Amanohashidate

Carly has come and gone once again. Her fall break from school allowed us a week together in Kyoto (although I had to work), but we escaped up north to a quaint seaside town called Amanohashidate for a quick weekend. The name Amanohashidate means "bridge to heaven," roughly and it one of Japan's "three scenic views" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Views_of_Japan).

So we got in on Friday afternoon around 12:30 and went for lunch at a small place where Carly befriended the proprietor, an older woman of about 70. The meal was fantastic, and Carly gradually got to talkin' with the proprietor/owner/cook/server about the food. The woman was so honored that Carly found her fish seaweed side dish to be so tasty (it was) that she showered Carly with offers of recipes and fresh vegetables from her own recent delivery. Carly declined, but the befriending made for an excellent start to the weekend.

In the first afternoon we walked across the 4 km. land bridge that is Amanohashidate. Here I am before we set out.

A view from the bridge at the beginning of the walk.


There is a long beach that runs the eastern side of the land bridge. I saw it as an opportunity to take some Karate Kid shots. It is one of my favorite movies from the 80's. Doing the Crane, mid-kick:


Eat your heart out, Ralph Macchio.


Carly is flying like a genie:


On the other side of the bridge, the sun was beginning to set. I took this picture of a passing ferry. Turned out to look like a scene from a Mark Twain novel. Just looking at it makes me miss the South.

A persimmon tree bearing some fruit.


On day two, we took the chair lift up the adjacent mountain to view Amanohashidate from some elevation. No seat-belts required, or harnesses. The ride was six minutes long, although I would have enjoyed it had it been longer. Carly in front:


The wondrous view of Amanohashidate, though too cloudy for a great image.



An old block print from Wikipedia (I mean, Japan) attests to its historic significance. Didn't see that orange house on our walk.


At the top, Carly and I put on Christmas head gear - she, some antlers, and I, an elf hat - and took some Christmas photos. Carly likes this one of her in her antlers gazing off.

And then it was all over. We took the seats back down and got on our bus back to Kyoto, where we spent the evening watching NBC television and the movie Love Actually.