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Our day began with a Japanese breakfast at the ryokan. Cooked fish, pickled vegetables, omelette, miso soup and rice. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined, but neither was it by preferred way to start the day. We then stepped out of the ryokan and wandered down to the nearby Nagamachi samurai district, bounded by…

Japan just keeps improving. I hope it stays this way. Last night we suddenly changed our minds and decided to go to Kanazawa instead of Matsumoto and Nagano. So we caught a local train north instead of a bus to the east. As the train ascended into the mountains snow drifts began appearing. Soon most…

Another day exploring Takayama. The crowds gathered in front of three of the floats hosting marionette performances. They were somewhat interesting, but I guess that an appreciation of Japanese culture and music may have helped. While waiting for the performances to begin we ate grilled fish on a stick and more hida beef kebabs, along…

Today we said goodbye to Osaka and packed our bags for Takayama. First we caught the Shinkansen to Nagoya. According to the JR office, the reserved sections from Nagoya to Takayama were fully booked. That’s not surprising as Takayama is hosting one of Japan’s largest festivals for these two days. It was my hope that…

Another full day of sightseeing. We caught the 8:38am Shinkansen to Okayama, home of the Koraku-en garden, one of Japan’s top three. The garden was an easy tram ride from the station. We entered via the South exit, taking a walk around the reconstructed black castle and across the river. The garden has many facets,…

Today we were off to Nara, the old capital of Japan. Despite being a separate city to Osaka our train was the equivalent of a suburban route. Nara was gorgeous. We walked around the numerous temples and shrines and through Nara-koen (park), finishing up at the world’s biggest wooden building in the Todaji temple complex.…

Today we decided to stick around and explore Osaka. We splurged unwisely and purchased Osaka Free Passes for 2000 Yen. They include free entry to a number of attractions and small discounts for others, along with free travel on the subways for the day. Waste of money in the end. We started off at Osaka…

Sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Shin’Osaka. Finally got internet access working, but I’m too tired to write much. Both flights were pretty good, although there was a bit of turbulence descending into Kansai International. Exchanged our JR passes and caught the train into Osaka. Got lost, but a kind lady directed us –…

Woke up at 5am – way too early – and caught the shuttle bus to the airport. I think that the cold tablets that I took must have woken me up. B was asleep on her feet. As we wandered the terminal I admired the other aircraft, including the Asiana’s 777 which we caught on…