Japan

JapanJapan

March 21-30, 2008March 21-30, 2008

Tokyo

Osaka airport

Kyoto

Kurashiki

Gora

Takayama

First meal in Japan: the Ninja Restaurant

The combined effects of jetlag and squeezing all 5 of us into the small Tokyo taxis

Mark attains Nirvana

You took your kids to Kabuki? So desu ne!

Tokyo Tower

Does he look like he’s enjoying this?

Riding the Tokyo subway for some local flavour

2

$260 mango

$367 box of cherries

$210 for 2 melons

Amazing, high tech Toto toilets keep the bottoms nice and clean. This

one’s a public toilet to boot!

Strange

Stranger!

Akihabara electronics district

Wild roller coaster at the Tokyo Dome complex

Boston Red Sox vs Tokyo Giants at Tokyo Dome

Beer vendor with beer barrel on her back. Strange this hasn’t been imported to US yet

Tsukiji fish market Tokyo

Sushi breakfast at fish market

Mt Fuji origami

A visit to the Toyota centre

Asakasa Temple

Dinner with Tokyo, and London, friends

With JR Rail pass in hand, we leave Tokyo for our whistle stop tour

First stop- Gora Kadan Ryokan (country inn). Wearing our Yukata’s,

as instructed, left over right.

Awaiting our first 15 course dinner

Hmmmm…

Mark finds novel use for napkin rings

Enjoying an evening soak in the Onsen (hot springs). Mark called

this “the naked place”

“Now this is my kind of camping”

Ryokan Nagase in Takayama in the North

Sir Edmund Hillary stayed in this very room. Not sure how many courses he

got through.

Gasho house in Takayama

About to get a delicious peeled

and cut apple

Shrine in Takayama

5 hour train ride from Takayama to Kurashiki

Shinkansen (Bullet) train. Very cool

Kurashiki

Sashimi

Very tasty

Garden at our Kurashiki Ryokan

Nakamura-san looked after our every need

Himeiji Castle

Another amusing sculpture: is there a pattern emerging?

Kyoto: Sanjusan (33) temple: longest wooden

structure in the world housing 1001 identical, lifesize statues of god of

mercy

Kyoto

Crowded shopping street in Kyoto

Koi (Japanese carp) in our Kyoto

Ryokan

Machine making little cream filled pastries-

yummy

We were very lucky to see cherry blossoms in full swing in Imperial Palace grounds, Kyoto.

Golden Pavillion: Shogun retired here and later joined

priesthood

Food market, Kyoto.

Joshua accepts defeat in our 5th

Ryokan meal. Mom still going strong.

Josh, birthday scroll in hand, celebrating his

14th

By the end, the boundaries were clear

At the Kyoto train station early Sunday morning,

heading for Osaka Airport

No complaints on the 13 hour flight home