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Sake & mama-chari samurai

 Old kura in Aizu Wakamatsu

A weekend visiting old storehouses doesn’t sound that interesting, but when the storehouses contain sake breweries with tasting opportunities, things look a whole lot brighter.  It also helps that the storehouses are traditional old structures with a lot of character.  Aizu Wakamatsu and neighbouring Kitakata, north of Tokyo in Fukushima Prefecture, have lots of old kura (storehouses), samurai history, sake breweries, and a nearby onsen.  This was a visit to old Japan.

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Waterways of Osaka

Big rubber duck floating on the river outside Tenmanbashi 

Who knew that Osaka looks so much better from the water?  I revisited some old favourite places during the Silver Week holiday but saw them from a whole new angle.  And the significance of the giant rubber duck?  I have no idea; it was just floating on the river near Tenmanbashi.

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