Kyoto

Hello

A lot's happened since　we arrived in Kyoto,　including　a typhoon... we were expecting a fair old storm but it was pretty disappointing,　we slept right through it (more like your average rainy day in Manchester)!!

Near Kyoto is Nara which is the historic capital of Japan. We had a good wander round and tried to avoid the deer who were desperately seeking more foody treats.　There were tonnes of temples all around that were pretty beautiful, but we seem completely immune to them　now, I think we've seen enough temples for a lifetime.

We went to Hiroshima yesterday which was a really sobering experience. The enormity of what happened there hit us as soon as we got off the train. A huge area of the city was devoted to a peace memorial　for the 140,000 people that died in the seconds after the explosion, and during the many years afterwards. The temperatures at the hypocentre reached 4,000 degrees celsius, temperatures high enough to melt roof tiles and even turn sand into glass. There are bombs in existence now that are over a thousand times more powerful than the one that was dropped on Hiroshima, a very scary thought.

Today was a very Japanese experience! We started off the day at the Manga museum, the Japanese form of comics. Lisa wasn't impressed, but Stuart seemed to enjoy the tour. We then took a walk around Kyoto and the historic towns...more Temples, but most exciting, 3 Geishas (well 2 were trainees, but they count!!). We finished off the day in super futuristic Osaka, the streets were like something out of the film, Blade runner. We headed to a rotating Sushi bar for some adventurous dinner, the food was great, and you could see the chefs making the sushi in the background. We didn't go as far as the raw squid and oysters though.

We're also making good use of our train pass for the bullet trains, our 12 minute journey to Osaka would have set us back 25 pounds per person each way without it!! Stu is very much enjoying the fast trains as you'll see by his longing look in the photo. They reach speeds of 300 km/h and look a bit like a ducks face at the front!

Still enjoying the excellent bathroom　facilities (they have heated seats, are self cleaning and have a discretion flushing noise!!)

Loads of love

Lisa and Stu

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