Kyoto

Ah the beautiful Kyoto!  Riding the bullet train (and it is fast!) I fortunately saw Mt. Fuji - a rare sighting as most people say it's hidden behind low clouds.

Magnificent Mt. Fuji

Bullet Train

Our hotel in Kyoto was really far out in the suburbs, so we put our suitcases in lockers and went to explore Kyoto.  It was a perfect day and so many people were dressed in kimonos.  We stumbled upon Pontocho Alley - Pontocho Alley, is lined with traditional shops and restaurants, and no cars, modern buildings or gaudy signs are allowed.  We found a great Kobe steak and wine restaurant.  In the evenings, it is famous for full on geishas (however we didn't see any). 
Pontocho Alley is parallel to the river which I walked along taking photos of all the girls in their colorful kimonos. 

We also went on a half day tour to see 3 temples. The Heian Shrine, one of Japan's largest torii gate.  The Sanjusangeno Temple (a Buddhist Temple) was the most interesting but we were not allowed to take photos.  It has 1,001 slightly different armed statues of the goddess of mercy, Kannon.  

The last temple we visited was Kiyomizu-dera on Mt. Otowa.  Most of it was behind scaffolding but the most impressive part was the veranda which is 13 meters tall and was built without nails. 

Tokyo - Hakone

Tokyo is a HUGE city!  We only had about a day here so hit some of the tourist spots, such as, Senso-ji Temple.   It is the oldest temple in Tokyo.   We saw many Japanese girls in kimonos.  Men pulling rickshaws and local and tourists enjoying the markets and Cherry Blossom themed foods and souvenirs.

famous paper lantern

Senso-ji Temple

We also went to the Tokyo National Museum.

The next day we took a train (or a few trains) to Hakone.    There wasn't a lot to do/see in Hakone.   We took a bus to Ashinoko Lake and rode a boat around it.  The lake is over 3,000 years old. Boy it was cold on the boat. 

However I did warm up in the evening as I tried out our hotel's onsen.  Fortunately I met a lady who helped me out with the dos and don'ts of onsens.  Onsens are Japanese bath houses where you enter the bath areas completely naked.   Friendly advise - Onsen Basics

Japan - Tokyo - March 2017

Well, I finally made it to Japan.  It had been on my Bucket List for a while.  With my good friends moving there this fall, this inspired me to finally go.

Japan, a beautiful country, polite and gracious people and delicious food.

To take away the time to research hotels and transportation, I chose a self-guided tour which took care of the latter things.  The initial contact was through www.tourradar.com which then sub-contracted it to Bamba Experience - www.bambaexperience.com  Tour called Japan Highlight 8D/7N.

We explored Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka on the tour and ended visiting Miah and Dwain outside of Tokyo.

Since we booked the trip quite late, our hotel accommodations were further from the train stations than I would have liked but it was peak season as it was Cherry Blossom Season.  Plus the directions which were given on how to get from the train stations to the hotel were quite clear and direct.