Gifu
My phone has had a good workout now, so look forward to seeing the fruits of its labours soon. However, as I mentioned before, I've got some rather less scintillating photos to post first, chiefly, the last from my old phone.
Before I get into it, a brief note about more general goings-on. As I feared, it seems that Saturday I worked in the last post will not be the last. The school is finally growing as it should have back in May, which means more than a few hours of overtime over the next month. This will come in handy later, as I've planned to use the return portion of my original ticket to spend the silly season in Sydney. I get a month off from mid-December to mid-January, which I will use to its fullest to restore my sanity, restock essential supplies, catch up with everyone, and consume large quantities of steak and beer. Woohoo!
And most importantly, I won't be contactable to work, which is almost in itself worth the unpaid holiday...
Anyhoo, on to the piccies. Awhile ago, I was taken on a tour of some of the sights of neighbouring Gifu prefecture. Gifu is famous for many traditional things, such as art, crafts and ukai (cormorant fishing - the local fishermen use trained birds to catch fish for them, with a string around their neck, so they can't swallow!). This means, of course, as with any place that is so traditional, that it is inaka, or "the sticks". Even Gifu city, which is no small place, still has a very rustic feel to it. However, this means some nice scenery to appreciate - I just wish I'd had the technology to capture it...
First stop was a place called Yourou, famous for its waterfall...
The first one is amusing - if you look carefully, you'll see a very well-placed bystander with an umbrella...
This place is halfway up the mountainside, which affords some great views of the plains. I don't think I've seen so much green flat land anywhere else in this country - as it seems that any land that isn't vertical is built on, with a few small garden plots between the buildings. I don't know why they even bother growing rice here anymore, except maybe out of sheer stubbornness or patriotism, since there's no way anyone could possibly be making enough money from farming to cover the land taxes. Oh, and they had a cute little shrine there, too, built at the source of a spring which produces holy water said to cure all ills - Japan's answer to the Chalice Well at Glastonbury...
From there to another mountain, this time right in the heart of Gifu city, again with spectacular views of the area. And also, yes, you guessed it, a castle! This one was built in the late 16th century by Nobunaga Oda, but apparently, was never used by him. It's a shame - I guess the vantage point was too good to waste, since you can see all the way to Nagoya from Gifu-jou...
And to finish, a nice sunset from the mountaintop...
Before I get into it, a brief note about more general goings-on. As I feared, it seems that Saturday I worked in the last post will not be the last. The school is finally growing as it should have back in May, which means more than a few hours of overtime over the next month. This will come in handy later, as I've planned to use the return portion of my original ticket to spend the silly season in Sydney. I get a month off from mid-December to mid-January, which I will use to its fullest to restore my sanity, restock essential supplies, catch up with everyone, and consume large quantities of steak and beer. Woohoo!
And most importantly, I won't be contactable to work, which is almost in itself worth the unpaid holiday...
Anyhoo, on to the piccies. Awhile ago, I was taken on a tour of some of the sights of neighbouring Gifu prefecture. Gifu is famous for many traditional things, such as art, crafts and ukai (cormorant fishing - the local fishermen use trained birds to catch fish for them, with a string around their neck, so they can't swallow!). This means, of course, as with any place that is so traditional, that it is inaka, or "the sticks". Even Gifu city, which is no small place, still has a very rustic feel to it. However, this means some nice scenery to appreciate - I just wish I'd had the technology to capture it...
First stop was a place called Yourou, famous for its waterfall...
The first one is amusing - if you look carefully, you'll see a very well-placed bystander with an umbrella...
This place is halfway up the mountainside, which affords some great views of the plains. I don't think I've seen so much green flat land anywhere else in this country - as it seems that any land that isn't vertical is built on, with a few small garden plots between the buildings. I don't know why they even bother growing rice here anymore, except maybe out of sheer stubbornness or patriotism, since there's no way anyone could possibly be making enough money from farming to cover the land taxes. Oh, and they had a cute little shrine there, too, built at the source of a spring which produces holy water said to cure all ills - Japan's answer to the Chalice Well at Glastonbury...
From there to another mountain, this time right in the heart of Gifu city, again with spectacular views of the area. And also, yes, you guessed it, a castle! This one was built in the late 16th century by Nobunaga Oda, but apparently, was never used by him. It's a shame - I guess the vantage point was too good to waste, since you can see all the way to Nagoya from Gifu-jou...
And to finish, a nice sunset from the mountaintop...
posted by Ia Ftaghn at 12:04 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home