I really enjoyed BEING in this place of history in the mountains. It took 2.5 hours by train from the nearest big city of Nagoya. The type of house I stayed in is called a ryokan, one that has mats called tatami and attached to a communal bathhouse, it had belonged to Hiroto’s grandfather, it was 700 years old. This area was the once ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate.
I took a random walk just up from the house and found a valley of beautiful market gardens amongst the temples and ancestral graves. Japanese people certainly know how to grow vedge. The harvest was Sweet potato, pumpkin, cabbage greens and onion. A place of peace and memory whilst tending the earth.
My favourite photo so far is the pond. Just look carefully you can see the earth at the bottom, the leaves under suspended, the water, the still surface with twigs, the reflection of turning trees, the sky and the sun. Passage. As I left Takayama the mountains had turned golden.
amanda pellatt 