Hotel New Palace Aizuwakamatsu

... from fast food. After lunch, I wandered the empty main street towards a sake museum and brewery, where a relatively expensive and rather unsynchronized (the English pamphlet doesn't match up with actual displays) museum leads you to free tastings at the shop, which I should have started out in. From what I gather, rice is polished (basically abraded) from the outer coating and most of the bran. The left over core is then cooked and inoculated with a specific mold and left to ...

... natural piping hot springs while taking in the splendour of the mountains opposite was truly something, and being the lazy sod that I am I certainly could have lain there for many more hours, if it wasn't for Tom getting restless and finding it all a bit too hot for his liking. Then enjoying the traditional kaiseki meal, served in a hatched hut set by a fast flowing river was also memorable and delicious. Quite a sight we all ...

... over $160 just for tolls and gas (costs less than in Europe, but far more than in the US) for the day. We had fun getting gas at a "typical" gas station, where the attendant runs out, shouting and directing you to the pump, and then when you're ready to leave, he stops traffic and directs you back out onto the road. Too funny! Sorry I didn't get any pictures. Aizu ...

... the parents lounging around the onsen (hot spring) just taking it all in and the kids running havoc it is v funny. On the way out I saw two young monkies fighting, I had to take a video of a monkey fight...... but as I got a little bit closer one of the monkies jumped on me and turned the camera off ........ I couldn't stop laughing. And then the snow started ....... we headed for Tokyo

... in a cab. We were lucky enough to get reservations at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel, one of the first Western style hotels built in Japan. The owner built it after his friend- the guy who first translated Japanese into Roman letters- encouraged him to do so. The hotel was walking distance from the train station but we didn't want to waste 20 minutes walking and likely getting lost as well- the cab ride was about $5. The hotel was very charming ...

... were off to the Bowling floor. Like most things, the Japanese do not mess around with Bowling. There were giant flat screens playing music videos and images from the African Serengeti. The shoes are in vending machines and are pristine. I especially liked the ball weights, as the had lighter balls with large finger holes that allow me to chuck the ball harder than I can in the States!! That was enjoyable. The man of the game was Ken... not because he ...

So we get to one of our first relaxing places from the outside bandai-atami doesnt look that nice, probably due to its heyday being 15 years ago! The hotel we stayed at was called Kirakuya Inn not much from the outside but once inside it was really nice, it has 2 public onsens for men and women with many different baths and a sauna, and two private baths on the top floor observing the mountains surounding bandai. It was really nice, Michelle`s bag broke (also her hair drier blew up, we ...

... and pouring meant that Mike, Mitsuo-san and I were fast cleaning up the bottle of sake. We were all sitting in AMURA (crosslegged) position, but if we had been Yakuza and Mutsuo-san (the now rather drunk Mutsuo-san who kept hitting Mike, and saying DAME to everything) was oyabun (BOSS), we would have had to have sat in SEIZA (kneeling) position. We finally cleared up the distinction between ATSUI (hot - as in hot weather) and ATATAKAI (hot to touch - eg. food and drink). We also ...

... s city centre as well). Mike went for a walk around the area while Dave and I went in search (and didn't find) of an onsen we were told about. He walked through the local school, and managed to disrupt a whole class when he walked past the window. At that time of year, Mike would most likely have been the only white guy in the whole prefecture, so it was probably a rare sight for the juniors. For dinner we had okonomiyaki at the YH. CURRY OKONOMIYAKI (so good we ordered it ...

... Yamaguchi-san said, even though the bigger powers defeated the Aizu samurai during the Meiji Restoration, the Aizu heart was still strong. Aizu Wakamatsu holds a festival twice a year (April 24, Sept 24) to commemorate the event where 19 young samurai (16-17 years old), committed ritual suicide on a hill overlooking the city after witnessing that Aizu's castle, Tsuruga-jo was in flames. They were called the BYAKKOTAI. So every festival 19 young boys are selected (via ...