengers loosing their cool shedding a few tears.

In the end, I made it back to Tokyo with the added bonus that my case was the first to hit the carrousel at Narita Airport. My time spent in Scotland was great and enjoyed meeting up with the family and friends. Great to see Mark, my parents and grandmother again, really enjoyed meeting Neil a few times for beers, and loved the winter scenery!!!

[Note: Sorry this post is a bit rough and ready. I haven't proof read it yet and I will want to tidy a few things up. Hopefully I will be able to tidy it up later in the week].

Scotland

The day after Clara and I arrived, I went to Holm Mills to see Neil, my friend from the Isle of Skye. After a quick hello (Neil was working that day and Holm Mills always seems busy), I transferred myself to the cafe with my newspaper for lunch and a couple of 'holiday beers'.

There surely is no better way for an expat Scot to celebrate being home than to eat a plate of haggis. Despite the fairly unusual ingredients, I love it, especially with a bit of brown sauce.

Neil dropped by my table a couple of times to chat and after lunch we stood by the banks of the River Ness for a few minutes and did our best to catch up. It is always good to see Neil - I hope we will be able to meet again at Christmas time. Unfortunately, the timing of my visit to Scotland clashed with Neil's holiday plans as he was shortly to embark on a journey to the south of England and Wales. However, there is always next time.....

Conveniently for myself, Holm Mills sells a lot of great Scottish products and souvenirs. Just before I returned to Japan, I visited the shop again to pick up gifts for some of my colleagues, friends, and family.

As you can see, the first day of my holiday was a gentle reintroduction to Scotland and a solid foundation for the remainder of my time.

Izu Oshima in Tokyo Bay

On Friday the 28th of September, I had to get up at 5am in order to catch the hydrofoil ferry from Takeshiba Sanbashi in Tokyo to Izu Oshima. I've no idea the last time I dragged myself out of bed at such an early time.

Neil and I got a 6am train which was still fairly quiet as we were travelling just before rush hour. Once we reached Hamamatsucho station, it was just a short walk to the ferry terminal. We bought our tickets and loitered until we were able to board the hydrofoil.

We discovered that the boat was quite cramped and that we had to sit on aircraft style seats. Comfort had obviously been sacrificed for speed. However our enthusiasm was undimmed and we were in good spirits in anticipation of an exciting day ahead in what promised to be beautiful weather.

I always love travelling by ship, and Saturday was no exception. Tokyo Bay is always fascinating to observe, from the varied waterfront to the busy sea traffic. I never cease to be amazed at the size of the cargo ships which ferry products to and from Japan. To add an extra little bit of interest, the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) also had a number of ships at sea. The only slight disappointment of the crossing was the lack of any real perception of speed. Although the hydrofoil must have been travelling very quickly, the sensation of speed was little different from that of a conventional ferry. I always have something to complain about.We arrived on Izu Oshima at about 9.30am. I was under the impression that we were going to disembark at a port called Motomachi but it turned out that we docked at the port of Okata, a much smaller village. This error had grave implications later in the evening.

Upon arrival, I spoke to the tourist information man and asked him to arrange accommodation for Neil and I. He booked us into a minshuku called Asami Kan and the proprietor kindly collected us in a small bus a short time later. The driver / owner seemed slightly surly at first but warmed up considerably when I went through my repertoire of Japanese phrases. When we arrived, our initial reaction was that the place was a little spartan but cost ¥6,800 per person per night. We thought this was a little expensive but the cost was tempered by the fact that both dinner and breakfast were included in the price. Fair enough.

After checking in, we hired bicycles and decided to cycle the coastal road around the island. It was about a 50km cycle and we had a full day to complete the ride. The weather was gorgeous and I was really happy to get on the saddle again and have the chance to exercise again in the countryside. The mountain bikes looked in good condition when the minshuku owner presented them to us, but we were quick to discover that they had seen better days. My bike had the habit of slipping gears, especially when going up hill - I was expecting to crush my kegs on the crossbar at any moment. Neil's bike had the even more annoying habit of shedding its chain. He had to perform regular stops to put the chain back on his bike and spent most of the day with oil on his hands. Added to those inconveniences, every time we peddled, it sounded like we were stirring a pot full of nuts and bolts.During the early part of our cycle, we attracted the attention of a carload of young people who would shout encouragement to us as they drove past us. They seemed friendly enough and gave me a big cheer when I gave them my best Royal Navy salute.

