Hokke Inn Chuo

... amp; yellow spiders along the way) & across the outer moat to the Imperial Palace's East Garden, the one area open to the public but still far, far away from this oldest & most secretive of royal families.

Verdant & manicured with a precision that brought new meaning to the phrase "cared for" is how I would describe this oasis of water, trees, flowers & grass amidst the urban behemoth of Japan's capital. Every corner turned brought another picture ...

... got some good pictures out of it. There is a Shinto Shrine/Temple in the middle of it and I stumbled on some sort of procession so I took some pictures like a tourist. Then I wandered out of there and went over to Yoyogi park and there was a street market going on across the street so I went over to that and watched this Japanese band with about 20 members on stage, it was actually a very good show I wish I knew who they were. After ...

... we were looking for. So sweet. Well, the hostel had some cancellations and birnie and I were good to go. We checked in, dropped off our packs and decided to head out and get something to eat. Our hostel was right next to an amusement park in Asakusa, and as soon as we headed out, we ran into a group of Japanese children, perhaps 15 to 20 seven year old kids heading towards the park entrance. They saw birnie, the giant gaijin (gaijin is the word for Westerner in ...

... as I wasn't sure whether the exposure was right or whethere I have blur or not in the photos. You can't really tell on such a small screen. And I have to admit I am looking forward to coming home. I have done a lot of soul searching and praying on this trip. It has been quite a journey, one I have totally enjoyed, but I need a holiday from travelling. AND that PhD is still a mill stone around my neck so it is home to finish it once and for all! Look forward to seeing you all soon.

... on the Shinkansen later because I've got an exciting 24-hours in Tokyo to write about first. Some of you might know this already but I actually visited Japan back in 2002 for the World Cup so I'd already had a taster for Tokyo life but it was still a great thrill to be back and even more exciting for Kirilee who has been dreaming of sampling Japanese life for many years, especially the delicious sushi and bento boxes which I have been raving ...

AND the phone rang at 6:30. Not that I mind talking to my husband, but in reality he could have waited a couple more hours. Flight cancelled, put on a direct flight instead. Ok. Sleep is for the weak anyway. My stop at the grocery store last night on the way home was GREAT since I bought juice and pastry. What with tea in the room, I was a happy camper. Took care of lots o ...

... Tokyo. Having not really read the guide book in any great detail we headed for the area that we thought was where the stereotypical shots of Tokyo are taken for all the films. unfortunately due to a lot of the places all sounding similar we ended up somewhere else but still enjoyed walking around looking in shops and generally getting a feel for the City. After finding a restaurant that didn't seem too ...

... Enjoy be*utiful life. Smile is your best m*keup. I didn't see m*keup or toothp*ste *dvertised *nywhere, or m*ybe th*t *d w*s for * psychology office or * public service *nnouncement. I didn't think of *sking *nybody *t the moment, so it's offici*lly * mystery for now. *** I w*s going to open * b*nk *ccount on Thursd*y, but r*n into *n unexpected del*y. I w*s told *t two J*p*nese b*nks th*t I'd need * f*mily se*l, or h*nko, to do this. There *re ...

... standards I must say. Too bad Dave lost the pics later on. We were to meet Dave's uni mate Marita and her cousin, Owen (UPDATE: Owen isn't her cousin) at Tokyo JR station. The place was pretty packed, and Dave's description of Marita as someone shorter than us, with a hairstyle that often changes colour led me to believe that we might have trouble finding her. It also turned out that the meeting point we had agreed upon, the tourist information counter was actually located ...

Up and out of Ted's place bright and early today. I wanted to make the 6:30 am practice with "Doshu" (the head of Aikikai). I have been wanting to get to this practice all week but have had a hard time getting moving in the morning. I have heard that it is one of the best practice sessions at Hombu. The class is taught by O'sensei's grandson, who is now considered the head of the Aikikai. Many high ranking Aikidoist ...