Kurashiki Terminal Hotel

... singer and two or more backup singers who would contribute those crucial syllables. (If you notice on the recent PBS Motown revival shows, they typically increase the number of backup singers to cover up the loss of volume in the aging lead singer's voice, but that's another story.) Anyway, I suddenly felt the connection between the shop employees' chanting and the Supremes!

Checking out, ten minutes before closing time, with a ...

... Koen, a landscape park supposedly rivalling the 3 best parks in Japan. It can tell you it's more expensive than Kenrokuen, larger than Kenrokuen and wilder. Which means it was better-less sculpting, more branches. While the view was fine the highlight was meeting Kaisha-san, an eight odd year old man who walked and talked with me through the park. Surprisingly spry, he suggested climbs I wasn't sure I wanted to make. He was ...

Got a good night's sleep at the hostel but I awoke to Jordan's alarm at 7AM. So I decided to get out to Matsuyama castle, which I originally was going to skip. The castle is on a hill that I feared if I climbed, I'd have no engery for Kompira-san. So I took the cablecar. The castle, though renovated, has been redone with original materials and is really nice and complete looking. I'll pass on history if I can get a good photo. The sakura were in bloom here too and ...

... br>
More train transfers to get to Miyajima island, near Hiroshima (which I avoided like a plague because I just don't have it in me...) Miyajima is 'one of the three most famous views in Japan' and for that reason I was doubtful about how much it would really match the hype. The actual view that people talk about is the floating torii, which is basically erected on a mud flat and appears floating in the water at high tide. Though the torii is nice to look at, as well as ...

... Japan country side. However when we arrived there,I noticed there were so many people and couldnt find the car park. All the parkings were full, and one guy took us to a parking inside one small road. So lucky! There is 785 stone steps to the Main Sanctuary, and another 1,368 stone steps climb up to the Inner Shrine. If you couldnt climb the steps, there are ...

... rubbed into the fact that I am really not getting enough exercise here. The temple itself wasn't especially impressive however talking this over with some Japanese friends we were informed that it is not the end which matters but the journey (I guess we did quite well then). The trip was concluded with some udon making off our own which goes something like this: Mix special flower, salt and water. Kneed it into a ball ...

... 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.

... had a collection of toys, kites and masks from Japanese history, before heading back to our ryokan. We were given a very warm welcome by the staff of the ryokan even though some of them could not speak English. As when you enter most Japanese houses, or any sort of establishment, you have to take off your shoes and swap them for slippers. We were shown our room which was quite big with tatami mats on the floor and traditional sliding ...

... fine pieces (including, as I mentioned, some works by Sato-san), before moving on to Kurashiki. Kurashiki is a small tourist town where old, traditional style houses have been converted to shops along a small canal. Very cute. We spent a few hours browsing the shops. Kirsten was especially enticed by the numerous varieties of pickled vegetables on display, as she has developed somewhat of an addiction. Finally, we ...

... otras situadas en un radio de hasta 4 Km. de distancia. A continuacion sobrevino el estampido equivalente al impacto del viento a 800 km/h, quepraticamente todo en un radio de mas de 3 Km. Todos los edificios situados dentro de los 13 km2 del epicentro quedaron destruidos. La ciudad de Hiroshima quedo arrasada. Las consecuencias no acabaran de conocerse sino mucho tiempo despues. Por lo menos unas 78.000 personas, posiblemente mas, resultaron muertas o fatalmente heridas en Hiroshima.