Up and at it early this morning and good thing too because I got lost a bunch. Tackled the Jinya mae and Miyagawa morning markets early. Lots of shops selling fruits, vegetables - mostly of the pickled variety - and souvenirs. If I wasn't backpacking and this was my last stop I probably would have drooped a lot of money here. But common sense ki...

August 16, 2007 Takayama Today was the first day of a 3 day tour to Takayama, Shirakawago, and Kanazawa I never heard of these three cities before, but it turns out they were very fascinating and presented a different aspect of Japanese culture. Our tour guide met us at the hotel at 10:30 AM and arranged for our luggage to be sent on to Tokyo, a...

This morning I was feeling a bit lost and lonely, having not spoken more than a couple of grunts in pseudo Japanese in the last couple of days and realising I have only seen about 3 other foreigners the whole time I have been in my quiet mountain town. The snow had obesified everywhere and was thicker and fluffier, like giant wabs of pure white ...

We're at the Hotel Associa in Takayama now, which is in the mountains of Japan. It's a hot spring hotel. Meaning at this place, everyone goes down to the common bathing area, and wash themselves at shower hoses, and then get into a tub to bath. The facilities are separated by sex, thankfully, but it's still quite an endeavor if you're not used t...