Family treasures

A trip into the hills to the north of Hiroshima and a visit to the Ikegami family home. It has been unoccupied for the past 40 years but is in pretty good condition despite this. A decision will have to be made soon as to whether it will be modernised and used as a family home, but in the meantime some repairs to the roof were needing inspected. It gave us a chance to visit the rural countryside close to Miyoshi and for Jackie and Yaz to have another look at the house and to open a few of the stored boxes of family heirlooms. This saddle was one of the surprise finds and little or nothing is known of it's history. The cloth shows the crest the Ikegami family used (it is thought) but again details are sketchy.
The landscape was rural, the cherry trees were in full bloom and the pace of life was noticeably slower. It felt as if we had stepped back in time and had a glimpse of the life of a previous generation.
Back in Hiroshima we decided on European food in the Café Ponte across the river from the Peace Park. Service was slow but the cooked Hiroshima oysters and wonderful pasta dishes more than compensated. We had arranged to have dinner with  Yaz's father who was at 80 years old, still working as a GP. It was interesting to hear him describe how his life had panned out and how he still lived for his work. His work ethic partially explained why Yaz could look forward to only one week of holiday each year.