May 12, 2000
This is the whole of what I wrote this week, about our Golden Week trip, and I wanted to share it with you.  Sorry for the great length of my messages, but I guess I am just long-winded!  Ha ha ha!

Well, where do I begin to talk about all that we have seen in the last nine days?  Whoa.  I hope that you are able to set aside three or four days to allow me to just ramble about it.  I actually will attempt to keep things brief, and only hit upon the most interesting things that my words can adequately describe.  Some of the more emotional things I will just have to talk to you about in person.
We went to Kyushu.  That is the southern island.  Japan is made up of four islands.  From north to south, they are Hokkaido, Honshu (the biggest?where we live), Shikoku, and Kyushu.  Kyushu is situated right there at the East China Sea, and a lot of the influence in foods and architecture are Chinese in nature.  I know, I know�cit seems like the cultures are so similar that �ghow can you tell the difference�h is the first thing that might jump into your mind.  The cultures are so vastly different sometimes that it is hard to believe that they are both parts of the same continent!
We left on Saturday the 29th bound for Kagoshima, the largest city in the southern part of the island.  It took us half a day to reach there, but we still got there in less time than we had planned.  We took a bullet train from Himeji to Hakata station in Fukuoka, and then took the regular express to Kagoshima.  On the regular express, there was very limited seating, and after a few stops, we were able to sit down, although not together.  I sat down next to a Japanese man, who after three minutes or so turned to me and said in fairly good English?�gWhere are you from?�h  I told him I was an American living temporarily in Japan teaching English.  He listened carefully, and then said �gI am a fish farmer.�h  We talked for the next three hours, about a multitude of things, including but not limited to the breeding of plankton and the feedings of sea bass.  His English was really good, and we were able to discuss many things.  He was glad for the chance to practice his English skill, and I learned a lot about plankton.  We got to Kagoshima and said our goodbyes and took the ferry to Sakurajima?the island off the coast of Kagoshima that is an active, smoking volcano.  Yes, I am aware that going TO a smoking volcano seems like a bad idea.  It is gorgeous there.  The volcanic soil really aids in the growth of tropical plants, and this whole place (while it smells a little like burned coffee) is the epitome of a tropical paradise.  We got to the youth hostel and dropped our packs and cleaned up a bit, and then took the ferry back across the bay to have dinner in Kagoshima.  We went to a Mos Burger?the Japanese version of Burger King.  But the burger I got had spaghetti sauce on it, and Ken`s was made out of rice.  We were on the tour?we silenced the room when we came in and people just kept staring at us the whole time we ate.  I was reminded of Dave Barry`s description of his eating pizza with his family and the looks of awe that said �gLOOK!  Huge Water Buffaloes Feeding In The Wild!�h  It really is true that we get a lot of attention.  After dinner we went back to the hostel to get Ken ready for his solo trip to Yakushima.  We decided that the hike was going to be too much for Jessica, so she and I stayed in the Sakurajima Youth Hostel and made day trips out for the three days he was gone.  It was nice to have a little mommy-daughter time together while Ken was out getting muddy and doing boy stuff on his own.  We slow him down a lot, so the trip was good for him.  He saw trees that were thousands of years old, called Yakusugi, and one is even estimated at 7200 years old.  Incredible.  He also got to see the Yakuzaru?wild monkeys that live on the island.  They are used to backpackers, and when he tried to feed some of his trail mix to one of them (he had been warned about this but�cyou know�c) about 50 of them came screaming out of the woodline and he went scrambling for his life to avoid being mauled by monkeys.  He says that they can really run fast.  I don`t like to think about how he found that out.  He laughs about it now, though.  Whoa.  When I think about him running at top speed with that pack, being chased by four dozen monkeys, it is kind of a humorous picture that comes to mind.  I am just thankful that he is okay and relatively unscathed by the event!
Meanwhile, back in Sakurajima, Jessica and I enjoyed the local onsen in the hostel.  The waters are heated by the volcano and are sulpherous but they feel really really good after a long day of travelling.  Jessica said, matter-of-factly, �gMom, I hate to disappoint you, but the water is dirty.�h  I explained that the waters were supposed to look that way, that they were coming right out of the mountain.  She said �gHmmmm.  So you`re telling me that the ground is dirty?�h  I just looked at her and smiled.  Then I reminded her that as she has been growing up, she frequently ate candy that dropped on the ground, or licked her fingers after making mud pies.  She grimaced.  I assured her that it was a kid-thing.  I then said that this hot mineral bath would not make her very dirty, and was probably a lot cleaner than Mustin Lake or the oceans she loves to play in.  Her look of doubt subsided, but she had this look of wonder at my ability to recall the past like that?maybe when those things happened, she thought I wasn�ft watching.  That`ll teach her to always remember that I have eyes in the back of my head.  It`s a mom-thing, I told her.
After Ken was on his way to the ferry to go to Yakushima, Jessica and I got started seeing the sights of Kagoshima and the areas surrounding it.  You know that Japan was closed to the West for a long time, right?  Right.  Well, you may also know that before the Meiji Restoration in Japan, 17 youths ranging in ages from 13 to 21, risked their lives in defiance of the law and went to England to study.  They returned and devoted their lives to the Westernization of Japan, and the country is modern now largely in part because of their efforts.  They were from Kagoshima.  You may also have heard about the last of the samurai, and their leader Takemori Saigo, who overthrew the Shogunate, forced the surrender at Edo,  and brought about the Meiji Restoration.  Saigo was from Kagoshima and the rebellion was here.  The stories of the lives of all these men are fascinating, and Jessica and I immersed ourselves in a little Japanese history for a few days.  We bought a bus pass and headed off for the sights of the city!  We went to the St. Xavier memorial.  Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, and landed here in Kagoshima.  He built a church that stood until WWII.  Now, the one wall that survived is a monument to St. Xavier.  The Vatican gave Kagoshima a church to replace the one that was lost in 1949 to commemorate 400 years of Christianity in Japan.  Only 2% of the population here is Christian, but people are interested to hear the stories, and I enjoy telling them.  After that, we passed many monuments to the loyal retainers of the local Satsuma clan, and the cave where Saigo hid himself during the rebellion (before he committed ritual suicide, called seppiku) and the ruins of his home near the river.  Then, it was on to Iso Garden.
