Hi there again, Diana and Dave here in Kyoto,
Since we last sent an email we have been to Osaka, Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
We spent a wonderful two days in Nagasaki with friends of the family we were travelling with. They made us so welcome and took us on a tour of the the city and treated us to a traditional Japanese meal at their restaurant that evening. Our friend (Naomi) had not seen them for 25 years and she said it seemed like a few weeks ago, they got on so well. They did not speak any English but after a few local beers the language barriers were broken. It helped with Naomi being able to translate things we wanted to say to them too.
The city was very interesting and the bombing during the war is only a part of the history but a big part obviously so could not be overlooked. We went to the museum giving all the information about the atom bombing and showing pictures of the terrible event. That part of the tour then ends on a good note of hope by going to the beautiful peace park with a massive statue in the middle of it to remember the victims of the atom bombing. You could not believe such a thing had taken place as the city is such a lovely place.
It is a beautiful city on the coast surrounded by mountains and with a vibrant modern city. The Dutch and Portuguese influence and history was interesting too and something we did not know about beforehand. It was finally warm there (about 25 deg) which made a nice change.
We loved getting the bullet train down there to the south of the country, it is unbelievable how fast they travel!
From there we went to Hiroshima and one of the first things we saw was the A Dome which has turned in to a symbol of the city. It is one of the only buildings left standing after the bombing with a dome and ruins of the original building. We then went to the huge museum there which takes hours and gives you all the information about the bombing and lots of pictures and photos. You feel you have to see it all as it is a massive part of the city`s history but once a gain not the only part of it. It is a lovely vibrant city with lots of other interesting things there as well. The cherry blossoms are out in full force now so everywhere lovely with all the pink and white trees everywhere especially along the river side. You would not know anything had happened to the city as it is such a modern and vibrant place and has been totally rebuilt since August 1945. Even the old castle has been totally rebuilt and looks exactly like the original. We went out to an island nearby with lots of temples, shrines and views from a mountain we went up by cable car. We enjoyed barbecued oysters for lunch too there.
We had an evening in Osaka and saw all the bright lights of the city, it is a busy and big place like Tokyo.
We have just spent all day doing a day tour of Kyoto with our friends and went to lots more temples and shrines. Dave and I were most impressed with the beautiful peaceful gardens which are looking their best with the blossom out in full force.
We had an evening in Osaka and saw all the bright lights of the city, it is a busy and big place like Tokyo all lit up at night with busy shops and restaurants and people everywhere.
Sadly we have had to say goodbye to our friends as they are off to Tokyo tomorrow and Tokyo Disneyland for two days for the children. We have two more days before we fly out to the UK on Tuesday arriving late in the evening. We have just got a taxi to our hotel but got dropped off at the wrong hotel but luckily had it all written down in Japanese so we managed to get another taxi to the right place. We don't have our Japanese interpreter and tour guide any more and did not know there were two hotels near to each other called Super Hotel!
We have tickets for the Liverpool v West Ham game on Monday 19th evening so Dave is very excited about that oh and there is small matter of my Mum`s 80th birthday next weekend too!
We have had some of the most amazing meals recently some of the best food we have ever had, this place is a gastronomic delight and most of it seem quite healthy.
Dave is in the onsen (bath) at the moment. It is males only this time of night and opens for females only in the morning and early evening so I may have a dip tomorrow. I find them too hot actually but Dave really likes them. You certainly feel really clean afterwards they are at about 44 degrees.
Oh they have turned all the lights out here now so I suppose that means they want me to leave the internet area now.
Sayonara
ta ra
Diana
