A cold autumn day in Nikko

In the hopes of seeing some autumn colours we made a day trip up to Nikko last Tuesday. I had work in the evening so we decided to leave early and head back at lunch time so we didn't feel too rushed. That meant a departure time of 3:30am. Yikes.
Driving through the darkness with a clear night sky, for once there were more stars than cars. The clear roads also meant we should be there in time to see the sun rise. Hopefully.
A glow started to appear above the horizon in the rear view mirror and the race was on.
With no one in front and only the sun behind we made it up the mountain in time to see the moment.

We continued up the mountain and caught the sun again as it came in to view over Lake Chuzenji.

Unfortunately it seemed we were a bit too late to see the blazing reds of autumn. Instead a very strong cold wind was blowing and it started to snow. Nini did not seem very impressed!

Still, we'd gone all that way so we left him in the car and kept looking around.

More pics to come soon.....

Funabashi Auto Festival Part 2

Sorry for the delay in putting these up. Was under the weather for a while.


If I ever own a Z34, it would have to have this Amuse kit. I love the look of the car in standard form but this kit accentuates it's curves beautifully.

Even though Tarzan was not in attendance the Cyber Evo did a few tandem runs around the oval with the Revolution RX-7. Despite the small space the drivers still gave it a good thrash. The acceleration from the 2 cars was just awesome and to be able see them on a race track at full speed would leave a smile on my face for days I think.

Must. Tell. Myself. This. Is. Wrong.
But something about it works........arrrrggghhhh.

The day wasn't just all about cars though, there were plenty of bikes to look at too. This Yamaha has been seen to by Peyton Place, giving it new technology to go with old school styling. I think it looks pretty damn cool.

Lost in translation? Apparently not.

And speaking of, ahhh....nuts...
There was some FMX on display too

It was the first time I'd seen it live and even though they had limited space in the car park in front of a couple of buildings they didn't hold back.
Had a talk to this guy before going home and turns out he'd been to N.Z. on tour and proceeded to ask if I knew 'Mad Mike'. Small world eh.

Well, it's getting late so will post more tomorrow.

Funabashi Auto Festival

Just a few teasers for now. Will put together a few more posts soon.

Sweet! I'll have two thanks....

Call of the sea

Summer days keep on......

On the way home from Moriya we took a little tiki tour up the coast to scout out some possible new locations. It's nice to get away from the costly parking and seaside stalls that get set up for the summer holidays. We happened across a little fishing port which looks very promising.

The water was about 4m deep but you could clearly see all the way to the bottom.

Make your way through a few tunnels through the hill you can walk to this little bay.

Which looks like it could be a nice spot to go for a snorkel.

Often when you go to a 'port' like this the locals can be quite unfriendly, but this was pleasantly different. They were quite happy to show us around and tell us how to get to the bay.
In between repairs of course....


And what Japanese wharf would be complete without a trusty rusty scooter. Complete with standard 'safety' headgear.

The tour conductor is secretly planning the next trip I think.....

Summer days.......

The days just keep rolling by........ Day? Friday I think. Time? Most definitely pre 4am. Weather? Ahh, I think I can see some stars......
Destination: Moriya. I'm driving (I think, I might not actually be awake yet).
A fairly uneventful ride along the highway and some back roads and we're there; 6:30 and thankfully not too hot. A welcome bank of clouds are taking some of the brightness out of the sun.

After setting up the tent etc. it's time for our almost ritual snorkel. Kanako was in like a flash but I took it a little slower. Thankfully the water temperature is a lot better than the last time we were here, so no girly squeals as I walk in. The water is not quite as clear but still able to see plenty of fish, shellfish and crays.



While heading back to the beach this beast poked his head out of a crack in the rocks. Despite his valiant efforts the monster was no match for my mighty hunter-gatherer instincts. It was a fight for the ages. The huge tentacles wrapped their way around my hand trying to pull me under. The minutes seemed like days.

(The author takes no responsibility for the validity or lack there of in the previous paragraph)


After the successful capture of my first ever octopus I was pretty stoked.

Nini showed only a fleeting interest.

After showing the octopus to a few nearby children I took it back into the water and let the mighty beast go. A brief moment of playing dead, followed by some quick changes of colour and it was off. Hopefully to grow into an even mightier beast than now.
The morning was starting to move on and the clouds that had given respite from the sun upon arrival were starting to burn off.
Kanako took this opportunity to work on her tan.....

... before being interrupted by Nini.


Other beach goers were also taking in the morning rays.