Iso Garden was laid out in 1659-61 by the feudal lord of Satsuma.  Many stone bridges and old walkways covered in thick moss.  It was raining, and the skies were completely gray, but never have I seen a more beautiful Japanese garden.  The volcano, Sakurajima, AND the smoke pouring from it are part of the landscape of the garden, and it is incredible to think about how much work goes into keeping everything simple and natural-looking.  The roof is PEWTER?very very heavy, on the original home there, that has been well-preserved through all these centuries.  The original oil paper shoji screening is visible, as well as the paintings that they enjoyed three hundred years ago.  The paths wind through the garden and up to the base of Iso Mountain, along stone lanterns with tops as large as my mother`s kitchen island!  It was incredibly beautiful despite the rain.  Jessica and I walked along the springs, where they shoot out from the ground, and legend has it that the samurai first made tea from these waters, and that they remain perfect for cha even today.  We looked beyond them to the bamboo grove, the very first in Japan.  Two small shoots of bamboo were brought here from China and planted HERE.  Later, some was transplanted to Edo (Tokyo) where we know it became a large part of Japanese life and culture.  This is the original grove.  The bamboo here is ancient and still growing.  It is large, green and gold, and incredibly beautiful.  We followed the bamboo forest up the side of Iso-yama (mountain) on a really old trail that was technically off-the-tour.  There, we were able to find our way up to a terrace where there is a private view of a hidden waterfall in the distance.  Well worth the climb in the rain.  Jessica and I loved it.  We went further, and found a mound where the lady of the manor had buried all the calligraphy brushes that had �gserved�h the lords of Satsuma.  Then, we found where the mountain opened up and we could see the remnants of a canal system dug into the rock that still was functioning.  Amazing?especially when you think of an opening in a mountain the height and width of a standard door, completely chipped out with bamboo rods, at about the same time in history that the first colonists hit the shores of Virginia.  There is also an atrium here where a rare species of bird is raised.  The first two were gifts to the lord of Satsuma from Napoleon when he visited and walked this same train up to the waterfall.  It was interesting to think about.  Then, the summit.  What a view.  There are some ancient cedars here, probably 11 or 12 feet in diameter?astounding.  Jessica and I only stayed a moment because of the rain, and made our way back down.  We stopped briefly because of a small pond where there was a chorus of frogs.  I listened quietly, but then Jessica came along to join in the singing, and they all stopped and turned to stare at us?like every other living thing in this country.  We could almost hear what they were thinking�c�hoh buddha---what ARE those things???�h ;)
We continued down, stopping at the cat shrine.  A monk from Korea brought 5 very special cats with him to Japan�cspecial because he could determine the EXACT time of day according to the slits in these cats` eyes.  Two of the cats are entombed here, and every year on June 10th, people from all over Japan gather here at a festival.  It is kind of like the Greenwich of Japan, you might say.  We paid homage, I set my watch, and then we celebrated being on �gsatsuma time�h with a bowl of ceremonial tea.  We hesitated going into the teahouse because we were dripping wet, but a kimono-clad girl brought us some towels and took us to a table where we enjoyed macha and cakes out of the traditional pottery of the area, called satsuma ware, which is cream colored and brightly painted, with a crackle finish.  The girl in the kimono came over to talk with Jessica and gave her gifts of origami cranes and boxes, and talked to me a little (in Japanese) about the stones that she had seen me admiring outside.  Over time, the lava rocks deposited on the island are worn completely smooth and hard by the springs, and so they are nearly perfectly round, jet black and look a little like black eggs.  They are very beautiful, and the stone is called ANDESITE.  When we left, she gave one of the stones to me from the pile of several thousand just laying around.  I mailed it back to Wadayama with some other stuff to prevent having to carry it around.  Yes, I still get really fired up about ROCKS?sorry�csome things never change.  She also told me that the largest tree that we had seen was around 3500 years old.  Wow.  We went around to the lower parts of the trail and ate some rice cakes in browned honey which were very yummy?they are called danko and they are a specialty in this area.  We went then to the Satsuma Glass Factory where the famous glass is made.  It is wonderfully artistic and very delicate, and also extremely expensive.  I picked up a wine goblet to see the color in the glass, and then saw the price tag.  350 American dollars a stem.  Whoa.  I froze, and then ever so gently set it down and stepped away from the display.  Jessica and I took gentle breaths and steps all the way through the showroom.  We then went into a showroom where crafts are made from the thousands-year-old cedars called yakusugi and we marveled at the artistry.  We had collectively decided not to buy any of it so as not to promote the destruction of this natural treasury of old cedars.  However, these crafts were made from only trees felled in storms and the proceeds go to the preservation of the area and the protection of the trees from poachers.  So we picked up a piece to hang on the Christmas tree.  (Meanwhile in Yakushima, Ken found another dealer like this, and bought me a barrette for my hair and a bookmark with a tiny sliver for Jessica.  He also got us some chopstick rests.  Bigger pieces than that are absolutely unaffordable.  I was thrilled to see them?the rings and patterns are amazing?can`t wait to show you all!)
After the thrill of Iso Garden, Jessica and I caught the bus again to the area of Tsurumaru Castle.  There was never a keep here?only stone walls and a moat, with the primary protection of the area being the hoards of samurai posted around the walls of the castle?kind of like human shields.  (I see a pattern forming here, don�ft you??of the complete lack of value placed on human life�c) We went on into the grounds, past the enormous walls with banyan trees growing right out of the sides.  Now this is the place of the Reimeikan Museum?full of prefectural history of the area, and of Kyushu as a whole.  It was remarkable.  We had a wonderful time, and it was nice to get out of the weather.  The woman who sold us tickets also gave us some towels to dry ourselves off, and then later helped us call a taxi, since we missed the last bus.
All in all, it was a great day?we found out why there was such a storm though?we were there for a minor eruption of the volcano (yes, the one on the island where we were staying.)  No trouble though?it does this about once every other month, and causes a lot of rain and such for a day or so, and REALLY heats up the onsen waters (past the point where it is comfortable.  I could only stay a minute�cpoor Jessica just kind of hovered-she couldn�ft get in at all.)  Sakurajima has been doing this on and off for thousands of years, and the last major eruption was in 1992.  These people here are pros?they know every little burp of the volcano and what it means.  The last eruption happened without a single injury?everyone safely evacuated in time, with only minimum damage because they know exactly where to put the roads.  But that is in the next letter?I have to stop here.  It is time for me to go pick Jessica up from school and I will send this on.  More later?I send lots of love to all--Lynley
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Hello from Japan?I will try to keep it brief (okay?I can already hear the snickering from the peanut gallery�cahem�c)  I was up to May first.  Hee hee hee!  So, Happy May Day!  This morning, I met a girl at the sink in the youth hostel.  I have no idea what prompted me to say good morning or strike up the conversation with her, but in the course of discussing various places we have seen in Japan, we discovered that we were probably standing within 100 feet of each other at the turn of the millenium in Kyoto at Kiyomizudera Temple.  Bizarre�cthe world really is a small place.  She is from England (and is NOT a JET) and is now here, seeing the same stuff we are?again.

