We were pretty excited to be taking the Thunderbird express up the coast to Kanazawa (sadly not a particularly exciting train despite the name) where we had a quick connection to get a train to Toyama (i.e. running from one platform to another!) and then a very small local train (basically a bus on a train track) to our final destination, Kammiichi.

It was refreshing to be heading off the traditional tourist trail. Our trip there was thanks to the kind offer from Sooh and Yongshik, parents of Molly’s friend Minji, to come and stay for a few days. They had left Dubai in early January, so the girls hadn’t seen each other for around 10 months, they had been in class together at Horizon English School. It was so sweet to see how excited they were to be together again. We went to collect Minji from school and had a great afternoon as Molly learnt how to rollerblade, Minji played the piano and Sooh prepared us a delicious dinner of sukiyaki which involved everyone cooking their own beef and various vegetables in a sweet broth, its a traditional Japanese hotpot-style dish.

We really welcomed the countryside feel of Kammiichi. We were under very little pressure to do very much at all. We did run, of course (Tom doing his first half marathon of the trip), and enjoyed a walk to the Shomyo waterfalls in nearby Tateyama, at 350 meters it is the tallest in the country. We had fun in the park and feeding goats, horses and koi carp and meeting some friends at a soft play area.

We were watching reports of Typhoon Hagibis and feeling the rain getting heavier and heavier, so decided to stay an extra night to be safe.

It was great to have another evening together – we finally made it to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, with the best motivation for children to eat their plates: for every five you could try and get a prize! I think we had 60 dishes between us! Molly surprised us by liking the tuna and mackerel sashimi.

Perhaps the most memorable experience was visiting an Onsen, a traditional bath. Men and women have separate areas, no one has any clothes on! You will be relieved: no pictures from here!

All in all, the few days we spent with Minji, Sooh and Younshik were such a special time during our trip, their generous hospitality so kind and welcoming. They must come and see us in London!