It would be fair to say that given Japan’s fabulous win over Scotland, I was probably not the only person in Japan to wake with a crushing headache this morning. There is clearly a reason Tequila is off my drinks list, despite Margaritas being so delicious. I felt it was all a little unjust, as I wasn’t roaring drunk when I fell into bed, but I think the variety of the drinks (beer, sparkling wine, margarita & gin and tonic) was probably unwise. I also fear I had neglected to maintain my water intake and we all know dehydration is our greatest enemy. Anyway suffice to say I felt particularly shabby but rallied a bit after lots of tea/water, 2 headache tablets and a hot shower. I had a slightly funny turn at the buffet breakfast, but as Robert pointed out, the mystery eggs would have made anyone feel a bit odd.

It was also a public holiday in Japan, which worried me because it throws all the rules about what is open and what is shut, out of the window, and to be fair in terms of shops, cafes and onsens, when they open and close is all a little random anyway.

I wanted to travel back to Arita to visit the Kyushu Ceramaics Museum and Robert was obviously feeling very obliging because he put up no resistance to the plan. When we arrived, he did look a little too gleeful for my liking, because it was so quiet, I thought the wretched place was shut. His jubilation turned to disappointment, when it transpired that it was open but had only been so for 5 minutes, and so we were practically the first people through the door. It was a lovely museum (it was a bit like walking round your own private collection to be honest) with a great exhibition of Asao Tokolo’s work. We spent a really serene hour or so looking at teapots, plates, bowls & cups, mostly old, but some contemporary, by which time we felt pottery had been well & truly done.

I was by now in need of a caffeine fix and so we headed to the cafe, where to cap it all off beautifully, our coffees were handed to us in 200 year old cups. That definitely doesn’t happen in Henley.

There were other things we could have done, but I wasn’t feeling up to wrestling with directions, only to get somewhere and find the place shut, so we beat a retreat to the beach again for a camper night overlooking the sea. We have started to learn though, because before we headed out, we stocked up with food and booze in case it was deserted when we got there.

As it was, this time although the RV site was in a car park again, it was a car park with a view, a hotel and an onsen attached, so we booked our private bath for the following morning and walked round the peninsular, before settling down for an evening in the camper. Imagine our surprise when no sooner than we were settled, but another camper showed up and explained we were in their reserved space. So we apologised and moved to the other space (with the help of a hotel employee who translated) and then watched in wonder as they unpacked everything you could possibly need for a night outdoors. We have been managing with 2 chairs, 1 glass and a corkscrew (we recently added another glass in the form of a sake holder you can drink out of) so there was a certain amount of kit envy on our part. It has been a good lesson however in what you really can do without.

The view lived up to its billing, but my only concern is the distance we are from the loo – I don’t mind a short late night walk to the ladies, but I am less keen on having to cover 100 yards in my nightie at 2am.