Jessica and I headed out early this morning and caught a bus tour around Sakurajima Mountain.  (yes, a THREE-HOUR TOUR�ccan you hear the introduction to the theme song from Gilligan`s Island in your head?)  The skies today show no remnants of yesterday`s storm, but Sakurajima is actively spurting white smoke and ash high into the air against a perfectly crystal blue sky.  What a sight!  We cruised around the Kinko Bay area and saw where they grow the world`s smallest oranges.  They are smaller than our average plums and very sweet.  We also saw the world`s largest radishes?the one they showed us was over 4 feet in circumference and weighed more than 80 pounds.  That is a lotta radish!  There are banyan trees growing right out of the sides of the mountain, to protect the shores from storms, and they have lots of `em here!  Then, on to the lava fields.  Sakurajima has been erupting, as I said in the last letter, pretty much CONSTANTLY since the beginning of time.  There was MAJOR damage in the 1913 eruption, that buried most of the villages and temples on the mountain.  We saw a torii gate that was originally more than 15 feet high.  Now, Jessica is taller than it is.  It was just almost completely buried.  They left it buried like that as a testament to the power of nature, so that people would continue to respect the mountain.  The last major eruption was in 1992, again, as my last letter said, nobody was hurt.  The geologists here know exactly when to pull all the people out-so there is no big danger about anyone being here.  The lava fields are amazing?we are riding on a road carved completely out of the lava?took the army months to complete it and they are STILL digging out of the lava from 92?and on either side of the bus, the lava formations rise up out of the ground, reaching toward the sky almost like enormous gravestones, dark grays and browns and reds against the blue sky.  On our right, the stones LOOK rocky, from tumbling down the mountain.  On our left, the lava is smooth, from where it formed beneath the waterline and then rose from the sea.  We went up to the observatory, the highest point that you can reach.  Because of the activity, nobody is allowed to climb any higher than that, neither man nor machine.  From this point, you can see the bright pink and red rhododendrons in full bloom on the mountainside, and in the distance, you can see the sharp profiles of two important mountains nearby.  One, Kaimondake, is called the �gFuji of Satsuma�h because it is a miniature version of Fuji-san.  The other is far away in Kirishima, called Takachiho-no-mine, and it is called the �gCradle of Japan.�h  I will have more on these mountains later.  It was nice to see Takachiho from Sakurajima.  (Later, I would get to see Sakurajima from Takachiho�cgood stuff!)  They showed us a film of the crater area and the eruption of 92, which was amazing to see.  We also saw some footage of the drum festivals that take place on the mountain, since the mountain is worshipped like a god here.  There was also a film that showed us the sea life on the coral reefs that are here basically ONLY because the volcano provides just the right atmosphere for them.  It would have been fun scuba-diving around here, but there just wasn�ft any time.  On our way back, we crossed bridges, and saw completely dry riverbanks.  We were told that when it rains here, nearly 10,000 tons of mud and ash go thundering through the riverbeds that they created especially for that purpose, so that the rest of the island remains habitable.  Seems to be a pretty good system, though I would hate to be here at the riverbank when there is a storm like the one yesterday!  WHEW!
When our three hour tour was up and we returned to the ferry safely, My �glittle buddy�h and I took the ferry into Kagoshima again, ate a quick soba lunch while overlooking the bay, and headed off for the Japanese Literature and Fairy Tale Museum which is supposed to be a hit for kids of all ages.  I will admit, it was interesting enough to justify the three bucks to get in.  However, the whole thing starts with a little play/movie/cartoon/puppet show thingy in the theatre first.  This play was a little strange.  First of all, the Japanese was REALLY fast, so we were having trouble keeping up.  But the storyline is usually easy enough to follow?I mean, these are kids` stories, right?  WRONG  The storyline went a little somethin` like this:
THE PLAY:  We find ourselves in a forest, surrounded by a stage and several puppet areas with video screens (which are apparently indigenous to this region?hahaha.) The trees are shaped like rockets, and are green and purple.  Above our heads are giant feet (obviously right out of the Jack and the Beanstalk story�c) and then�cthe play begins:  The White Rabbit, from Alice in Wonderland, gives a lot of very fast directions to Peter Pan, who flies off to the forest.  Suddenly, there is a fire.  Peter Pan saves some baby cranes from their nest and then flies around in circles and kind of �gsupermans�h the flames out.  Everybody is dancing and singing and thanking Peter Pan, when suddenly the lights come up on the giant feet and a booming voice starts telling a story.  The toes start to wiggle, so I guess you could say that the giant is telling a story with his feet.  A clown, and a devil, and Little Bo Peep, and a little tiny samurai all listen to the story that the feet are telling, and then they head off to see the Emperor, who is wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and a crown�chis �gnew clothes�h I guessed.  There is more singing and dancing, and then Geppetto shows up and gives some instructions to Pinocchio and Jiminy Aarkvark (he isn`t a cricket in the Japanese version) and then a talking noodle-vending machine consoles the parents of Jiminy Aarkvark, although we never figured out why they needed consoling.  Then, there are monkeys that appear in the rocket-trees and they start crying, perhaps because there was no vending machine nearby to console them, and then Pinocchio disappears into the Big Dipper in the sky.  Then, Glinda the Good Witch of the North shows up and we have no idea what she said, but it had something to do with the Tin Man and Aladdin.  Then everybody does some more singing and the lights come up.  It was truly bizarre.  I just kept writing the whole time, basically so I wouldn�ft forget the minor details of our encounter with all the fairy tales of the world.  Jessica loved it.  She has read most of the Japanese fairy tales, and she explained to me later that it was actually Snow White, and NOT Little Bo Peep.  I still say that it looked like Little Bo Peep.  Then she said something in Japanese.  I have no idea what SHE said either.  So I asked, �gJessica, are you Glinda the Good Witch of the North?�h  And she said, �gNo.�h  And I said, �gThen PLEASE speak English to me, okay?�h  And then she pointed out that Glinda was an English speaker too, because Oz was really somewhere in America.  I just let it go with that.  My poor brain was too fried to worry about whether the record was straight or not.  I also didn�ft have the heart to tell her that there were places even MORE strange than OZ in America!  You know, places with names like Toad Suck and Pickles Gap. (Clarification to Steve and Paul?these are two towns on either side of Conway, Arkansas?I did not make them up.)  I wonder how Jessica will feel when she realizes that she was born smack dab between Toad Suck and Pickles Gap, Arkansas.  That`s funny, I think.
