Amanda and Robert

Well, here is our last blog entry from Japan. We dont many pictures as we have packed the camera. We left our hotel and are now in another hostel but still in Asakusa, Tokyo. We went shopping for all the souvineers and trinkets today. I broke down bought a PSP from the Sony store in Akihabara, tax free and taking as much advantage of the Yen to Dollar as I could. We then came back and passed out in our room. It's weird because we are eager to go back home but at the same time we wish we could stay. Japan has been great but the U.S. is still where our home is. Now to get back to Irvine and to driving in traffic, studying for exams, In-and-Out, back to jiu jitsu and working out ... read more

Our last day in Nikko was interesting. We awoke at 6:45 to get to the yoga lesson put on by the monk and eat breakfast at 8. The yoga lesson was interesting. We did a few things that I have done before and a few I had never seen, nothing too exciting just a bunch of stretching. Then near the end we did some kind of meditation thing, and the monk did a few oooommmmmmmm’s and said a prayer. It was a little awkward but relaxing none the less. After that we showered, had breakfast, and went off to see the sights. We had planned to see this Edo era village thing but it turned out to be a big tourist trap so we skipped it and decided to just walk around and see the shops ... read more

So the thing about being on vacation for an extended period of time like this is that the days tend to run together and you lose track of what day it is! I believe that our last entry was made yesterday while we were still in Shinjuku (a district of Tokyo). We are in Asakusa again today, leaving for Nikko. Backtrack to a few days ago...we parted ways with my family once my dad and brother arrived here in Japan. Before going to the airport to pick them up we stopped at a little manjoo shop (manjoo is like a little cake that usually has sweet bean filling, but this shop is special in that they have like 15 different flavors such as chestnut, chocolate, cream, etc.). These little cakes aren't so little either and Robert ... read more

Hi! It's been a couple days since we have had a chance to update since internet has been hard to come by. The following will cover the days leading up to going back to my grandma's in Yachimata. I believe we left off at our first day in Kyoto - we took a short train ride to Nara, a neighboring city known for it's ancient temples and deer park. Robert says that the deer there are very small compared to those in Wisconsin although they are the same whitetail deer. Even though they aren't very big, there's something a bit unsettling about having a deer come charging at you because it thinks you've got food for them! The next day we took a trip to Toba where the Mikimoto pearl island is. My mom had been ... read more

We are finally on our own, alive and doing well. Were in a dorm room at some hostel in Shinjuku. We will have a full entry with details from the last few days shortly.... read more

So the past 48 hours have been quite an adventure. To sum it up: No sleep, freezing wind, blindly climbing through clouds, rock climbing, still no sleep, the best moment of my life, then harsh sun, volcanic ash, slippery rocks, missing the last shinkansen to our next planned destination, trying our luck in Kyoto, realizing all the hostels and hotels are booked, coming to terms with sleeping in the train station, and then finally finding a vacant hotel room and a hot shower and SLEEP! Climbing Mt. Fuji was a really cool experience, although it got a lot colder than we expected. And the last 100 meters of elevation had very strong gusts of icy wind. The kind that you have to crouch down and brace yourself or get blown away. There were a lot of ... read more

Hi everyone! We've finally found some internet here in Kyoto. Just wanted to let you know that we made it down Mt/ Fuji safely after climbing up to the summit yesterday morning. We have plenty of pictures which well post tonight once were in the hostel....and we also have a surprise for everyone, but youll just have to wait for the pictures!! Amanda, Robert & Mommy... read more

So as we are coming to the end of the third day of our trip we are finally getting used to the time difference but have yet to get used to all of the WALKING! It's especially strenuous because it's about 85 degrees with almost 100% humidity in the air so your skin feels moist and sticky all of the time. This morning we went to the Tskuji fish market; although a little later than before so we missed the fish auction (we arrived around 7:30 am). My mom was in heaven! She was talking to every fish monger in sight and asking them all sorts of questions about their goods and about the area. She had never been to Tsukuji all her life! We had a huge sushi breakfast and of course my was talking ... read more