Kyoto

We have enjoyed quite a few of these. An unwelcome visitor.

Sushi on a carousel.

Round and round it goes.

In Tokyo, pouring rain.

Kyoto tower.

Sumo square off at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens.

Kiwi looking fierce.

I miss the rains down in Afffrica.

Snicker.

Spot the difference.

Cycling through the Imperial Palace ground

On our way to the Nishiki Food Market in Kyoto.

A pretty garden.

Strolling.

Some kind of enormous cabbage at the Nishiki Food Market.

Fish of all kinds.

Various pickled vegetables. The Japanese are keen on pickled food!

Yesterday we spent 10 hours walking and the highlight of the day was in the evening when we saw a Geisha in the Gion area! She was walking with an older business man and she was just like in the photos of guide books.

Today we rented cruiser bikes and spent about 5 hours pedalling about the city. Good fun and a great way to cover some ground.

Around Nagano, Yudanaka and Hakuba

hiking in Hakuba
Hakuba looking...in a certain direction
Fall colours, trail to Happo lake (pond)
Fox bundled up, freezing on chairlift heading up to the start of the hike
Fresh tomatoes at Gravity Worx Restaurant & Cafe (Hakuba). Best pasta I've (Fox) ever had!
Nom nom
Les fleurs in Nagano
Practicing my Japanese archery with a master! in the Uotoshi Ryokan in Yudanaka with Mr. Miyasaka.
Even the man hole covers are pretty in Japan.
Fancy a boiled egg? Simmering away in the hot spring water that flows all over Yudanaka and in many parts of Japan. We've stopped for so many soaks here and there, its a perfect way to pamper our feet after walking all day. Plus beer comes out of a vending machine here. Hot spring & beer, match made in heaven.
Crazy carved dragon. Yudanaka (tucked way above the old part of the town, up a gagillion stairs). We've no idea how old this is or what it's about, there is little English signage around.
Crazy Kiwi
Monkey love
Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani (near Yudanaka & Shika Kogen area)

Cuddling
We had to have a soak in the free community onsen (hot spring) just outside of the Yudanaka train station. These free foot onsens are all over the place and you can meet some cool folk if you're willing to mix your foot juice with theirs. Nice gams Kiwi.

Our room at a Ryokan (Japanese guesthouse with its own hot spring on the premises) with the traditional futon sleeping mats. Kiwi slept like a baby...I was feeling like the princess and the pea

around Nagano

We forgot our card reader in Tokyo, so no pics will be posted until we return to Tokyo.

At the moment, we are in an internet cafe in Nagano and heading to Hakuba for the night.

More later!

Fox

Belting out the tunes

Raw Prawn!! Mmmm
New timepieces!
Drumming mad beats.
Mad beats yo!

Today we walked around parts of Tokyo. We're very fortunate because Kiwi's dear friend Nick (Nick lives in Tokyo) has put us up in his downtown apartment AND he gave us a fabulous walking tour today. Of course we shopped a little (check out the vintage Timex watches we picked up), we ate a lot of fabulous sushi (sea urchin is not for Kiwi), and best of all we experienced some Karaoke tonight!

That's right, yours truly (those who know me well know I can't sing AT ALL), went to a Karaoke joint. At first I was so uptight I couldn't even sing a single word...several Vodka shots later I was game and belting out the tunes and I didn't want to leave. I still sound like a dying cat but it doesn't matter, it was loads of fun! A MUST do in Tokyo, especially for uptight Canadians!

We saw parts of Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinigawa and Roppongi today and we hope to see more tomorrow.

I'm drunk and need to go to sleep now. In a good way.

KF

Off to school

In our search for coffee this morning we found ourselves surrounded by school children, all dressed so perfectly in their uniforms. Adorable!