Seichoen Wakayama

... sparser. The trip from Osaka up toward Koya San must be among the most spectacular train journeys in the world. The steepness of the terrain, the massive forests, the winding mountain rivers and the even more winding train ride made us gasp in wonder.

One last thrilling gasp was left for the last stage of the trip – the steepest and longest cable car we could imagine. We felt like we were going straight up and it was just breath taking.

Anyway, we reached Koya ...

... everything before me.

I extended my chopsticks into a bowl and plucked out the unknown morsel. A brief inspection, then into the mouth... Yummm, very nice:)

Michele and I repeated this culinary exploration for the rest of the meal. Everything was a new delight - and totally vegetarian.

----
TYPHOON... ALMOST:

Back in our room we rearranged things and settled in for a potentially blustery night. Forecast: TYPHOON!

Koyasan lay right in the path of a ...

... el cofre con el tercero. Uno de ellos estaba claramente resfriado, pero aun asi, empezaron a cantar al unisono. Tenian muy buena voz y sus voces estaban muy bien coordinadas. Yo me canse de oirlos cantar desde el suelo y me sente en una silla que habia a un lado y empece a cabecear. A las 7.15 terminaron.
Nos dimos una vuelta por alrededor del tamplo. Justo detras del que era el altar, habia un templo pequeno con plantas de oro a ambos lados. Seguimos rodeandolo y ...

... were on the floor and we were given traditional robes. Just like a hotel version of the temples we had been visiting for the last few days. Unfortunately I am not able to upload photos here but will do as soon as we reach Tokyo. The main features of staying in these temples are three-fold: 1) the traditional style Japanese food 2) the Buddhist ceremonies in the early morning and; 3) THE PUBLIC BATHS!! The meal at ...

... we were standing at the top of the Observatory in Osaka.... this was definitely the greatest trip that either of us had ever experienced. Recapping what we've done and accomplished on this trip... Cultural experiences... plenty. Shrine, temples, gardens, palaces, castles... you name it, we saw it... and photographed it. Adventures.... we climbed Mt. Fuji for petes sake! Educational experiences... definitely. We spent 4 weeks in a rural hospital in another part of the world ...

... Julie, I am glad you informing my children of my whereabouts. Give me my Joshua and Benji back. Tell Nathan I have gone to Scotland for a long holiday, he will understand that. Cant wait to see the topic board you have created with the children. I have been trying to speak to the children here (wish I had learnt more of the language). Also, let me know when Nathan masters the toilet. Alec and Kim, the capsule hotels are are for men only - how ...

... and Maritime Museum, and a raft of new buildings are sprining up as we write. From here we visited Himeji and Ando's Museum of Literature (evading security and pretending to be stupid tourists, since it was closed) and then the ancient capital of Nara, a last minute change from Kobe, which was well worth the visit for its array of exceptional temples, even if the humidity was unbearable.

... largest with diameter of 112,5m) and horizon long que. Luckily my eye sight was not as its best and the que took only some 40 minutes. There would be so much to say about the aquarium, but keeping it short: 9 stories high, covering all large oceans, lagest tank being 3 stories high and you walked from up to down in a great circle. There were manta rays, pingvins, dolphins, sharks (main attraction a ...

... the cold too much and we had to head home soon after. I then spent the next 2 hours swearing at my mobile trying to send a New Year's message back home. Not fun but also to be expected seeing how many people were there and how important the mobile phone is to japanese people. Anyway, this is the first and by no means the last entry on my new weblog. Please keep reading and write down any comments you can when you have time. All the best for 2006! Andy.

... Most of the gang can speak Japanese enough to get by, but Simon will most of the time order for everyone. We had deep fried pork and lots of salads and stuff. Very nice. One of the previous evenings we had eaten Nabe which Simon and Masae cooked. It's very similar to the steamboat that I had experienced at Alvin and Sammy's before I left the UK. You basically prepare a load of raw veggies and meats, and then you boil as much as you ...