Some of the beauty of this Spring in Japan

I went with Yaari to drive the car we were donating for Tohoku area, taking it first to Ina, Nagano.

On this night, getting gas for the drive, to Yoshie's easily I could use my credit card, and by myself do self service in Japanese! I really don't read Japanese, but just enough to get by on (25 years of practicing deciphering!) ...but I did it! It's still a relatively new thing- self service in Japan. And finally they are catching on- to putting convenience stores alongside the gas stations- finally.

It took Yaari and me about four hours to drive the back roads to Ina. We got there after midnight. When we woke up in the morning this is what we got to see, from her bedroom window:

It's very sad, but this friend, ever since the accidents, she hasn't been able to feel good. She told me...whenever she starts to feel happy, she remembers what people are going through in Fukushima, and she'll always feel sad. She doesn't sleep upstairs anymore. She stays downstairs, where her sons are. It's safer to be on the second floor, but she can't stay there, instead, for the sake of her boys, she's camped in her living room.

This is called the Japan Tibet because the mountains look like they do in Tibet.

This area draws tourists, for it's nature.

This was one magnificent house...liket a palace to me. I do believe it's someone's home.

and next door...This place actually had a sign that said it was a "something-something resort". It's not like "resorts" around the world. It's what companies call such places built for their prestigious employees to vacation at.

Across the street- tennis courts! Now THAT'S luxury. You hear about Japanese Salarymen working crazy amounts of time, it's true, but when they get to relax, some of them get to do it like this! (Not that all of the men WANT to be spending time with colleagues, but they're obligated to really).

In Ina, Nagano, Japan, the farmland can go wide and far- for Japan.

This sign looks like it might be saying it's a Cosmos flower field, ("カモス" sounds like "Cosmos" for the flowers, but rather Yaari and I found out it's a lavender field!)

Still we don't know what KAMOS means for this Garden!

If you look closely, you can see leafless short trees. I do believe those are fig trees.

  Below, this is typical of Japanese concreting streams and oceans...but then again, this time I thought about the building up to the right; if that stream were free to have worn down the hillside, for sure the buildings above would have fallen down into those waterways.

I had always thought it was just a money making thing, to concrete EVERY (well almost "every" it seems!) stream and river, and even ocean side.

  And for the tourists, a short walk from Yoshie's was a hotel that has...rabbits housed....

ostriches to see~

and feed...maybe.
They are rather scary, and supposedly their eggs taste terrible. But these are used for their meat~ so we are told.

And ponies...

I felt SO sorry for those dear little guys, I had no 100 yen coins on me to pay for carrots for them (and there were farmers near by watching us!) ...how cruel! Placing these carrots like this in front of those poor bored ponies!!!

In the middle of "nowhere" it's really unique seeing these graveyards. Where whole family's cremated remains keep being added in.

That was a very quick trip to Ina. Yaari and I returned to Nishio before 24 hours had passed.

  A few days later, I would go with new teacher Anita, to meet one student. Her yard is so magnificent, I had to take pictures.

By her front door...old tiles used creatively:

Me and Anita~

The epitome of the perfect garden!

Even inside~

And one night, where Ischin works, at YOTTEKO: with dear old friends Miriko and Harumi here:

And then again on my last night in Japan, again at Ischin's work, with Naomi, and Kahori and Taka (who came back to Japan a few nights earlier) It's another amazing beautiful place, and I'm wishing I could show better photos, but cameras don't do justice

anyway!

Oh these Japanese know how to pose!!!

Below is a photo of Taka's mother. His father took it. She died 23 years ago. There's going to be a special memorial soon. 23 years is another important number for such a ceremony. Taka doesn't know what's with the random numbers.