After we left the museum, we hiked up Shiroyama Mountain to the cave where Saigo Takemori hid himself during the rebellion, and then to the place where he committed seppuku.  We were walking and a guy on a moped waved to us, then stopped and dug around in the box he had on the back of his bike.  He walked over to us and then gave me a book about the history of Kagoshima, in English, and then told us to have a good time in his city.  I never got his name and I was sorry for it?what a nice thing for him to do.  We then we caught the bus to the aquarium, where we caught the ferry back to Sakurajima.  We had soba again for dinner, but it was quick and delicious, and we saw thousands of jellyfish floating in the waters around the bay.  The volcano`s activity yesterday just kind of boiled them into jellyfish soup.  Icky.
This night, I watched the sun set into the Kinko Bay from the terrace of the youth hostel while Jessica played inside with her Legos.  It was nice to have a quiet moment.  The sun sank slowly over the bay, and turned all the sky around it a dark gray.  Then, the sun suddenly turned a brilliant red color and dropped behind the horizon.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Living on the east coast was great because I got to watch the sun rise out of the Atlantic.  Pacific sunsets are breathtaking.  Wish you were all here to see it with me.
WELL�cI didn�ft do a good job of keeping it brief, did I?  I only got through May 1.  I will have to stop here, and will continue on this line of thought tomorrow, perhaps.  I hope that all of you are doing well, and I hope to hear from you again soon!  Lots of love to all there from all here--Lynley
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Hello!  This is Golden Week Letter #3?and I hope it will be the last one, because I swear I am going to try to make it more brief and less wordy, but we will see.  I was all the way up to May 2nd. (sigh�c)  On the 3rd, Jessica and I got an early start and took a bus tour with 35 other Japanese, to the cities of Ibusuki and Chiran, very near to Kagoshima.  The guide stood at the front and talked nonstop, without pausing to let us illiterates catch up or anything, so the speaking part of the tour was lost on us, but we DID get to see some amazing things that we had wanted to see, but would have been completely unable to do on our own because of the distances and the language barrier.  We were able to go to the famous Ibusuki Iwasaki Resort, overlooking the bay, and tour their gardens (and have some cocoa in the fanciest little shop I have ever seen) which only impressed Jessica mildly, because we learned that there would not be enough time, considering the amount of travelers, for us to take one of the famous hot sand baths.  At Ibusuki, you get buried up to your neck in hot sand that is warmed by a volcano.  When I told my mother about it, Mom-O said that she would be happy to leave that stop off of her tour, and that if it was so great, then it would be offered everywhere else in the world.  Well, I didn�ft understand WHY until I actually GOT to Ibusuki, that the reason the sand is so special is that it is volcanically warmed, and not warmed by the sun, and is rich in mineral deposits that have shown to be good for the skin.  The Japanese women flock to them in droves, and there are only two places in the world, supposedly, where the conditions are ideal for it.  At any rate, we missed out on it, but the rest of the day made up tenfold for that disappointment.
We stopped at a shochu factory.  Shochu is a sake (SAH-kay) made from sweet potatoes instead of rice.  It was interesting to see how it is made.  It smells really strong.  Jessica and I opted NOT to take the taste tour!  Hee hee hee!  We did learn a lot about fermentation, though, which we talked about back on the bus, and it opened the discussion about why people drink alcohol.  It was nice to be able to spend time together talking about social behavior.  She is really bright.  Our next stop was Nagasakibana, the southernmost cape of mainland Japan.  There is a lighthouse here, albeit a tiny one, and the view is amazing?the colors of the waters look unnaturally vivid?ranging in colors from mint green to royal blue to shades of violet, and crashing on beaches of pure black sand.  It is quite a sight.  Jessica and I had a tickle-war in full swing when we both stopped to look again at the East China Sea leaving gentle wisps of white foam on the dark beach, and we decided that this place is the very picture of a tropical paradise.  Jessica said �gMom, maybe Hawaii looks like this.�h  I told her that I couldn�ft confirm it, since I hadn`t been to Hawaii, but that it was pretty all by itself without being compared to any other place on Earth.
Our next stop was the International Flower Park, where there are flowers from around the world growing amidst bamboo groves, with wild macaws flying around here and there.  It is a very colorful place.  We went into a pavilion where they were growing all kinds of roses?from everywhere, and all sizes and colors that you can imagine.  I thought about Mamaw Partee?she would really have loved them?there were about 20 different colors of pink!  I guess I don�ft have to mention that the place smelled great too?a real assault on your senses!
Next was Lake Ikeda?the largest lake in Kyushu.  There are giant eels that live here, and are protected as a natural wonder.  Imagine an eel that is 7 feet long and as big around as a crosstie?WHOA!  We saw some in tanks there at the Visitor Center, along with pictures of the Japanese version of the Loch Ness Monster.  The monster is known as �gIsshy�h, and looks a lot like �gNessy�h, and so do the pictures, incidentally.  It was pretty interesting.  I made sure to get a photo of Jessica in front of the big goofy grinning replica of Isshy?are we the eternal tourists or what?
