Ark Hotel Okayama

... a dozen t-shirts to fill an order from a friend back home, there were a bunch of people waiting behind me. The cashier carefully folded every shirt. I got increasingly uncomfortable about making people behind me wait, knowing that I would mess everything up as soon as I put it into my suitcase. So I started "helping" with the folding, but there is no way I could do it as well as these store employees. They are amazing--droopy ...

Slept well until I realized that without the heat, the temperature drops to zero. My back was frozen stiff this morning. But got to Zentsuji early nonetheless. Navigating local trains here has been really challenging--the times are correct but you never know if your small stop is on the way or a passed station. Zentsuji is famous for 2 things: birthplace of Kubo Daisha (Kukai who brought Buddhism to Japan), and the square ...

... famous Itsukushima shrine behind it, I found those sights somewhat overrated, especially as the shrine was a bit empty of iconography or statuary etc, but packed with tons of tourists. And the surrounding town is basically a bonanza of souvenir shops overpriced snack stands. Fun to browse around, but since I can't really buy anything as I have to lug it around with me for the next month, a few minutes per shop was all I needed. <br><br>Aside from Itsukushima shrine, there ...

Dopo qualche giorno a Kyoto si riparte , il riposino ci voleva perche` e` propio una bella citta` con tanti posti da visitare. Il viaggio di oggi e` stato qualcosa di tremendo sono passato attraverso Nara la vecchia capitale del Giappone , Osaka , Kobe , Okayama fino a fermarni a Kurashiki che ...

We had heard lots about ryokans, traditional Japanese inns, so were both very excited to finally experience one. We chose one in the town of Kurashiki as it seemed very traditional and authentic. After arriving at the railway station we walked to the ryokan to drop off our bags as it was too early to check-in, we took a walk around the old historic town centre which has retained its historical character. We visited the rural toy museum ...

... around the town, which is absolutely full of pottery shops. Daniella watched the man make some pots, then it was her turn to produce a mug for tea and plate. She liked them so much she paid to have them fired, then send back to the UK. After this we headed back to the station and took a train to Okayama where we changed for another train to Kurashiki, where we had booked a stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn.

... and went to the living room because Uncle Paul snores--I wore earplugs :) This family has 3 daughters (one married with 3 children) and grandmother (85 years old) living at the farmhouse. The middle daughter will be coming to the US in late June to visit Moses Lake. KATA--we gave one vase to Kazu and she loved it. The ...

... of the day with the family, Went to the coin laundry and while the clothes did their thing, went to the park nearby and played with a frisbee and baseball. We had a smaller dinner (thankfully), checked out Hiroko's fathers Harley Davidson and played with the children.

... is based on old samurai movies, and Memoirs of a Geisha, will feel perfectly at home, as the Japanese have certainly not forgotten their past. On festival days, the streets are filled with women (addmitedly, mostly young girls and old ladies)donned in their kimono, walking through the business distract you will find shrines hidden away between office buildings (the shrines are built on holy ground and can never be destroyed) and perhaps most surprisingly, you eat the same food in a ...

... creased me up. The train ride took 2 hours, 7 of them went up to the villa to check in, whilst Simon, Neil and myself headed off to grab some lunch and to play Gin Rummy until we were given the all clear. That never happened, so we caught a taxi and headed on up too. When we arrived, she had been and gone but was coming back so we all headed out for a walk in the hills. It had recently snowed quite heavily and had stuck firmly so the sight was fantastic ...