Cozy autumn morning, sailing in Japan! ☕️ #travel #sailing

Cozy autumn morning, sailing in Japan! ☕️ #travel #sailing

Raindrops and coffee. That’s how this new season of sailing began. One morning in Japan, a cold front rolled in and overnight everything just changed. The air turned crisp. The decks stayed damp with drizzle and suddenly we were pulling out jumpers and socks again, which had a certain novelty to it. Karen made this pumpkin curry on the stove, and the boat transformed into a cozy little floating haven. But of course, the sea had other plans. Gusts hit 20 knots as we made our way into Japan’s Sto inland Sea. The waves, the shipping traffic, and the mountains along the coastline made for a raw and beautiful sight. We arrived at our anchorage fairly exhausted and stumbled into the most peaceful local onen, which we had all to ourselves. I can’t imagine a better way to end the day. The next morning, we explored the village, hiked through its beautiful forests, and snacked on fruit from roadside trees we found. Then we set off again towards Hiroshima, a city I’ve been curious about since learning its history back in primary school. We visited the Peace Memorial, which left us quiet and deeply moved. And despite the heaviness of this place, it was also full of light and beauty. We walked through the botanical gardens, the kids fed koiish, and we rode the ferris wheel towering over the boat in the marina more times than I can count. Be sure to check out our Sailing Japan series and see the country from this unique perspective with us.

Sailing through remote Japan has been nothing short of magical. Apart from the new icy sea air and misty mornings, we’ve loved undertaking short passages between the many rural fishing villages. Watching our boys discover a new culture, and making friends along the way, has made this chapter even more special for Riles and I 💙 Have you caught up on our full adventure Sailing Japan series yet? I’ll link it if you haven’t, you don’t want to miss it! xx