Back on the bus, the tour guide just kept on talking, but then all of a sudden she took a breath and started singing.  During the course of the next two hours, she sang about ten different songs, all traditional, most of them associated with the history of the area and the last of the samurai.  They were sad and proud songs, and Jessica and I enjoyed the singing immensely?we could understand them because her singing was so much slower than her speaking.  While she sang, we drove around the base of Mt. Kaimondake, called the �gFuji of Satsuma�h because it really looks like a miniature version of Fuji-san (I think I already mentioned that, though)  From the upper level there is an incredible view of the bay and of Sakurajima in the distance.  Wonderful.  We got to hike just a little, but definitely no time to summit.  Too bad?it is a perfect day for it, and Jessica and I are up to it after our summit of Iso-yama!  We just listened and watched out our windows all the way to Chiran after we got back on the bus?to tales of the city of Chiran, of her warrior tradition.  Chiran was the site of the homes of the last of the samurai, and their homes and gardens are on the tour?wide passages and moss-covered stones, the original shoji within reach, and cedar beams and posts so alive with history that you almost expect to see someone turn the corner and greet you.  The gardens are remarkable also, and we got a chance to linger a little bit in the rock gardens and appreciate the work that went into their creation and the work that goes into their upkeep!  The warrior tradition in Chiran lingered on into the last century.  During WWII, Chiran was the staging point for all the kamikaze warplanes.  We did not know this was on the tour.  We did not know what it was at all.  All of a sudden, our group, on foot, turns a corner, and we are standing in front of a large warplace, with a bronze statue of a pilot standing in front of it.  Everyone gets really quiet, and we are given brochures, and this one has some English in it.  Apparently, a lot of veterans from the US and other countries come here to Chiran to put to rest a lot of stuff from the war.  We walked past row after row of stone lanterns, each one inscribed with a name and an age and a date and sometimes, with the death poem that he wrote prior to his mission.  It was a little eerie, and Jessica and I were the only Americans in the bunch.  We went into the museum, where there are flags that were captured, our country`s and others, and there is no place you look where there is not a picture of a young pilot who gave his life.  There are books of war poems, and people stand around weeping everywhere you look, and there are screens showing footage of the war and the devastation (with lots of American faces, especially in the destruction of Okinawa) and suddenly all the people from the tour step away from us.  It was a little awkward.  It was almost as if none of them wanted to let anyone else there know that they had associated with any Americans.  So Jessica and I made our way into the back room.  There is a carcass of a warplane here, hauled out of the ocean after it crashed into and sank an American warship.  This is where I almost lose it.  It was just so much like the memorials in America that we took Jessica to see all the time.  It is the same feeling as you get at �gthe wall�h in Washington DC.  The countries are different, but still there were mothers that lost sons, wives that lost husbands, children who lost fathers.  The language was different but the losses were the same, and I was struck suddenly by how we are not so different when it comes to pain and suffering as we like to tell ourselves sometimes.  Suddenly, I wasn`t uncomfortable anymore because I realized that the mistakes made by leaders of nations in the past was just that?in the past?and had very little to do with me being an American.  So I turned to Jessica, and we talked about how important it is to have peace, and that tolerance and understanding can go a long way.  I told her that if you strive to understand somebody who is different than you are, then peace is likely, and that it doesn�ft really matter if you think the other person is right or wrong, that the differences between you help to make life interesting and keep the world a fascinating adventure.  Jessica walks away to look at the enormous mound of paper crane chains that people have made as a testament to world peace.  It is all in English there, so it is evident what it is all about.  I wait there for all the footage in the next room to finish, and then our group comes into where the plane is.  Jessica continues to look at all the things on display, and is reading happily to herself, practicing her kanji recognition.  The group catches up to me.  I took off my backpack and took out a small piece of origami paper (which I carry with me to collect stamps from the places we visit, etc.)  I fold an origami crane very slowly because I am not an experienced folder.  On the side, I write �gThanks Be To God For Peace and Understanding Between the USA and Japan�h and sign my name and Jessica`s to it, and then I place it there with the rest.  FINALLY, the group we were with loosened up?several of those that had looked really uncomfortable came up to see what I wrote, and then started talking to us again.  One older gentleman took a piece of paper out and folded his own crane, then gave it to Jessica.  I don`t know?it was a moment�cmaybe you just had to be there.  I have had a lot of discussions with various Japanese people about WWII, and these people all hear MY uneducated opinion (what else could it BE considering that I wasn�ft there?) and the official position of the US government as taught to us by the embassy prior to our arrival in Japan.  These people know that both my grandfathers are WWII veterans, and they know that my official stand is that no matter what Japan says about it, the attack on Pearl Harbor was a really bad move, and gave us no choice but to kick the living crud out of them.  Of course I am incredibly more diplomatic about saying that, but I don�ft really mince words too much.  I always stress though, that I feel that Japan is a beautiful country, and that both countries have much that they can learn from one another, and I believe it is true.  Many of the people I have spoken with have tried to make an apology for the Japanese way of life, known as BUSHIDO?the way of the warrior.  The way of the warrior is death, and they are not afraid of it.  It had very little to do with the Japanese GOVERNMENT`s disregard for human life, and more their own lack of respect for themselves individually.  A soldier fights because his country is fighting, plain and simple.  They are defending their way of life, their homes and their families.  There need be no apology for that?and I make certain that these people know that I feel this way.  The pilots who flew from Chiran loaded with explosives did it for Japan, for the honor it would bring to the families that they left behind, for the Emperor.  It seems oversimplified, but sometimes the most simple explanation really holds water.  I have learned a lot about these people that a textbook in a library in North Carolina could never teach me in a hundred years.  This is what we discuss.  And you know, when towards the end of the discussion, I add that �gregardless of the past, I think it is wonderful that our countries can forge a new relationship now in peace and friendship�c�h it always brings things to a common ground again.  Those who have talked with me (basically historians at my school, and the adults in the evening class�c) have mentioned to me many times that they appreciate me talking with them frankly about it.  They are some of the friendliest people I have ever met.  I feel that part of my job here is to show the people of this country that America is not what they see on television.  Because what they see are gangs---drugs---road rage---Beverly Hills 90210---violence in Elementary Schools---and Jerry Springer.  (And Full House---AAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!)  And none of these things really exist in this society.  I think that the JET Programme represents an opportunity for America to place ambassadors of peace in the schools here, and show the Japanese that we are NOT all freaks of nature.  I really detest what they see of us through the media!  Based upon what they know of America, Americans have no morals; we all cheat on our spouses, we steal, we do drugs, we beat our children, we shoot our co-workers and we are alcoholics from the age of ten.  The ones who aren`t the freaks are the celebrities that are as popular here as in our own country, but these people are constantly cheating and stealing and doing drugs, too.  See my point?  So, what I teach here is a lot more important than just my language.  Anyway?I am off the subject entirely.  So much for keeping it short.
I will talk a sharp right turn?hang on---and I will get back on the bus and head from Chiran to the Buddhist Cliff Carvings nearby that date back to the 11th century.  There are about 700 carvings along the main walkway, and they are truly beyond description.  The walls of stone shoot up about 200 feet, and are covered with markings, made by hand, centuries ago.  There is a beautiful little park and about a hundred different statues, and the place is absolutely pristine.  It was gorgeous.
