The scene has shifted to Japan – three consecutive flights took us from Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi to Singapore to Osaka.  We’re staying with Harumi and  Yoshi who put us up in an old-style Japanese house with sliding panels and  tatami to sleep on. Japan is cold where South Africa was warm – TV threatens us with snow, but we have yet to see the first snowflake.

Did a lot of city-sightseeing, both in Osaka, in Kyoto and in  Nara. Not much time for drawing (yet), with the Japan book I brought very resistant to the pencil and the fineliner. Will have to try ink or watercolor.

Biggest surprise to date: heated toilet seats. Very little else is heated,  but toilets are very, very comfy. Some have built-in  douches as well – now that is what  I call civilized. Japanese script very pretty and impossible to get a grip on. They read from left to right and top to bottom – amazing. Cities are scrupulously clean  – no trash cans anywhere, no litter anywhere. Nice! All food a picture to  look at, and a treat to eat. The only overweight Japanese I’ve seen are Sumo wrestlers – Japan just took an important prize and Harumi and  Yoshi were watching the competition avidly. On a tv that sits right next to a copy of the  ‘moses’ by Michaelangelo. Les extremes se touchent (we speak French with Yoshi who spent quite a number of years teaching and practicing art in  France).

A few pics taken  at a Nara shrine, where deer walk totally un-afraid of tourists: