Japan - Mie - Day 1

We are now at our next hotel. It is situated in the Ise-Shima National Park on the coast of Ago Bay which is East of Kyoto. We took an early train from Kyoto and traveled through some beautiful country. We continue to be struck by the countless rice fields and the various states of maturity the rice is from one field to the next.  From what we’ve learned, families have a parcel of land and farm it to survive. This is a dying tradition because many of the younger generation do not want to farm a plot of land. So, we see many people out in the fields that should be relaxing at home with their grandchildren at their feet listening to all of their stories. 

The other thing that strikes me is the variety of trees and their density. It is hard to describe. Outside of the big cities, every valley floor seems to have a little village and then there is just forest and greenery until the next valley. Just beautiful…

Here is the view from our room out Ago Bay - what you don’t hear is the chorus of birds just singing in joy…