We arrived back at the station safely, took the bus to the ferry, ate soba on the ferry again, and got back to the youth hostel in time to take a hot bath and wind down.  I watched the sun set again from the terrace, and I felt a little differently about watching the sun turn red and sink into the bay.  The sun against the gray sky was so reminiscent of the hinomaru (the Japanese flag) and it has always seemed odd to me that Japan no longer remembers the significance of their flag.  Perhaps it is as elusive to explanation as everything else about Japan.  But perhaps it is immortal in the hearts of the Japanese people, and as natural in their lives as the sun sinking into the sea, just like this.  If that is the case, then perhaps the hinomaru symbolizes something different to everyone, and the original symbolism is unnecessary.  Whatever it was would pale in comparison to this anyway.
Okay?I gotta end now?sorry to be so lengthy AGAIN.  Next time I won`t even try.  Have a great day, and let me hear from you!  Love, Lynley
   NEXT LETTER
Well, I will not even TRY to lie to you today and tell you that I will keep it brief.  I guess as I get older, I am learning my limits.  I know that I am full of words (or full of SOMETHING, as my mother says) and they only thing I can do is just let them out.  I suppose that you all have to pay the price for that.  I will pick up on Wednesday, May 3rd.  Jessica and I got an early start, packed our packs and then packed it out to the ferry.  We went to the Kagoshima Aquarium, which was the spot where we had arranged to meet up with Ken.  The ferries all go to the same basic area, and so Jessica and I saved the aquarium trip until this morning.  The place was packed because of the holiday, but we still had a great time?we love aquariums, and we do not think that �gif you have seen one, you`ve seen them all.�h  Quite the contrary.  This one has a very nice area for dolphins and sea otters, especially, and since they are some of our fave aquatic mammals, we HAD to make a visit!  After perusing tanks of giant sturgeon, enormous bluefin tuna and schools of silver anchovies making a whirlpool pattern against the glass in front of us (pizza anyone??), we made our way down to where the large rays, eels and jellyfish were swimming around.  Jellyfish are so delicate, and they are fun to watch in the tanks.  Eventually, we made our way into the area where the dolphin show was to be held, and there were about fifty million people crowded around the tanks, filling every seat, in the aisles, and behind the open areas in every conceivable space.  We were not going to be able to see.  We were so disappointed.  Then, I saw the screen, and I knew that I would be able to see the screen, which was a live camera display?a pretty good view for me alone.  I put Jessica on my shoulders so that she could see it live, and I watched the display, and it was worth the backache I had later.  It was very interesting.  The dolphin show was LESS about watching how high they can jump for the fish rewards or about them dancing and waving their fins like little trained prisoners.  It was more about getting the camera close to them so the trainer can give you a closeup look at the blowhole, the teeth of the dolphin, and the shape of the eyelids and fins.  While they swam and did some small tricks, more playful stuff than really being trained (which led me to believe that these animals were very well cared for?made me feel a little better since they REALLY belong in the sea and not in a tank�cbut I will save that lecture for another time.) they showed a film at the same time of, I am not kidding you, an EGD of a dolphin.  Yes, they showed footage of a tiny camera being inserted into the dolphins mouth and concentrating on the biological investigation of the esophageal area, then down the gullet went the camera, and all the way through to the stomach.  We saw, large and up close, the entire digestive track of the dolphin.  It was fascinating.  I learned later that they only filmed it because they were checking the dolphin for something else, they didn�ft just do this test on it for the heck of it.  Since there was nothing wrong with him, and the tape was interesting, they decided to show it at the aquarium.  It was unlike anything I have ever seen.  Afterwards, we saw the sea otters, but nobody did any medical tests on them so we had to be content just watching them float on their backs and wash their cute little moustaches.
I think it is interesting that the Japanese, in general, are fascinated with HOW things work.  The POST cereal boxes here have all the nutritional information that ours do, but instead of being plastered with crosswords and wordfinds and other cartoons and riddles, they are plastered with biological diagrams of the areas that each vitamin and mineral affect, with the stats and figures you would expect to see in a science fair project.  Even a stick of gum in this country will have the dental statistics and graphs on each little stick of paper?in case that guy that you offer it to on the train needs some reading material regarding dental hygiene.  And look!  It is compact?you can carry it WITH you!  Much more convenient than carrying around a cereal box, anyway.
I have gotten off the subject again.  Sorry.  Okay, back to the aquarium�c
We finished and met Ken, who was tired and sore from literally RUNNING all over Yakushima Island with his heavy pack.  (I am assuming he was running from the monkeys�c)  He said that he splurged the final night and opted for the Ryokan in town over the tent in the rain, so that he could get HIMSELF clean and well fed and wash his clothes and stuff in preparation for meeting up with us again.  I think he was afraid we wouldn�ft keep him if he showed up like he was.  We grabbed lunch at the port, then trucked to the train station to catch a train or two or three heading for Kirishima.  It took us a couple of hours to get there, and the buses were all on holiday schedule, so we opted to take a taxi to the campsite.  It was a good move?otherwise we would have gone up a steep hill for about 9 kilometers.  At the end of that 9 kms is a beautiful (and very very old) trailhead, next to a great little campsite.  We went to check in, and when I asked the price, he said �ghyakuen seengaru�h?which I thought was a mistake.  He said one hundred (equaling one dollar) and surely he meant one thousand (ten bucks?the usual) so I handed him a fifty and a ten, to pay for two nights.  He just looked at me and smiled.  I said �gotona futatsu, kodomo ichi, kyo ban, to ashita ban�cni ban�ccampuu�c(smile) onegai shimasu�h (meaning approximately?we will purchase the goat you have in the closet)  what I thought I said was �gadult two, child one, today-night-and-tomorrow-night-two-nights camping please.�h (Please don�ft be impressed?you have no idea how hard I had to study just to understand these fifteen words.)  The man looked again at the fifty and the ten that I had in front of me, then shook his head and plucked the ten out of my hand.  He gave me four bucks in change.  Holy cow?it was a buck each to camp.  We stayed two nights in a very nice campground with clean water we did not have to filter, a place to wash, and western toilets, plus all the free firewood we could scrounge, for a total of six bucks.  We spent more than that on drinks from the nearby vending machine.  It was wonderful.  Not to mention that there is a GREAT deal of seeing and hiking to do there!  We just rounded the corner for a wonderful view of Takachiho-no-mine, the sacredest of all the sacred mountains of Japan.  