Precautionary back stretches backfire and I'm immobile and in spasm. Not great, but nothing a handful of nurofen zavance and a hot shower can't alleviate. It does delay us by a couple of hours, but the inclement weather isn't motivating us either. Jules is folding the washing and finds a cherry blossom petal has found its way into the basket of clothes. Both of our airbnbs have had parks/playgrounds next door and each has had a CB. For 355 days of the year these trees are bare but we are blessed to be here while they are in full bloom. By 10.30 the kids are going a bit stir crazy in the confines of our Kyoto apartment and it's time to brave the elements. Thankfully previous guests have left their umbrellas behind. We rug up and ... read more

We catch the Thunderbird Shinkansen to Kyoto today. 260 kms in just over 2 hours. These trains are awesome! We saw the sights we wanted to see and then some, yet it feels like we leave Kanazawa too soon. Jules and Deaks went for a run along the Sai River before breakfast. It runs from the snow capped Mt Okura to the Sea of Japan. It is drizzling rain today, but they proudly kept up the tradition of running in foreign lands. The veiw from our 4th story airbnb isn't as dramatic as Tokyo but has it's own appeal. The rain overnight has left the dark shingles shining and the native trees look like bonsai among the power lines and antennae. The hum of the traffic pauses, pierced by the chirp...chirp chirp of the pedestrian walk ... read more

Did I mention that our hotel has a 20 meter tall Godzilla head pertruding from it's 8th floor? And that on the hour it roars, flashes coloured lights and sprays a mist over the balcony? Sooooo Japan! Tourists watch from the street below, but the locals walk by without a blink of the eye. There are so many people here. The city stretches to the horizon with high-rise hotels, skyscrapers and department stores. A panorama from our 26th floor hotel is ALL city! There are 13,000,000 people in Tokyo! That's half the population of Australia in one city! And Shinjuku station has so many JR, metros, suburban and shinkansen lines intersecting beneath it that it blows your mind. There is something like 40 platforms! We got crammed into the train to Harajuku yesterday, and it wasn't ... read more

After a couple of hectic weeks leading into our trip, the packing seemed to go relatively smoothly. We packed so efficiently that I was sure we were forgetting something, but so far, so good. And given the temps will range from 6' to 18' we packed pretty light - 30 kgs between the four of us. Ample space for a a touch of shopping. It's been nearly 14 years since Jules and I visited this crazy city and I'd forgotten how big and busy it is. If not for the bilingual announcements on the plane, it feels like any other domestic flight. And despite the length of the flight, the sanctuary of the familiar in-flight entertainment lulls you into a false sense of security. Once you pass through customs your hit with the complexity of the ... read more

We sleep in for the first time in weeks. The kids and I are winding down and Jules is getting there. We punish ourselves at breakfast again but we don't seem to be in such a rush to do stuff. We spend hours in the pool and we sample the PoolBar drinks menu. The Ausie kids show these Asian pretenders how to run amok in a pool this size and they amuse some of the other swimmers with thier unique use of a rashy and lead the other kids astray with jumping from rocks. I feel like I could lounge here for a while. Jules still isn't so sure. Our inherent sunsmart natures kick in and we head back to the air conditioning for a rest. We sneak in some lunch, but this time Jules and ... read more