New Work - Spiderlins

I have just completed this new image, observing the life of a rather musical family of Arachnids. I was interested in creating an image with spiders and was inspired by the many interesting shapes that exist in the wild and those yet to be discovered!

For more of my work, please see www.paulbedser.com

Suma Aquarium

Over the weekend we paid a visit to Suma Aquarium near Kobe. The aquarium has a wide variety of marine life, including dolphins, seals and sea otters (a personal favourite!). You can also see a dolphin show, just make sure you wear a raincoat if your planning on getting a front row seat!

A sea otter enjoying a snooze.

I was trying to take a picture of another fish when this guy swam along and sat right in front of the camera!

Some fish observing humans in captivity.

Kobe / Rokkosan

This week Monday was a national holiday so we decided to make the most of the extra day and take a trip to Kobe and Rokko to the north of Osaka, just around the bay.

Our first stop was in Rokko where we were staying in a hotel at the top of the mountain, Rokkosan. After a short train journey, we arrived at our destination and caught the hotel's bus up to the top of the mountain. The journey took around twenty minutes up a road that winds its way around the mountain, by the end I was glad I don't suffer from travel sickness! We were staying at Rokkosan Hotel, an old hotel that dates back to 1929, it was an interesting place to stay although some of the amenities were showing their age. The place reminded me a lot of the film 'The Shining' although luckily I didn't spot any creepy twins roaming the corridors!

On after we arrived we headed out iton the blazing sunshine to take a walk to an area called the 'Garden Terrace which I had read had great views. We had intended to stick to the road but on the way we stopped off at a tourist information spot where two old men were falling over themselves to give us advice on the best route to take. They showed us a route which headed off the main road and through the cool forest, it was nice just to get out of the heat. Along the way we a lot of interesting wildlife, and some which could only be heard, the cicadas were out in force and making an almost deafening racket.

The road heads off into the forest

A cafe, off the beaten track.

A discarded cicada skin.

A sign seen by a golf course. Boars are well known to enjoy a sneaky game of golf.

We eventually arrived at the top where there were some stunning views and a number of shops and restaurants, for some bizarre reason there is an English theme in this area, it seemed strange to travel across the world and 1000 meters up a mountain only to find a place with roast dinners and London Pride on the menu!

Enjoying lunch with a view.

The view from the 'Garden Terrace'

The views from the hotel were also stunning, especially by night where the lights of Kobe can be seen glowing far below.

The view from the top of the hotel by night.

The same view by day.

A panoramic view from the hotel.

The following day we headed into Kobe for a much more urban experience where we spent the day browsing small shops and drinking numerous cups of coffee. In the evening we visited a bar called Abuku which serves fantastic mediterranean dishes, we had been to this place during our last visit to Kobe and were eager to eat there again.

Our stay in Rokkosan and Kobe was very enjoyable, the weather was amazing apart from on the Monday when it decided to pour down with rain, luckily this was the day we were traveling home so didn't bother us so much. Now I can't wait for the next long weekend!

New Work - Tree House

Here is some new work I have just completed, inspired by....well, trees and woodland animals and stuff like that. Hope you enjoy passing your eyes over it! (Click to see large image)

If you would like to see more of my work, please see here.

Ikeda

I have been eager to head out of town recently to see the wonderful colours of a Japanese autumn and so decided to head North to Ikeda and Satsukiyama Park. One other attraction in Ikeda is Satsukiama Zoo which is where we headed to first. The zoo is known for its family of wombats and approaching the place from the station you're not given a chance to forget about it as everywhere you look are caricatures and statues of the creatures, they have even adopted it as the town's mascot!

Wombats, wombats everywhere!

The zoo includes other animals such as wallabies, llamas and a few rather sorry looking monkeys but the wombats were by far the cutest. Unfortunately I didn't get close enough to the wombats to get any good photos so you will have to make do with one of the wallabies instead. Sorry!

Wallabies, not wombats.

After seeing the zoo we crossed the road to Satsukiyama Park. What I hadn't anticipated was that the park is actually part of Satsuki Mountain and involved climbing many steps to the summit, I was just glad it wasn't in the middle of summer!. The colour of the leaves was amazing and well worth the trip to see, covering an impressive range of Autumnal hues from deep reds through to light green, even on a single tree the colours varied considerably.

