I’m recently back from a magical time in Japan. Almost all parts of this journey were wonderful. I enjoyed traveling on my own to Nikko National Park, and the group I led photographically was very, very special. The photo below shows the group in their yukatas at a ryokan.

So the yukatas are kind of like elegant bathrobes to wear in Japanese-style inns. Wearing them, one doesn’t have to worry about bringing dress-up clothes, and one can enjoy the long kaiseki meals, that are one part delicious foods, and one part entertainment. You can also wear them to the onsen changing rooms!

One of our participants kindly wrote us: “Bravo!!! You guys did a fantastic job of putting together a rich, substantial, beautiful introduction to a cross section of Japanese history, culture and beauty.
I particularly loved Iya Valley and the Ryokin there as well as the Ochiai and Nagaro Scarecrow
Villages. As well as the vine bridge, the canal and shops of Kurashiki, Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum. Of course the gardens and temples were amazing. And, my most cherished memory: walking down the mountain steps from the temple with Kana. Very special. Again, I am blessed by all that the three of you did to make it wonderful for us.”

If you are curious, you can check out the 2024 itinerary here. We will be running this photography tour again in the autumn of 2025, and will post the (slightly tweaked) 2025 itinerary as soon as it is available.

Meanwhile, it is great fun to travel (particularly in Japan!), but also very nice to be home with family, cat, and garden. Yesterday I planted these ranunculus bulbs in the garden, hoping for a glorious harvest of ranunculae and papavers in the spring! The photograph shows the bulbs in a Japanese lacquerware plate.