Our first day in Kyoto has shown us that there is much, much more to Japan than just Tokyo. Kyoto has a very laid back feel and it's steeped in history so there was lots of exploring to do. Junko, our guide, met us at the hotel and took us to our first temple of the day. Kyoto has a whopping 1400 temples and shrines according to our taxi driver yesterday and everywhere you turn you bump into one! The temples we visited today had beautiful buildings and even lovelier gardens - very tranquil and calming. We also visited Gion, an [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well it is with a heavy heart that we left Tokyo today but the journey continues. We boarded another bullet train this morning and in a matter of just over two and a half hours we arrived in Kyoto. Having left Tokyo on the quietest day of the week, we were surprised to find Kyoto station an absolute hive of activity. We had planned to catch a bus to our next hotel but after taking one look at the queue and another at our luggage, we quickly decided that a taxi was in order! We are now in a small guesthouse [View Full Entry]

---

---

Just a quick blog today to fill you in on what we've been up to. Yesterday we decided to have a bit of a lie-in and rest our tired, aching legs. When we got the energy to head out, we had intended to visit Ueno park which is not far from the hotel. As it turned out, we finally uncovered the location of the Sega Joypolis theme park and before you can say sayonara we were on the metro again heading to Obeida where we were on Monday. Joypolis isn't quite as exciting as it sounds but there were lots of [View Full Entry]

---

---

Our first excursion out of Tokyo turned out to be more of a success than either of us imagined. in Tokyo we are very lucky with the amount of english around including announcements in English on the trains and metro. Wboth thought we have more trouble out of town but it turned out to be relatively easy. Today's adventure was to hakone, about 2 hours from Tokyo. We got to ride on the bullet train twice, which was very, very cool. It really is a super-fast train that goes at an incredible 180 mph. We kept trying to take photos as [View Full Entry]

---

---

Kamarura is a popular seaside resort just a train ride or two away from the capital. Today we were lucky enough to see our new friend Mako again, who took us on a wonderful tour of the area. First stop was the giant bronze Buddha which is from 1286 I think. The best bit about the visit here wasn't the staute but all the school kids who were there for a day out. I was surprised to learn that the girls really do all wear sailor type uniforms to school! It wasn't long before their curiosity got the better of them [View Full Entry]

---

---

more pics for you :) [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today was a bit more of a chilled out day and with no guide to show us the way this time, we jumped on the train and headed for Electric Street. This is another vibrant, busy quarter of Tokyo where the people crowd the streets, touts invite you into the many, many pachinko parlours and you gaze in awe at the sheer number of neon signs that you can't understand. We mooched around various shops, trying not to buy anything as we don't have the budget for it and, more importantly, don't have any room in our packs! Once of the [View Full Entry]

---

---

This is just a selection of pictures from our first day.... [View Full Entry]

---

---

Having spent the last 2 days travelling, we donned our best walking shoes and hit the streets of Tokyo. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast at Johnathan's cafe just up the road with our guide, Mako. They say that the Japanese are a reserved bunch but since meeting Mako, our extremely fun and friendly guide, it's fair to say that she is the exception to the rule! What a stroke of luck. We hit it off straight away and before long, she was whizzing us through Tokyo and showing us just what a wonderful city it is. She first [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's been a long time coming but we finally made it! our journey started at 7am Saturday in Birmingham and we arrived 3pm sunday (local time). how's that for an epic first leg? the flight was pretty good and the British Airways staff were superb. We got bumped up twice on our seat reservations and both ended up with extra legroom. there was a lady with a baby due to be sat next to us but as the flight wasn't full, the stewardess moved her back a few rows where she would have more room and we ended up with 3 [View Full Entry]

---

---