The landscape is Tohoku is pretty. Dominated by large swatches of rice fields, there are small villages, the occasional sight of hills, rivers and once in a while, a bright red torii gate!

This trip has lots of travel by bus in the back roads of Tohoku. We must have traversed hundreds of kilometres in the small bus!

Lots of fun travelling in a busload of journos – you can hear camera clicks going every once in a while, telling you that NOT everyone is snoozing away. And when there IS something we all like to capture on camera, we stand, jostle for the right angles and sometimes allow each other to lean into the other’s seats to grab the shot from the window. We also have witty and knowledgeable Michiko-san who will share stories and information on Japanese culture with us. So the ride is never boring.

With the long straight roads, always so well-maintained, driving in Tohoku would be a great way to see the country and move beyond the rail lines. With wheels, you’d also have greater liberty to just criss-cross the prefectures and seek out the hidden spots that may be a bit more inconvenient to access by public transport.

spot the house amid the trees

50 only? With a long straight road and no traffic, its time to chase the wind on this one.

a homestead nestled amid the green fields

town approaching