Autumnal Hues

 After an exhausting climb to the summit of Satsuki mountain we only had a moment to catch our breath before it was snatched way again by the stunning views, stretching away into the distance to the mountains on the horizon, made all the more impressive by the wonderful colours.

They look just like ant houses, if ants built houses.

Now, the long climb down.

One other thing that Ikeda is famous for is for being the birthplace of instant noodles and the Cup Noodle, the spiritual grandfather of the humble Pot Noodle. In recognition of this, a museum dedicated to the history of noodles in a cup was built in the town and of course we just had to pay our respects!

Instant noodles were first invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958 who's statue greets visitors to the museum. Ando then went on to invent the Cup noodle in 1971. The museum is a lot of fun and very well set out including an area where you can design and make your own variety of Cup Noodle! Unfortunately we arrived too late to make our own but maybe next time, at least that gives me plenty of time to think of the ultimate flavour! Any suggestions?

The great man himself, Momofuku Ando!

The tunnel of noodles love.

Were going to need a bigger kettle!

Who'd have thought they use child labor to make noodles?

The shed where it all began.

Kamakura Part 2

After a rather dramatic start, (see Kamakura Coin Locker Drama) the rest of our weekend in Kamakura was very enjoyable. On the Saturday we visited a nearby seaside town which has a beach area that looks like it consists of volcanic rock (great if you enjoy exploring rock pools). There is also a lighthouse up on the cliff top surrounded by what looks like mock roman architecture for some strange reason. For lunch we stopped at a rather run down restaurant near the beach, we were a little reluctant to enter at first as one entrance was guarded by angry looking hornets but our hunger overcame fear and we ventured in. After deliberating over the menu for some time we eventually ordered the grilled squid and sashimi which wasn't too bad in the end. We finished the day by visiting a few nearby shops, including a rather nice antique shop, and watched the sun go down on the beach where many people had gathered to have barbecues.

 Is this Japan?

 One of many rock pools.

 Hoping for stray fish.

 He was probably happily swimming along a moment ago.

 Watching the sun set.

The following day we set off on foot to explore Kamakura further. Our root took us through Shakado pass which is a tunnel that leads through a rock face, I had been through the pass on my previous visit to Kamakura but this time we were shocked to find that the entrance had been partly blocked off by a rock fall! We hesitated for a while, wondering whether we should venture further, but having seen an elderly couple ahead of us bravely bound across the fallen rocks, we decided that we would give it a try. After a bit of a struggle we made it through to the other side safely and breathed a sigh of relief only for me to slip up and land on my rear on the muddy rocks, at least the others found it a source of amusement!

 

 Shakado pass two years ago.

 

 Shakado pass in November 2010.

We later met up with other friends that we hadn't seen for some time and enjoyed okonomiyaki and drinks together before browsing more shops and temples. The end of the weekend came around all too quickly and before we knew it was time to say our goodbyes. Our journey back was by night bus which left Kamakura around 9.30 PM and didn't arrive in Osaka until 6.oo AM! Its an okay journey if you find it easy to sleep at the drop of a hat but for light sleepers like myself it can be a bit grueling as they turn off all the lights and pull all the curtains to so you don't even have any scenery to look at! But we made it in the end and look forward to our next visit to Kamakura (as long as I am more observant when locking my belongings away).

 Those temple steps haven't been used for some time!

Some much needed peace and quiet.

Forest Eating

Yesterday we took a trip to my wife's home town, Kawachinagano which is in the southern regions of Osaka. My wife's mother had kindly offered to take us out for a meal at a fantastic restaurant called 'Santouka' which is situated in the mountainous forests around the area. The food was really good, with many small dishes including sesame tofu, tempura, grilled fish (which was particularly good) and many others. Not only was the food good, the views are great as well, looking out through the surrounding forest, very relaxing and a much needed break from the city.

 

Inside the restaurant.

 

The view outside.

 

Lunch.

 

The surrounding forest walk.

 

Local wildlife.