Japan with Friends

It’s been over 25 years since I lived in Japan. I’ve gone back a few times, but it’s rare that I get to take off for a week or more to the west coast as work keeps me confined to around Tokyo with the odd stint up to Sendai to visit relatives.

Well this time Ayano and I had to opportunity to play travel agents (aka – A&B Travel) as we had some close friends take a 5-day detour from their travels to visit Shimane during cherry blossom season.

Shimane is a beautiful place… a place that few tourist get to see when traveling to Japan. So I was very happy that I could show off a part of ‘my Japan’ and let them see how special it is. After our trip, I put together a 15 minute video for them as a keep-sake.

If you’ve never experienced Japan’s countryside or know what it’s like to see cherry trees in full bloom, then I recommend that to pull up a chair, grab a tea or coffee and enjoy some beautiful scenery with great music.

• Watch on YouTube
  (up to 4k, but some music blocked from Sony copyrights if you’re watching from Japan, sorry) 
• Watch from Google Drive
  (if you’re in Japan, this is the one to watch – not in 4k, but no music blocked either)

PS: If you’re wondering about the ‘Donkey cuts’ – that’s a little ‘mascot’ that my friends took with them everywhere they travelled, so it only seems fitting to include him (Mr. JA) in the video.