After the initial worry about our flight being overbooked, it turned out that it wasn't problem. Having been contacted twice by the airline to change to an earlier or later flight, I stuck to my guns and stayed with the same flight. There were about 150 Japanese school children returning to Japan on the flight, and we thought it was going to be very loud. As it turns out, they were all really well behaved and most of them just went to sleep after dinner Our arrival into Tokyo was pretty much on time, and the decision to take the Limousine bus was great. I chose a hotel that the bus dropped us at without having to take a train and then walk and get lost. Seriously, it was soooo easy! When the bus left each ... read more

After volunteering at the Sydney to Wollongong MS Bike ride, I headed down to the Nan Tien Temple to see what it was all about. I've driven past it many times for work, but never had the opportunity to actually go in and have a look around. The entrance gate is quite nice, with a very well kept landscaping around the driveway leading up to the shrines and other buildings. The gardens were well kept, and I just loved all the statues of the children! Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos inside the buildings, but they are well worth the trip. I hope you enjoy the photos I took when I was there........ read more

Well, our flights to and from Tokyo are booked and paid for, as well as our accommodation in Tokyo and Yokohama! It's getting real now! Only 5 weeks to go!!! Because I spent the time looking up all the info, we have got some really good prices, but some additional discounts and some vouchers to use later. The local travel agent is working to get us a good price on some day tours, plus a return trip to Kyoto on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train).... read more

Tomorrow my friend is coming over and we're going to sort out our Japan trip. We have already decided a few things.... We REALLY want to see Mt Fuji and Kyoto as well as Tokyo, and we will be going to the quilt fair in Yokohama too!! It's all becoming real now, which is great. It's the first trip I've looked forward to in years! I'm going to head up to the Blue Mountains on the weekend, so I might blog about that a bit.... I'll see how it goes. I'm still having problems with the maps.... I can't work out how to search for places!... read more