Lazy morning and went to the bagel shop for breakfast where the staff were pleased to see us. One of the girls in the cafe gave us a message from the girl who had served us the night before; she wanted to say hello to us which was very sweet. Took more bagels with us for lunch. Checked out of hotel and took taxi to station for the 12:00 from Kochi up to Okayama. Went back up the valley through the same amazing scenery and then north through much flatter land with rice and vegetable crops. Saw many herons looking for food in ponds and riverbeds and a buzzard making off with its lunch from a field right next to the train.
Jumped straight on a bullet train at Okayama and we were back in Osaka in 40 minutes. Last leg was another train to Kansai airport and we checked into hotel tired and hot after being cooped up in trains all day. Had uninspired Japanese version of Italian pasta in the airport and then wandered around a bit before heading back to our room. Airport at Kansai is built on a man made island and is accessed by a single bridge a couple of miles long. Hotel room we were in was facing the second terminal strip which is still being built. A single rectangle of grey stones being filled in one truckful at a time. Immense machines were shifting stones and breaking rocks throughout the night.

Bought tourist bus tickets at the hotel and caught the bus to Godaisan which is an ornamental garden on top of a hill overlooking the river estuary. Bus ride was very scary going up hairpin bends hundreds of feet above the city but worth it when we reached the top. There was a viewing platform at the top and we could see all over the city and over the mountains and out to the Pacific. So high up that we were looking down onto the buzzards that were circling over the harbour.

We got back on the next bus and carried on past the temple to Katsurahama to see the sea. We got off the bus at the edge of some woods and followed a signed path down to the beach. It was very steep and led down through some beautiful woods filled with camellia trees. When we reached the bottom we found ourselves in front of the most stunning beach with grey gravelly sand and turquoise sea stretching on forever. The sun was so warm we were able to lie on the beach and also paddle in the water; it was pretty cold though. We spent about an hour or so soaking up the sun, eating a weird Japanese version of a vanilla ice cream and taking photos of the lovely views. We then walked up over the clifftops to look at the beach on the other side. There was a small shrine right on the very edge of the cliffs from which we took some more photos. We walked back down to get a drink and I had a strawberry icecream out of a vending machine - very strange, although it tasted great. Explored a few tatty gift shops and then headed back up to meet the last bus back to Kochi. Steep climb back the way the bus had come and lovely views across sea, estuary and hills. Reached Kochi feeling very hungry after sea air so enjoyed bagel and fries in a cafe. Went to the Internet cafe again and filled bag with takeaway food for hotel room picnic.

Checked out of the hotel and got the local train to Awa Iekeda where we changed for another local train down to Kochi.

This was really spectacular as the line followed the river down through the mountains. One minute we were over the river on a bridge and the next running next to the main road but all the time shuttling along several hundreds of feet above huge rocks and crystal clear water. Eventually the line came down to the valley where the land is so flat that much of it has been flooded for rice growing.
Kochi is a small town which is very relaxed and it has a tiny tramline network with some quaint 1950s style trams. Many palm trees on the main roads too. After checking at the tourist information office we got a taxi to the Hotel New Hankyu and checked in for 2 nights. Walked through the gardens to look at the castle which was very pretty and had the ground floor directly open to the gardens. A quick look round the shopping centre and a cup of coffee and a cake in the Daimaru department store and then back to the hotel to get a meal and watch the Japan vs. Bahrain match on TV.

Woke up to beautiful sunny day and had brief breakfast in hotel restaurant. There was a drunken man ordering his third beer at 9:30 am. An unusual sight not only for the time of day but also for Japan. After breakfast we set off for the cable cars to go up Mt Bizan, Robin having decided that he could conquer his fear long enough to cope with the six minute ride. The building from which we took the cable car was also home to a very nice souvenir shop and the Awa Odori dance theatre. We had a cable car to ourselves and were behind two very excited, giggling japanese girls who took our photo from their cable car in front of us. Robin did well to survive this terrifying experience and seemed to control his fear by gripping my right hand and wrist. Seems unlikely that I will ever be able to write again. He did evntually manage to open his eyes long enough to glimpse the absolutely stunning panoramic views across Tokushima and out to sea. We arrived safely at the top and were very glad that we braved the scary ride because the views were magnificent. As the sun was shining across the city we took some good photos. We walked all around the top of the mountain taking in fabulous views in all directions. It was possible to see many of the rivers coming into the city from the sea - we managed to count seven from one viewing point. We set off to walk back down to ground level and picked the first path we saw. It was extremely steep at the top and in some places there was even a rope to hold on to. Some of the path went down by what would be waterfalls. It levelled out a bit more towards the bottom and we ended up in some sort of very old cemetery where some stones had been up-endd by tree roots. After the cemetery we went into a temple which had the mot exquisite gardens complete with moss gardens, raked gravel, carp ponds and blossms . Walked back to the town centre and got a big supply of delicious cakes from a patisserie and then stopped for lunch in a student cafe. We had cheese and potato pizzas and coffee. We walked around the shopping arcades and bought som souvenirs and then walked round to the castle gardens. We checked our mails at a cafe near the station. In the evening we went to see the Awa Ododi dance display at the theatre which was very colourful and noisy but we decided against getting up on stage and joining in ourselves.

Checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the ferry port in Wakayama. Two tickets from the machine at 1800 Yen each and we got on board what seemd like a mobile sauna. It was 28 degrees inside and not a breath of air. Many people chose to lie on the floor and sleep but we sat up to look ouf of the window and watch inane game shows on TV. Set off OK but waters of the Inland Sea were a little choppy and we soon felt queasy especially in the stuffy heat. Drank some refreshing iced peach juice which helped a bit but only 2 hours at sea and arrived at Tokushima bang on time. We joined the queue outside for the bus and stood on the bus for ages to get to the city centre with 30 others who didn't bat an eye at us or our huge cases. We decided to get off where it looked busy which turned out to be one stop around the corner from the station anyway. Main lessons about riding the bus in Japan - get on at the back and leave at the front and pay when you get offand not when you get on. Also remember that a non-step bus is different from a non-stop bus.

We walked into the huge Hotel Clement on top of the station and took a double room on the 16th floor with view over the city and Mt Bizan.

Went to the Sogo department store after a brief stop for a sandwich and a burger. Stocked up on Miss Kitty trinkets for Emily and Snoopy cookis for Sarah. Too worn out by ferry journey to do anything else except go for cheap and disgusting Chinese meal in station shopping centre.