A visit to Osaka's first Owl Cafe (Lucky Owl). Most of the residents were very friendly...

Crowds gather around the river to watch the annual firework display

Various species of fish, insects, and mammals are scaled up and paraded as feature installations on the facades of food establishments in Namba - one of Osaka's busiest entertainment districts. I took a walk around the city and indulged in the local cuisine.

A blistering hot cycle ride from Osaka to Nara, via Mount Ikoma (38km)...a short but exhausting day in the saddle, sharing the road with the local sika deer!

An early morning visit to the Buddhist complex of Tōdai-ji - following the sacred sika deer on their daily pilgrimage from the nearby forests towards the temple

A relaxing walk spotting the local sika deer in the forests surrounding Nara's 'Kasuga-taisha' shinto shrine

A short 40km cycle ride from Nara to Kyoto, followed by some local chicken and Sake in the Gion district (...spotted Geisha walking to their next appointment)

A visit to Kennin-ji.- Kyoto's oldest zen temple - to understand the philosophies behind tradition Japanese gardens

Intimate look inside residents houses in Harie ("the village of living water") - to see how locals cohabit with koi carp *Feature Article to follow*

Day-trip to Hata Rice Fields with Seita Mori, a local urban planner, and grandma. An interesting day, finding out how rice fields were redeveloped after the war