D MJ Binkley's Guestbook

How I loved the noodle soup
I absolutely loved the noodle soup and most of the other food in Japan. It surprised us that the food was so cheap. We only stayed in Kyoto one day. It would have been nice to have been able to spend more time there. But our Japan vacation was short and we wanted to visit several places and then we could not linger for too long at any one place. /Ake

Tokyo
Ah, the memories! I loved reading this blog. Tokyo is just the perfect city - seriously urban, but seriously functional, clean and safe! I'm so glad to read you had a great time there! I'm also really glad to read that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building also worked well for you guys, and you got to see Mt Fuji from up there! Amazing, and very rare apparently. Sorry to hear that you didn't get to see the cherry blossoms, but snow monkeys, Mt Fuji and baseball games can certainly be ticked off your list. I think I would have been dozing too during the Kabuki Theatre performance. I just loved the Japanese bentos, and those fantastic "combini" stores! Great blog! 😁

South Korea
It is indeed terrible when you get sick on holidays - Issy's only had COVID twice, once in Greece and once in Canada! I think I'd read somewhere about the route between Seoul and some little island I'd never heard of was one of the world's busiest. Must be busy in season!

Sumo
Fun fact about sumo wrestlers: The long stiff strings at the front of the wrestler's belt are called sagari, and they mark the only places on a wrestler's body that his opponent is not allowed to grab, namely the groin. There can be any number of sagari from 13 to 25, but it is always an odd number.

Only went to Hiroshima
When we were in Japan we went to Hiroshima but skipped Nagasaki. It sounds from your blog entry that we should visit Nagasaki next time we go there. /Ake

Living the Dream
Yes indeed, these monkeys are living the dream! Good for them! So glad you got to see them, I remember this being on your bucket list! Wonderful that you got some snow to add to the atmosphere, and well done for taking the slippery walk slowly! Fair enough, you've tried sake, and know it's not for you. Always good to try I say! I sensed your eagerness and excitement in getting to see the snow monkeys - wonderful 😁

Yum!
I think I agree with Anthony Bourdain on this one. The variety is impressive. What a great trip!

Much history and culture
We have really just barely scratched the surface of what Japan has to offer. It is a densely populated country that has a very long rich history. I suppose that there are thousands of places throughout the country worth visiting. /Ake

Totally understand why you wanted to go see the snow monkeys
I have seen many pictures of the snow monkeys and I have also felt that I would like to see them. So I totally understand why you went there now that you had the chance. Good for you that they were still there although it was late in the season.