Sakaiya Ryokan Tanabe

... sparser. The trip from Osaka up toward Koya San must be among the most spectacular train journeys in the world. The steepness of the terrain, the massive forests, the winding mountain rivers and the even more winding train ride made us gasp in wonder.

One last thrilling gasp was left for the last stage of the trip – the steepest and longest cable car we could imagine. We felt like we were going straight up and it was just breath taking.

Anyway, we reached Koya ...

... thin mattress which is easily stowed and retrieved.

Looking inward to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything; satisfied he had done his job, the monk made his goodbye and exited.

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TEA TIME:

Michele and I looked at each other across the table... and smiled:) It wall all very nice - very nice, indeed - even romantical:)

While Michele prepared some tea, I propped my camera up on a makeshift riser, set if for delayed shutter release and multiple ...

... interior. Eran las seis cuando llegamos, asi que nos sorprendio no escuchar las voces de los monjes cantando. Entramos al templo y preguntamos a un monje vestido de negro si nos habiamos equivocado de lugar. Nos dimos una vuelta por el lugar, hasta que vimos tres monjes cargando un cofre entrar por la puerta principal. Uno de ellos vino a continuacion y nos indico que nos sentaramos frente al altar mayor del centro, despues de purificarnos la frente con lo que parecia ...

... that there weren’t many people (living that is) roaming the area.

We stopped at a small rest house to sample some free tea. No sugar though. Way worth the effort to heat the body up after a cool brisk walk. The path ends at a temple ground which we humbly paid our respects (in case you’re wondering… yes, more donations) before heading back.

... ticket for Y3350 each. This got us on the train, cable car and return but he sold me the cheaper one which was for the unreserved train leaving shortly. This was not the one I wanted, so I illegally went back through the gates & he directed me to the "upgrade/pay more machines" which is back the way I came. However, I couldn't get back through and a nice businessman helped me and I went through the station rangers side. Managed to upgrade the tickets ...

Good grief. What a lot of walking. We got into the lovely Kyoto train station at like 11:30 after leaving Hiroshima at 8 something. After that it was a confused hour wandering trying to find our way into our temporary domicile, an interesting place on a very small street. Today we spent most of the time wandering around the city, including a nice long delightful walk getting lost at Gion after seeing their little 2800 yen cultural ...

... was when we circled before landing in Chicago about 1/2 hour late. I only had 2 hours total before my flight to DC, so I was getting a little worried that I wouldn't make it, given the time involved in clearing customs and immigration, rechecking bags, and then reclearing security. I needn't have worried - due to weather in Chicago, EVERYTHING was delayed - my flight was delayed an hour, until 7:00 p.m. We made our way to the Red Carpet Club, where we watched our ...

Well, here is a bit of a milestone, Keiko and I have now been going out for one year! Time has really flown, which I guess is natural when everything is going so well. Its also getting close to being 2 months since we moved in together. So far so good! We had a nice day together just relaxing at home and ...

... the streets of Kyoto, with a lot of people having exactly the same idea as us. We decided that the best place to see lit up in this way would be Kiramisu-Dera. This is perhaps the most famous temple in Kyoto, if not Japan. It's famous for being built on the side of a hill, and for its distinctive viewing platform structure that allows you beautiful views of the surrounding area. Along with maybe the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) if you have seen any footage of Kyoto ...

... It was rather pretty with a wide area given over to a pond and flower garden which would have looked wonderful in Spring but now lay drooping in the humid summer air. I then did the 6km march to the Inner Shrine in ever threatening weather. The rain held off though and I managed to experience one of the most peaceful and simply beautiful places I have seen in Japan. Set within a forest of 800 yr old cedars next to a naked river snaking its way around pebbly ...