Daiwa Roynet Hotel Okayama Ekimae

... next day when they will clean my room. It's not quite Japanese citizenship, but it gives me the feeling that someday I might feel like I really belong! Toyoko Inns also offer the Cinderella Liberty Plan--if you arrive after midnight and they still have any vacant rooms available, you can get the room at a substantial discount.

By the way, the pillows at Toyoko Inn appear to be filled with short plastic pieces, as if someone ...

... all the other temples buried at the Kukai shrine so really you can actually be at all the other temples here. Suckers! Forked over 500 yen to wander through pitch black in the basement of the main shrine. The walls are plaster and painted over with mandalas that you're supposed to skim with your fingertips. Thankfully, no strange images appeared in the dark and the changes of direction left me totally lost. If this is ...

... some forest and over some streams and got to site with some deer at the top of mountain looking over the misty bay.

Bypassing Hiroshima, now I'm in Okayama, another big city filled with business men now on the prowl for alcohol and diversion. Had a dinner of convenience store goods because I'm lazy and tired, and tomorrow is another long day starting with a quick tour of the local 'amazing' garden and then the rest of the day in Shikoku.

Tomorrow: Kochi

-mike

... veramente da buttare via , non ho idea al momento di quanti km sono ma so molto bene che ho solo guidato nel traffico di quelli da esodo tutte queste citta` e o paesi che ho nominato sono coesi fra loro non c`e` un pezzo di terra libero che ti fa capire che stai lasciando un posto per un`altro.

... not so much to our tastes. Neither of us really took to the pickles and fish with rice for brekky! Overall it was a really enjoyable - but expensive stay in a ryokan. The welcoming was first class as was the service throughout, the place in general just had a lovely peaceful ambience, very civilised, we would defintely recommend it as a must-do to any visitor to Japan. We headed back to the station and caught the shinkansen to Hiroshima.

We stopped off on the way from Kobe to Kurashiki at Imbe in the area of Bizen which is very famous for pottery and ceramics. Daniella had read in the guide book that there was a place where she could try her hand on the pottery wheel. It was a small town and there were not many restauarants open as it was a Sunday so we grabbed a bite to eat from a local supermarket. While Daniella did her stuff on the wheel, Jon took a ...

he computer is working much better. we spent the night up on Ushirioyama (Ushirio Mountain) in a cottage (really a cabin) and had a wonderful dinner with the family. It was absoultely wonderful; fresh fish, beef, lotus root, and other things I am not sure of but good. we all slept in one room (well almost--Kazu and Patty ...

Day Three after breakfast at the Young Inn we were picked up by Rikako to head out to their parents house, which is where we were staying for the night. A BBQ lunch was planned with the whole family and it was great. Plenty of tasty food and great company. We Spent the ...

... trampled and so forth adds to the infamous charm of this matsuri. A few of our Wakayaman brothers here ( Jono, Joe and Parry ) joined in on this insane matsuri. Sadly, Ryan was not allowed to join due to his tattoos...this year, there was absolutely NO EXCEPTION. No bandages to cover them, were even allowed. However, view the madness for yourself..." That being said, once again I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I will also include a video clip I took....it's insane!

... we got our results, I did not do so well. The classes were ranked from A to E, I far prefer the system of "beginnger", "upper beginner", "intermediate" and so on, as I've never got a 'D' in my life. I am not in fact a 'D' student, and the class was very very easy. At my request, the next day I was moved to class 'C', where we quite comfortably go over Japanese grammar and vocab that I know and understand, but certainly benefits from ...