Despite the niggles with the bikes, we both loved the cycle. There were some great views, lovely beaches (with black volcanic sand), interesting people, and some challenging hills to climb. One of the hills took us a couple of hours to climb, but the cycle back down was ample compensation. The temperature was about 32C and Neil and I were both sunburnt when we returned to the minshuku for dinner, but not before we treated ourselves to an ice cold can of beer from a shop towards the end of our ride. Perfect!!!As should be expected in Japan, dinner and breakfast consisted mostly of fish. I really dislike fish but Neil managed to eat a fair amount. I confined myself to the rice, miso soup, tempura, and vegetables that were on offer and then had some Cup Noodles later that night. I think the owners were slightly disappointed that I left so much but I really do not like fish. It would be more accurate to say that I detest fish.

The biggest problem of the evening was that we had nothing to do. The town of Okata has nowhere to socialise or eat out, as we soon discovered after stumbling around in the dark for 45 minutes. We were forced to empty the beer vending machine at the minshuku and also bought a small carry out at one of the local shops. As we were not keen to spend the whole evening confined to our room, we sat on the front doorstep of the minshuku for a few hours and talked about old times, mostly about former friends and teachers at Portree High School.

It would have been much better if we had stayed in a town called Motomachi as we would have had a couple of places to dine and drink in the evening.

After sitting on the doorstep, we returned to our tatami room to drink our remaining stocks of beer and wine. We were unpleasantly surprised by the number of cockroaches in our room!! Every building on the island had cockroaches in them and I can only assume that this is a common and unsolvable problem on the island.

The next morning (Saturday), we went for breakfast at 8.30 and hired bikes again for a short 6km cycle to Motomachi. The temperature had plummeted to 16C and it was drizzling. The drizzle felt great on my sunburnt arms. We got a bit wet cycling around the town, but we eventually found a public onsen where we could have a good bath and put on some dry clothes. After that, we sat in a large tatami room and drank coffee, read, slept, and I even made a few notes for this blog. What a good blogger I am! I spotted a couple of cockroaches running around but by that time, I had become used to them.

Neil found his introduction to Japanese communal bathing a little unsettling and he wanted to get into the bath with his swimming trunks on. I told him that this would not be the done thing and he reluctantly shed the trunks and made his way to the bath. The onsen felt lovely and relaxing but I had to keep my sunburnt arms out of the water as they were starting to get really sore.

We cycled back to the onsen in our wet clothes as it was still drizzling. Once back, we changed and the minshuku owner drove us back to Okata for the return journey to Tokyo. When we checked out, I was pleasantly surprised to be given an itemised bill, rare in Japan. We could easily confirm that all the amounts charged to us were correct. Often in Japan, especially in bars, you receive a bit of paper with the final amount written on it. This system is often abused by unscrupulous owners who calculate the amount by choosing the first random number which appears in their head. The only rule required in the calculation is that the final figure should be more than the actual amount owed. I am surprised that I have never mentioned this in the blog before because it is something which happens often and continues to grate. It's theft, plain and simple.

Anyway, we had a fantastic time on the island and I was happy to see another part of Japan. We didn't visit one of the islands main attractions, the volcano called Mount Mihara. I'll see the volcano next time - we had no desire to cycle to the top after our 50km round trip.

We returned to Tokyo and Neil spent the remainder of his holiday sightseeing in Tokyo and drinking beer with myself in my local bar called Bo Jangles. Neil returned to Scotland on the 3rd of October, after a last minute rush to Narita Airport. He thought he was due to leave on Thursday night, but discovered at 5pm on Wednesday that he was leaving that same night at 10pm. It was great to see him again and I hope he returns many more times in future. A slideshow of Neil's holiday can be found by clicking on the link.

Neil in Japan

My friend from the Isle of Skye, Neil Souter, arrived in Japan on the 21st of September. It's been great to catch up again. Neil and I are no strangers to drinking beer and so far, we have been out every night. Carnage! We are planning to visit Izu Oshima tomorrow (Friday 21st Sept) and stay there overnight in a Japanese style ryokan. More updates to follow.