Yes, I am aware that sacredest is not a word.  I like it, though, and it is fun to say.  At camp, Ken busied hiself with raising the tent, Jessica gathered stones and made our fire circle, and I scrounged up some firewood.  We met a nice guy from nearby Kumamoto, who was taking the mountain route up tomorrow also, and invited him to our campfire after dinner for s`mores and chatting, American style.  The s`mores were a surprise for Ken and Jessica.  I ordered graham crackers and Jet-puff marshmallows from the international market, and then hoarded some Hershey`s chocolate for a lot longer than you would believe knowing my chocoholic nature.  I packaged everything very carefully and then carted it all over the planet just to get it to this point in time.  They were floored and it pleased me that they got such a kick out of it.  We sharpened and cleaned some sticks for roasting, and after dinner was over, our new friend named Higashijima came to roast his first marshmallows at the ripe young age of 45.  He got such a kick out of the whole s`mores thing.  So we started talking to each other, and in the course of conversation found out that he saw a UFO when he was in Junior High School.  You see?  This kind of thing only happens to me.  Apparently, there was a lot of attention about it, because he claims that he was interviewed once by people from NASA and the Japanese equivalent.  His English is pretty good, and he is a SUPER nice person, and we enjoyed talking with him.  We looked at stars and constellations but we did NOT see any more UFOs, I am happy to report.  The next morning we started early and headed up the trail after breakfast to summit the mountain.  Climbing a sacred mountain in Japan is sort of a pilgrimage.  You see all ages of folks, even folks carrying babies and things.  It is a crazy thing to do, to carry a baby up to the top of a volcano.  It is only slightly less crazy to go by your OWN power.  It took us a little over two hours to get to the summit, the whole way over really ugly lava rock (that shreds your clothes, and your skin, if you happen to fall, which we all did�c)But when we reached the first landing, at the smoking caldera next to the summit, it was a breathtaking sight.  From here, we can see for miles and miles, and the skies are blue with light wispy clouds all around.  Below us are rolling green hills covered with blooming trees, and the occasional bright red bluff where the lava flowed down the mountain.  It is really a sight, and I wished for you ALL to be here to see it.  As my mother would say, though?the rest of the family is not nearly as crazy as I am, so they will just have to see it through my photos!  Hee hee hee!  I don�ft know?I think maybe Steve and Paul are that crazy too-Paul wins, though?he is the one who rides 100 miles on a bicycle in a single day and calls it a nice ride.  I am not kidding, folks.  No exaggeration there, I assure you I am telling the gospel truth.
Takachiho-no-mine is a sacred mountain because it is where legend has it that the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu-sama came to Earth from heaven to start the Imperial family line and the country now known as Japan.  I had heard before that the Japanese believe that the Imperial family descended from the gods themselves.  This is where it all happened, folks.  At the summit, there is a sword planted firmly in a pile of rocks, supposedly the one that was flung from the heavens to see if the �gswirling chaotic mud�h had stopped moving and the land was habitable.  We took some pix of the sword, and then devoted our attention to the fantastic view of Sakurajima in the distance, and the valleys that sprawled before us, and of course, our picnic lunch.  By the time we got to the top, we were famished.  After lunch it was time to head down again, and getting down took us longer than getting up there.  It was very slippery and rocky, and the rocks are unstable, so every step is a potential slip/fall.  We have some bumps and bruises following the hike down, but all in all it was a fantastic experience, and the bumps are a very small price to pay for the memories!
When we made it back to camp, our new friend Higashijima was waiting for us, and drove us in his car to the onsen where we were able to clean up.  The waters there are acidic, and turned all our silver rings black, and tasted like cider vinegar, but BOY did they FEEL good after that hike!  The onsen area was quite a way from the camping area, and we were thankful to have the ride from our new camp buddy!  When we got to the onsen, he went in first, and we were surprised to learn that he had paid for all three of US also, and wouldn�ft hear of letting us pay for the baths.  It was a very nice gesture, so Ken bought his a cold juice, and later I made a gift to him of the remaining s`mores making stuff since he would be staying in camp for two more nights and we are headed for a youth hostel.  Camp that night was much briefer than the previous night because we were all so tired, but we taught Higashijima how to play Yahtzee, and chatted with a Canadian traveler for awhile before turning in. 
On Friday morning, we headed to Beppu, and it took us seven hours to get there by train.  What an exhausting day of traveling it was, but once we got there, we already had reservations at the youth hostel.  We just had to find the place.  The place, as it turned out, was a 20 minute bus ride, and then a hike up a long hill away.  But it worked out great because they had the family room saved for us, so the three of us had a private room to ourselves with plenty of room to spread out and do laundry, and room to let Jessica fall asleep first and not be disturbed by our chatting with fellow travelers.  Ken was surprised when a group that was on Yakushima Island with him came in.  They invited us for beer, or tea, or water, or soybeans, or whatever, down in the gathering room, and we went and laughed at each others` stories for a couple of hours before turning in.  We like the youth hostel scene.  While it is community-based, and NOT like a resort, there is all you need, at a fraction of the cost, and there are usually really interesting people touring the same area.  Inevitably we will chat with someone, and they will have a map of the place we are going next that they will copy or give to you, and we can do the same also.  I have saved a HECK of a lot of time and money avoiding �gwaste of time�h places because of the information that I gained from people at youth hostels.  Not to mention that talking to travelers gives you the upper hand on great places to visit that AREN`T on the tour.  Case in point.  We have been hankering for something mildly resembling a taco since we arrived here.  Do you remember Danielle Dombrowski, the student at Methodist who lived with us for a few weeks before her graduation last year?  Well, Danielle sent me some packets of taco seasoning by mail a few weeks back, and we have been using it very sparingly and enjoying it immensely.  Mexican food is just not popular here so it is pretty much nonexistent.  A traveler gave us a map to a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Beppu where an ANCIENT couple still hand-rolls the tortillas and makes it all right there in front of you.  This is the place we had lunch on Saturday.  It was delicious.  Of course, it was REALLY slow, and the smells coming from the kitchen area were causing us to restrain each other for fear that we would consume the tablecloths.  After doing the math and looking at the pictures on the walls of the restaurant, the gentleman who made our tacos must be in his 90s.  Incredible.
