About 400 years ago Matsuo Basho, the father of Japanese haiku, walked the long road north to Yamagata, a beautiful snowy part of rural Japan. When there he wrote this famous poem:
Shizukasa ya · Iwa ni shimiiru · Semi no koe
Silence · Penetrating the rocks · The cry of the cicada
It is a place I spent a happy year a decade ago, skiing, stumbling over the strong dialect, making friends, laughing and presenting my on TV show! We headed back to visit old friends and take in some of the lovely countryside… I will share some snippets over the coming days, before introducing you to our new home of Kyoto. Pop back tomorrow for a glimpse into this little known area of Japan…
