http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/rachaelrose/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from rachaelrose en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:43:44 +0000 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:43:44 +0000 Here in no particular order probably is my Top Ten List for Japan.10 Toilets the most multitasking toitoi's I've ever seen. They played music had seat warmers bidet function and even had a button for flushing sounds. Like don't waste water because you're bashful about being heard just hit the flushing sound. AWESOME Sad to say we had fun with toilets everywhere we went Each http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Seattle/blog-330853.html I said Narita where the airport is but technically I'm over the Pacific We just crossed the Int'l Date Line. So on my flight today I have left Narita at 530 p.m. on Tuesday Sept. 16th and I will land in Seattle at 1000 a.m. on Tuesday Sept. 16th. It's doing something funky to my brain.Rachel slept in a bit today. Check out was officially at 11 a.m. but you could buy extra time http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Chiba/Narita/blog-324414.html Our last full day in Japan. On one hand it's gone by in a blur. On the other I feel like we've been here forever Rachel and I were just discussing our ferris wheel ride and how it felt like it happened last year I don't really want to come home seriously I would probably stay here if I could speak the language but I'm ready for this particular trip to be over. I'm already planning http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kanagawa/Hakone/blog-324402.html Well I'm really tired but we had such a great day today I have to share It'll mostly be pictures but that's good too right Especially after my venting yesterday Today worked out just about perfectly...like it sometimes does after a storm. Maybe we were just in a place to be appreciative and happy At any rate Samia Alice decided to go to Kamakura. Rachel wasn't interested I alr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Ryogoku/blog-323507.html 13 Sep 08Today we made it back to Tokyo. I'm quite relieved actually. It was fun traveling around but we kind of jampacked our days here. It's nice to know there is no more logistical stuff coming. The airport jaunt will be quite enough thank you. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Let's start at the beginning of the day.Rachel and I slept in a bit today. An early call from Samia woke http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kyoto/Kyoto/blog-323148.html 12 Sept 08Today was another lazy day...to a point. It was overcast so the bright beautiful sun didn't have us up at the crack of dawn. Still the girls left early this morning to visit a school to check out the lunches' situation. By all accounts they had a lot of fun and the 3rd graders were so cute that Rachel wants to bring 10 of them back with her. I agree with the concept but boggle at th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kyoto/Kyoto/Gion/blog-322812.html One must take oneself to Nara so that one can see the largest Buddha in Japan housed in the largest wooden structure in Japan. To that end Samia Rachel and I set off for Nara another ancient capital of Japan. It was only the capital for about 70 years but it is considered the birthplace of Japanese civilization. Many temples and works of art dating from the 7th 8th centuries still survive http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Nara/Nara/blog-322557.html Ho ho ho. Another gorgeous day in Japan. Seriously we have had the most perfect weather imaginable Granted it's a bit hot but the sunshine is awesome. I'm getting a tan for goodness sake. Everything I read said this was the beginning of the rainy season but uhhuh. Dripping wsweat season maybe but no rain since the first day. This was another group tour day for me. Rachel's presen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kanagawa/Kamakura/blog-322423.html I traveled I got culture I spent money I made new friends I took a bazillion photos. I feel like I can come home now with a clear conscience. Well after Kyoto I guess.Today I went on a sponsored tour as part of the Int'l Dietetics Congress the reason we're here and ended up back in Tokyo. There were about 25 of us from at least eight countries. I talked to folks from England Ja http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Asakusa/blog-321487.html That's pretty much all there is to this post. Samia I checked out the World Porters Market I got a meat bun...finally. The girls were good conference attendees. Was feeling a bit iffy but I had a list of todo so I decided to charge onward...and then my camera died. I came back to the room to charge it and boom down I went wa crazy migraine. Haven't gotten one on vacation for a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kanagawa/Yokohama/blog-321478.html We got to the hotel okay. Took an hour and a half from the airport to the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka. We had an awesome room complete with yukata wet bar and bidet. We stashed our stuff and hit the streets for some dinner. We wandered for several blocks and found a ramen place. There was a super great obaasan who helped us figure out what to order how to order and where to sit. We were a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blog-320797.html I've rented a phone for the duration of our stay. Incoming calls are free but outgoing are 4 yen second. So I will be making short calls sparingly To call me dial 81 8034955378. So feel free to call. Just check your international rates the time differenceJa neRae http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Chiba/Narita/blog-320373.html Wee I made it to Japan. Crazily I left Seattle at 130 pm on Friday traveled for a straight 10 hours and landed at Narita at 330 pm on Saturday. Not once during our travels did it get dark outside.The plane ride was awesome It's the first time I've had real food on a plane since 1999 We got two hot meals plus snacks and tons of drinks. Lots of movie choices I could be as ADD as I want http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Chiba/Narita/blog-320355.html So I'm about to leave for Japan. My first Asian excursion I'm super excited for the trip to start. We have lots of fabulous things planned and I will take tons of pictures. Check back as often as you like...I'll try to update daily. We'll see how it goes http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Seattle/blog-319419.html