Here, in no particular order (probably!) is my Top Ten List for Japan. 10) Toilets - the most multi-tasking toi-toi'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 was a little different & some had super special functions. 9) Taxis - self-opening doors, super clean interiors, knowledgeable (but silent) cabbies & no tips! 8) Trains - I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere. By train. With EASE. 'Nuf said. 7) Shops - All over the place, all kinds of stuff. No shoes in my size & very few clothes (but there were some, dagnab it!), but they ... read more

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 what I want to do on my next trip to Japan... So, today, we decided to go to Hakone for the morning. This is a national park about 70 minutes by train from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, outdoor activities, natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji, Hakone is one of the most popular destinations among Japanese ... read more

13 Sep 08 Today we made it back to Tokyo. I'm quite relieved, actually. It was fun traveling around, but we kind of jam-packed 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 me up, but Rachel slept through. Another call from Takako, so I woke Rach. After that, we were both awake, darn it! :) Our plan was to take the 5:30 train to Tokyo. For some reason, Samia had made plans to meet Alice at 4:30. I don't remember agreeing to this (as Alice hasn't been a part of our trip otherwise) ... read more

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, which can't be said of many places in Japan. More a large town than a city, we were able to explore most of it by foot. We took the JR from Kyoto. Now that our passes are active, they are amazingly easy to use. Some trains don't even require an individual ticket and we are able to simply walk through the entry gate ... read more

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, Jamaica, USA, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Spain and Germany. There might even have been more, but I didn't talk to everyone...gave it my best effort, though. Mostly it was spouses of nutritionists, but there were also a few nutritionists who were playing hooky from the conference. My girls said they were going, but when I got back it turns out ... read more