Nara

Went to Nara yesterday. Liked it better than Kyoto. Not as crowded. The giant Buddha inside Todai-ji was amazing! And the deer-again! The deer here were not as aggressive as Miyajima : )

Kyoto

Took a day trip over to Kyoto this week. It was nice. There is definitely more to explore there. Here are a few photos.

Hiroshima & Miyajima Part II (more photos)

I don't know why it wouldn't let me put all the photos on the other one, but here are the rest of the photos from Miyajima.

Hiroshima & Miyajima

We took a couple of days off and drove down to Hiroshima. We visited the peace park and museum. It was a gloomy, rainy afternoon, which was quite fitting for the things we saw. The museum is done very nicely with the focus on peace, but you can't help but be disturbed by the stories, photos and artifacts. I am glad we did this one first and spent the next day on Miyajima Island. There is a famous shrine with the floating tori gate, but the unspoilt beauty of nature is the highlight here. We climbed several kilometers straight up Mt. Misen. It was beatiful. There are deer and monkeys roaming about freely. The whole experience was fantastic. I'll include some photos for your viewing pleasure!

Wildlife Update

No, its not a wild boar, but this creature was found in the house yesterday evening. Its some sort of reptile, gecko, I believe. It seemed pretty harmless, but a bit disconcerting to walk into the hall and see it there. Apparently I need to get used to this sort of thing, as there are apt to be more intruders of this nature throughout the warmer months. Yuck! On the bright side, at least it wasn't a spider!

Sumo Tournament

We went to the Spring Sumo Tournament in Osaka this week-end. It was FANTASTIC! I really enjoyed it. It was better than horse racing or dog racing--not that I was wagering on anyone! I'll put in some photos, but I don't think they'll convey the excitement and energy. I can't wait to go again. Asashoryu is my favorite!

Himeji Castle

We went to Himeji Castle this week-end. Set the navigation system for the shortest route (BIG mistake) and set out for the town of Himeji. 2+ hours later, after a harrowing journey through mountainous, twisty, turney, cart tracks overflowing with enormous trucks and reckless drivers, we arrived at our "destination"--according to the navi! Naturally this destination was in the middle of nowhere. We thought perhaps miss Navi wanted us to proceed on foot, but we refused, turned the car around and followed the road signs! Once the car was parked, we set off to find lunch, which was in a delicious little kebab restaurant. Once fortified, we made our way to the castle entrance. It was/is magnificent. We spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds and 6 floors of the main tower, and the gardens. Of course, this being Japan, no shoes are allowed in the buildings, so we had to remove our shoes and wear slippers! Ever wonder why they're called "slip"pers? Just try climbing up some steep castle steps in a pair of pleather ones that are a bit too big for you! We had some laughs as the slippers slipped off and the person bringing up the rear of our little group had to collect them and bring them up to us. But the castle and grounds were awesome. Well worth the trouble getting there. (I'll include some photos)

Oh, on the way home we set the navi for the fastest route. It took about 40 min on the expressway, a nice straight 4 lane highway!

Sumadera Temple

This weekend, we went to Suma to check out the shrine sale there. There wasn't much to the sale, but we were taken with the Temple grounds. This one was quite large with numerous smaller shrines and a cemetery. We all like the monkeys. Not sure what its about, but they all move in different ways when you pass your hand over their heads. See photos.

Ladies Club Tour

I went with the ladies club on their latest outing. A field trip to the Maishima Incineration Plant in Osaka and then to the Tasaki Diamond factory, where we watched them cut diamonds. Afterwards a quick trip to one of their stores to learn about and have the opportunity to buy pearls. The photos are of the incineration plant, a building designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It looks like something out of Willy Wonka.