Tokyo, Japan
Goodbye Japan
Thursday, February 28, 2008
We have encountered, in every part of Japan, what we
believe to be the same species of eagle. Here is a shot we took of one from
yesterday.
We woke up to blue skies this morning. The stormy weather
we had been experiencing over the last few days seems to have left us. We
went through our now well-rehearsed packing ritual, and after breakfast,
we were once again on the train, traveling at high speeds across the brightly lit Japanese
countryside.
One thing I will miss about Hiroshima is the food. Each
evening we were in town, we went to a different restaurant, and the style of
food here is quite different from the rest of the country. In Hiroshima, we
encountered garlic, peppers, and more meat in their dishes. The food was
very spicy and delicious.
We used our now improved Tokyo subway skills and found
our hotel without fuss. It was not much like the pictures on the web, but it
had everything we needed, albeit a bit small.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Here is a shot of a Torii gate, which represents the
gateway between the spiritual and earthly realms, and for us represents the
passage from our world to the world of Nippon.
Today has been a day of packing, shopping, eating,
relaxing, and chocolate. I know this must be hard for you to believe, but we
really feel we need a vacation after this trip around Japan. I know you hate
us, but it has been grueling.
Here is one of the fondest memories of our visit.
For the whole month of February, we have been
in Japan. We have visited ten locations, eaten at least one ton of fish
each, drank several gallons of sake, skied, hiked, toured, traveled on slow
and fast trains, buses, and taxis. We learned enough Japanese to be beaten
at Japanese-scrabble by a one-year-old. We have seen some of the most
beautiful places we have ever seen—snow,
hills, mountains, and rivers. We have met friendly, generous people and evil
bat-munching witches. We have expanded our understanding of this mystical place
called Japan.
From Julia: I had a fish and unidentifiable content
sandwich for breakfast today and felt quite sad to be leaving the land
of such delicacies. It really was good. I am looking forward to Thailand,
even though David assures me that the new government banned massage. It'll
still be good to have Thai food and 90-degree heat. Thank you to Japan for
giving us such pleasures and adventures!
Goodbye Japan Video
Thailand Plan Video