Out of every place in the entire world, Brayland chose Japan as his big trip. He has felt a draw for the last couple of years to Japan. When asked what he wanted to do while there he simply said experience the culture and see the Cherry Blossoms. Every day throughout the week, including after the first day, he said he could go home feeling his goals were satisfied.
Brayland ate a fist on a stick! He'll never do it again. 
Our seats got upgraded! The first scheduled flight to Japan got canceled because the plane was waiting to undergo some mechanic stuff. Everything was rescheduled for 7 am the next morning, and then that one was canceled because a crew driver ran into the plane. Brian couldn't be at that same airport anymore. He got us a little closer with a flight to LA. For all this hassle, Delta gave us so much money to spend at the airports, two hotel rooms each night, and upgraded our seats to SPACIOUS.
Breakfast. Most places to eat in the city are narrow with few seats. Kinda set up like a bar; seating around the outside of the work space. Rice came with every meal in Japan, of course.
Brian lead the way to the Toyko Temple. We explored the building next door with four floors. It housed the mission office and everything else a normal suburban chapel would have.
We found our first blossoms! People had blankets set on the dirt, I mean grass, I mean...I wouldn't want to relax in the grass/dirt, but hey. It was gorgeous. As we walked around the lake we found STREET FOOD!
This thing had liked cabbage in the middle. We bought spiraled potato fried on a stick, corn on a stick, and these yummy bread molded into fish and filled with four different creams.
Our day trip to look at Mount Fuji from afar.
The sign challenged us to hold our hand in the water for 30 seconds. It was a bit cold.
The neon green plant was flowing with a current.
Japanese lunchables, their convenient food in most 7 Elevens and train stations.
Pickled onion
We had to go through the Tenyru-Ji Shrine in the Arashiyama area to get to the Bamboo Forest. The landscape and plants were pleasant and astonishing.
We have entered the bamboo forest.
Someone's front door.
Iwatayama Monkey Park. Just a small little hike up a hill and we were part of a monkey camp.
We ended the evening in this small restaurant known for good sushi. We sat on raised platforms, legs crossed, with the short tables. In one area, we saw through a window a group of men in ties and slacks working at their "desk" in the traditional short table and sitting style. How uncomfortable.
We are now in Miyajima. With high tide, the Grand Tori gate appears to be floating.
Hiroshima
Japanese call this the A-Bomb Dome. i think. I was a structure that survived the atomic bomb even though it was so close to the center of explosion. We learned the bomb went off above the ground.
Eating the Famous Okonomiyaki
On Friday, March 24th, we to Fushimi Inari Shrine.
As I walked in the back of our line throughout Osaka I couldn't help but notice that everyone wore trench coats and dressed up their dog.
Comments