This was a great temple (if I only I could remember the name). It was located right down the street from the hotel I stayed at.

 I took a picture of this little restaurant in Kyoto. The menu was all Japanese, and no one could speak English. I still have no idea what it was I ate for dinner that night.

I met up with Mark and Masako at Shinjuku station early in the morning for our train ride up to the mountains. Our final destination this day would be about two hours away in Matsumoto, Japan. The train ride was nice and gave me a chance to see the beautiful country side (I also was able to sleep a little).

Upon arriving at Matsumoto, we walked a short 10 minutes to our hotel to drop off our bags; then it was off to “rent” some bikes. Actually, in many places in Japan, you can borrow a bike for free for the day. How cool is that? We jumped on our bike (I think they were all probably made in the 1950s, but they seemed work good), and we headed off to the Matsumoto Castle. With origins going back to 1504, Mastsumto Castle is one of the oldest and last remaining ancient castles in Japan. We were able to explore the entire structure, inside and out. Check out the mote around the castle (I’ve always wanted to see a real mote): 

The inside of the castle was dark with some places not having any windows or sources of light (must have been hard to find your way around back then. Even more interesting was the steepness of the stairs. The angle of the staircases was crazy steep and difficult to walk up or down. Apparently, this was done on purpose: Making it harder for the enemy to chase up after you.  

All around the castle were little box cut-outs where the castle defenders could shoot arrows, muskets, and other weapons out at any invaders.  

Following the castle, I jumped back on my bike and explored the town of Matsumoto while Mark and Masako went off to meet relatives in another area. I rode my bike all over the town, using the river that ran through the town as my landmark for where I was.

I made it down the river and got a great view of the distant mountains of Japan. Somewhere out there is Mt Fuji I believe. 

Later that night I enjoyed an amazing dinner with Mark, Masako and one of Mark’s dear old Japanese friends, and longtime resident of Matsumoto. Seriously the best Sushi I have ever had….and quite a lot of Sake with that as well. We ate, and ate and drank and drank and talked and talked (in English and Japanese) until late into the night.In the morning, as I was getting ready to head off to Kyoto, Mark’s friend gave me a package of chopsticks that were handmade by his 80-year-old father. He carves each and every stick, one at a time with his hands and a little knife. They are beautiful and I can’t wait to use them!Then, it was on the train and off to Kyoto…..    

On day 4 or 5, I arranged a free tour that is managed by the City of Tokyo. What a great deal. Basically, how it works is regular people from the community volunteer to show tourists around. My guides were two older people who were both born and raised in Tokyo; so they new their way around and knew their history of Japan. Although a little cold (it had rained a little the night before), it was still a beautiful day as we walked from the government buildings (where Mark, Masako and myself had been a few days prior), through Shinjuku station, past a Krispty Creme Donut shop (the original 1 of 3 shops in Tokyo), until we arrived at the famous Shinjuku Underground Department store. This is a department store that is apparently underground.  Once inside, the department store was enormous; very expressive both in size, as well as in how nice everything was organized and displayed. I had my chance to buy a $30 melon, but I was distracted by all the amazing seafood. It was great to speak with my guides. They both knew so much about the history of Japan and they shared many of their memories with me. 

Wow…I’m just recovering from New Year’s here in Phuket, about to jump on a plane back to Bangkok where I will likely head off to another part of northern Thailand.  While I’m here waiting for my plane, I need to catch up on my blogging! So, back to Japan…..on my 3rd day I jumped onto a tour that took me around different parts of Tokyo starting with the top of the World Trade Center building, where I could get yet another bird’s eye view of the city below.

We could get a great shot of the famous Tokyo Tower. Which, at 1,093 feet, is 43 feet taller than it’s counterpart in Paris: The Eiffel Tower.

Then, it was off to the National Diet Building. Completed in 1936, this building houses the Japanese House of Parliament.  Then to the Imperial Palace Plaza where the imperial family of Japan lives. This is known as the heart of Tokyo. Beautiful area:

From here we traveled to Tokyo’s oldest and most popular Buddhist temple, Asakusa Kannon. This temple is old! It was completed in 645 AD. Before you get to the temple itself, you cruise through a long narrow row of shops known as Nakamisi). There are vendors selling homemade food, souvenirs, crafts, etc. Too bad my only photo turned out so blurry….so many people:

 After making our way through Nakamisi, we arrived at the entrance to Asakusa Kannon temple.

Then, we got on a boat and traveled down the river until sun set. (Very nice). Finally arriving at the pier with a fantastic shot of Rainbow Bridge.

And then back on the bus and through the street to Shinjuku…..