Sunday, September 1, 2013

Stunning Kamiyama

The view from our kitchen and balcony


Ok, so I can't wait anymore. I had other posts planned from our adventures in Osaka and the rest of Kyoto but I'm just going to skip around a little bit. I just need to tell you about Kamiyama.

We arrived into the Tokushima City bus station and Keiko was waiting for us. She's part of the KAIR (Kamiyama Artist in Residence) organization and the central liaison to the artists. She is fantastic and speaks great English (studied in Missouri). As we've already been here about 10 days, she's been a real asset to help us all get acquainted with ways of life here and showing us how to get around. Plus taking us to the grocery store and reading labels.

After picking up some groceries and Hopper items, we got back into the car for the 45 minute drive through the mountains. It's difficult to explain just how beautiful it was, passing through villages on narrow winding roads, cutting through the mountains in tunnels, wrapping around their moss covered edges, and getting glimpses of valleys with houses and rivers and peaks completely covered in green, patches of lime green bamboo mixed in.

I was a little worried about Hopper getting car sick so kept engaging him to look around and talking about the scenery. Keiko was giving a running commentary on things as we passed, but it was hard to concentrate on what she was saying. It was just so stunning.

We turned onto our little street that, after you turn into our  complex of houses, continues up the mountain. The houses are old teachers' quarters from the 60's, now mostly used for the artists during the residency term. They're concrete and nothing special to look at, but we are living large for our normal standards. Big eat in kitchen connected to what is now a playroom, separate shower/tub and toilet, and 2 big bedrooms upstairs with a massive balcony. More than ample, and definitely more than we are used to living in.

Arriving just before sunset, we just spent the first hour in awe, dragonflies by the hundreds hovering over the small crescent shaped rice field next door, the sounds of cicadas, frogs and crickets filling the fragrant air. It's so idyllic that I cannot fully grasp it. But I feel home.

driving over the bridge to Shikoku Island

in Keiko's car

she brought a baby seat yay!

just leaving the city on our way to mountain road 21

our kitchen

what will soon be Hopper's playroom

full moon rising over the mountain, and our house, our first night, spectacular!

neighbors bonsai trees lining the rice field

and their eggplant plant



our house on the left

local hospitality, shaved ice with sugar sauce, she know toddlers (2 little boys live here)



sharing & the view

path down to the road, couple in foreground is Sayaka from Japan and her boyfriend Manus from Ireland (they live in Bos en Lommer, Amsterdam!!!)

Hopper's room

our room

breakfast


PS. We got a new camera, can't you tell?

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