Northern Honshu - Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture

Cats and Owls 

By Declan

Ever wondered where cafes involve animals? well, the answer is Hanamaki.

1.)  Cat Cafe Hanamaki

Why on earth would someone create a cafe that has a little cat petting zoo in it?

I don't know why but all I know about it is this:

The little building held 20 cats (at least)

Some were moody, shy and even one eyed!

 

2.) Ricky's Owl Cafe

The most adorable owls were kept in this nice little place. (and they served excellent parfait!)

Including quite a few little faces including White ones, evil looking ones, Mother and son owls and lots more! The thing I found fascinating about the cafe was that unlike the cat cafe they actually served proper food from a menu. (The cat cafe only had a coffee machine).

Writer's Comment: 

" At frankfurt airport I was startled to see a police woman carrying a lightweight machine gun. (Loaded)"

(Sorry if this is a spoiler because that happened 3 days after the animal cafes.)

Hanimaki

By Bea

Yes we have left wonderful Japan after enjoying Kyoto's history, Tokyo's quirkiness and the relaxing beauty of hot water onsens in Hanamaki.  

At an onsen resort you all sleep on futons on tatami mat floors.  You are given yukata robes to get into (a bit tricky the first time!) and then you have a hot bath.  As many times as you want but they recommend not more than three a day as they are over 40 degrees in heat!  Of course you do the wash beforehand - balancing on a stool, scrubbing all over and tipping basins of water over yourself - and then you sink naked into the bath.  

At Osawa there were indoor baths for women and men separately and then a short walk outside and across a bridge to the famous riverside bath that's unisex.  Quite a mind shift for New Zealanders who are used to wearing togs in Hanmer Springs!  However everyone is polite and discreet and we went at night mostly so there were shadows for modesty.  A gorgeous experience. 

We visited a craft workshop complex with Phil Williams and Declan was able to make his own Japanese sweet biscuit, and a little decorated wooden horse that is based on the quarter draught horses that feature in a local festival.  

We did visit the gimmicky animal cafes.  I was less than impressed as I am not a fan of zoos.  The cat one was pretty much like being in a mad cat ladies apartment with a load of bad tempered and snack-hungry cats, but the owls cafe was a bit distressing...All the animals were imported and to see them crammed into a small room, with no natural light or ability to fly or to live any sort of natural life was really sad.  

They just sat there all day and got picked up by people to have their photo taken. 

Phil and Fukiko Williams were kind enough to drive us all around Hanamaki and other towns and we saw local ski-fields, visited cafes (with clever devices to warm underneath the tables!)...

... and even had an evening at their language school Speak Up, where we were the VIP guests on whom the students practiced their english schools!  They were delightful. 

And yesterday was my big birthday, spent travelling from Hanamaki in Northern Honshu, and ending up in an airport hotel in Frankfurt.  

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes.  Dragging around airports is not my idea of fun so I'm relieved to be in Germany now and we are about to drive ourselves around Bavaria for four days and see a few Christmas markets.