 |
We had been in Japan for a day and a half already, but this was our first "outing". On March 31 we took the train to the city of Himeji and walked up to the castle. Please click the photo to see more of our day in Himeji. |
 |
On April 1st and 2nd, my "net-friend" Mizue-san threw us a welcome party, and she and her friends took us out to karaoke and treated us to an exotic meal at their favorite Izaka-ya. Please click the photo to see more of our first get-togethers with Mizue-san and her friends. |
 |
On April 5th, Mizue-san and several of her friends organized a tour of Kyoto. It was the height of the cherry blossoms, so we visited several parks and places famous for cherries, as well as world-famous temples and shrines. Please click the photo to see more of our day in Kyoto. |
 |
On April 4th, we made our way into Dotonbori to shop, eat, and look around. Just getting there was an adventure. Then on April 6th, we toured Osaka Castle with a tour group. Please click the photo to see more. |
 |
April 8. We took the shinkansen to Hiroshima and spent two days at a ryokan - a Japanese-style inn. We visited the atom bomb memorial park, and then took a trip to Miyajima island. Please click the photo to see more. |
 |
April 10-14, we flew to Okinawa for R&R. We had not pre-arranged any tours, and our hotel was rather isolated. Please click the photo to see the view from our balcony. (Haha, and a little bit more.) |
 |
While we were in Kobe, we stayed at the Quality Inn on Port Island, and we passed through Sannomiya and the train station every time we went anywhere. Please click the photo to see some sights around Sannomiya and Port Island. |
 |
When we returned to Kobe from our side-trip to Hiroshima and Okinawa, we got together with Mizue-san and her friends again on Saturday and Sunday. We visited an art show, had some great meals, sang more karaoke, and generally had a good time. Please click the photo to see more. |
 |
On April 18th, our time to leave Japan had come. Mizue-san insisted on accompanying us to the airport. Sakura-san snuck away from work to say goodbye to us, too, as we were changing trains at Osaka Station. (Thank you, Sakura-san.) And especially, thank you for everything, Mizue-san. You took care of us for the whole trip, and on that last day, thanks to you, we had one more really pleasant day in Japan! Please click the photo to see more of our last day in Japan. |
 |
You may have heard about gift-giving in Japan. I assure you, whatever you have heard does not hold a candle to the reality. We received so many lovely gifts from so many people. This photo is an attempt to display some of what we received, spread out on our dining room table after we got home. Click, there's more! |