Mountains

Today I have arrived in Katayama, in what is called the `japanese alps`. Sure hilly here, but alps... not really.. yet. I`ll get up early in the morning (0600h) to go catch a bus to Kamakochi, 1500m up in the mountains (there should be real ones there). From there I am planning to climb up the 3rd highest mountain of Japan, some 3190m. Up in the morning and down in the afternoon again to get back to my hostell in Katayama with the last bus... Let`s hope the weather is good. By the time the first one reads this I will at least be half-way up if all gets well.

The hostell that I am staying at in Katayama is actually not really a hostell- it is a Zenn-buhdist temple, that rents out rooms (dormitory). Nice people here. Lots of young people wanting to go up mountains. It`s got a good athmosphere. It is run by one of the monks, an old guy that speaks perfect Enlish. I`ll take pictures here before leaving, promise.

After Kyoto I have travelled to Hiroshima, to see what the first atomic bomb had done. There was a memorial park and a museum documenting the events. It was very impressive!

After that I went to Himeji, where there was an amazing and huge castle, still mostly in authentic style. That was marvelous... check the pictures (although they are not half as good as reality).

pictures

After that I`ve spent a day in Nara and a day in Osaka, where I have visited more temples and a museum by Tadao Ando. It was nice but all not really what I`d expected. So, now I am here, planning to spent some days in the mountains before heading back to Tokyo, to spent my last days in Japan with Marieke and see some more of that amazing city.

Bas.