Ahh, quiet green tranquility! A rarity in Japan, I assure you. So quiet, green and tranquil is Doro Kyo (Doro Gorge) that it has become your correspondent's favorite retreat from the Kansai's manic urban bustle.

In August, during the obon holidays, we went camping in Doro with Yoko's aunt, Chieko Terai, her husband, and their two daughters, Masako and Noriko. Their family home is in Shingu, a large town on the coast where the Kumano River meets the ocean. Doro Kyo is on a branch of the Kumano River. But in spite of having lived so near Doro for so many years, no one in the family has been to Doro Kyo.

The Kariya/Porritt clan, however, has camped at Doro three times in the past 10 years. This would be our fourth trip, but the first since Michelle was born, and I expected to see some changes.

Luckily, virtually nothing has changed. The river is still icy cold, the valleys remain verdant pockets of unblemished nature, and the hot spring bath is still the perfect ending to a day of hiking and swimming. So if are you ready for a couple of days of blissful relaxation, let's go camping in Doro!

* Note: I created the above graphic in PhotoShop, printed it on an Epson PM-2000C (Stylus Photo EX) on special iron-on transfer paper, and ironed it onto t-shirts for everybody that went on the trip. The back looks like this...