BEFORE lunch, we went to hell.  Literally, we went to four different hells.  I am not being cute or anything like that?we visited several of the Beppu �gjigoku�h. Jigoku is the Japanese word for �ghell�h, and they are called this because several of these places are the epitome of the Buddhist concept of hell.  For the record, some of the hells were pretty heavenly.  Some of them, that we opted not to visit, were just downright weird, and some were really just amazing.  All of them were pretty darned hot, though.  The first stop was Umi Jigoku, called the Sea Hell because the water is a bright blue.  There is a cobalt deposit nearby, and the water comes bubbling out of the Earth with such force that the deposit dissolves into the waters and swirls around?but it is not a deep dark blue like the cobalt blue glass that we picture when we hear the word cobalt?the color is�cI am trying to think of something about that color�cabout the same color (sorry) as the container for Secret Deodorant�c�hstrong enough for a man, but made for a woman�c�h  So imagine that color of light blue water everywhere you look, and giant clouds of steam rising from water that is over 230 degrees Fahrenheit.  Now put into the picture thousands of tropical plants and vines blooming with every color of the rainbow, and black granite stones and moss and ferns everywhere.  Now insert a pool of fresh water brimming with the biggest lotus blossoms you have ever seen.  This is the Sea Hell.  It is pretty amazing.  The next stop was Oniyama Jigoku, called the Mountain Devil Hell because it is a breeding ground for crocodiles.  Yes, crocodiles living in the mountains of Japan.  There is a large brown pool rioting near a pen where about 50 crocs and gators are living, and they are none too happy about being on display.  In fact, it could be said that they are generally very ill-tempered.  We saw a couple of scraps between some of the larger ones, the bullies I guess.  They have two sets of eyelids, and we were able to see the eyes blinking really close, which was fascinating, and even �gMiss Cool Thang�h, i.e. Jessica, thought that it was a really neat thing to see in person.  Then, it was on to Chinoike Jigoku, called the �gBloody Hell Pond�h because it is gurgling up through red clay deposits?just chock full of ferrous oxide, and the whole boiling lake looks like a huge pond of tomato soup.  What I thought was so funny was that every piece of information we got assured us that it was not, let them repeat, NOT blood that turned the water red.  I guess it is to reassure the kids that it isn`t blood, especially those kids who had older siblings who tried to convince them that it was red because it was the place in Japan where parents threw away their disobedient children and that it was completely legal to do that, and that �gMom and Dad obviously brought us here to get rid of you.  Why ELSE would they come all the way to Japan?�h  Well, thanks to those brochures, now the kids will know the truth about the Bloody Hell Pond?that there is an underground deposit of Heinz Ketchup down there somewhere.
The last stop on the hell tour was Tatsumaki Jigoku, the Geyser Hell, which is aptly named because there is a geyser there, go figure.  We waited and watched the clock, and right on time the thing started shooting water out of the ground.  It does that every 25 minutes, and lasts for 5 minutes every time.  Very efficient?exactly two shows an hour, as described in Dave Barry`s book about Japan.  The top is all protected with rocks to keep it from getting out of hand, but the information stated that it will shoot higher than 60 feet in the air.  Wow.  I believe it.  It was pretty cool to see it.
After we escaped from hell, we went to eat Mexican Food.  Some of you might argue that it was trading one hell for another.  Hee hee hee!  Okay, enough of the hell jokes.  The food, as I said before, was delicious, and then we made our way back to the station and caught the bus back to the youth hostel area.  Right around the corner from us is an INDOOR WATER PARK called Acquabeat.  We brought our suits, of course, and we had our towels and stuff, and so this was the perfect way to end the vacation.  We spent about 6 hours there, floating in the wave pool, riding the lazy river under the waterfalls, and soaking in the jacuzzi tubs outside with views of the nearby mountain, Tsurumi-yama.  But the highlight of the day was riding the waterslides.  Jessica`s first watersliding, and although she was nervous, after the first ride she was hooked.  She went up those stairs and down the tubes for the rest of the day.  She also made a friend, who we also introduced to the wonders of watersliding, who was about her same age.  After a few minutes, I had the following conversation with Jessica.
Me: �gJessica, what is your friend`s name?�h
J: �gI think she told me her name.�h
Me: �g�cweeellllllll�cWhat IS her name?�h
J: �gI think she told it to me.�h
Me: �gYes, What is it?�h
J: �gI don�ft know.�h
Me: �gYou might want to ask her again.�h
J: (to her friend)�hNamae wa nani desu ka?�h
Ai: �gAi.�h (sounds like �geye�h)
J: �gAi.�h
Ai: �gHai.�h (sounds like �ghi�h, means �gyes�h)
Me: �gHai.�h
J: (to me) �gNo, Mom?Ai.�h
Me: �gOh. Ai.�h
Ai and J: (together) �gHai.�h
Me: �gHi Ai!�h
J: �gWatashi wa Jessica desu.�h
Ai: �gHai.�h
Now everyone nods, and Ken just laughs.  The first ride down each slide was harrowing for Jessica and Ai, but by the time we reached the bottom of the slide, they were paddling to get out and trying NOT to run up the stairs to do it all again.  I was happy that she had someone to slide with.  It was great fun, and I especially liked the fact that it was all indoors?no sunburn or sunscreen or sunglasses or T-shirts in the pool!  The waters are chlorinated, but they are the natural spring waters that come right out of the mountain so they are perfectly warm and the whole place is ventilated so it is not cold in there in the least.  It was heavenly.  I guess you could say that we went from hell to heaven today by way of Mexico.  It has been a very busy day.
The next day, we headed for home after catching breakfast in the train station at �gThe Little Mermaid�h which is a chain of pastry shops here in Japan.  I didn�ft know that they had ovens or bake shops under the sea, and the whole place does NOT have a Disney-esque theme to it, and it is not particularly Hans Christian Anderson-ny either, so I have yet to figure out the reason for the name.  Either way?a custard kruller is still a custard kruller.  I have decided that since I couldn`t read the kanji telling me how fattening that thing was, that it must not have been fattening at all.  What I don�ft know won`t hurt me, right?  (sigh�c)  The trip home was relatively uneventful?we were in Himeji by bullet train by about 2 p.m. and got home around 5 p.m.  We even had time to go to the grocery and do a load of clothes before time to go to bed to start the week again.
Thank you for letting me share all that we did with you.  It has been fun writing about it.  This is the last of it, and I have no idea when I will have even a fraction of this much news again, but I will keep you posted.  Okay.  I have filled your boxes now for four straight days.  It is your turn.  Please let me hear from you.  Love and other various mushy stuff from all of us to all of you?Lynley