Sumida River, Tokyo. I think this was the main river running through Tokyo. I bet it would have been really stunning a few days later when the blossoms were out.
Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo. To get to this temple we walked through a huge gate (called Thunder Gate) which was actually the entrance to the temple's shopping street. It wasn't that long but there must have been about 60 million people with me in this little area. Nice little markets with lots of Japanese trinkets. Near the temple itself is a 5 story Pagoda which was pretty impressive, and the temple itself was quite beautiful.
Metropolitan Government Building, 45th floor, Tokyo. What a view!
Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo. We had a Chinese buffet for dinner at the Osiaba Mall which had a really beautiful view of the river, and in particular, the Rainbow Bridge.
Hakone Crafts and Art Centre. I loved Hakone. It was a really pretty little town on the way from Tokyo to Mt Fuji. This craft centre made decorated wood furniture and bits and pieces. Cameras weren't allowed so I couldn't get a photo of the gorgeous jewellery boxes, but I bought myself one!
Sulphar hills, Hakone area. There is a tourist spot to go and look at the steamy hills, caused by sulphar. The area is actually a volcano so is very famous for hot springs, and sulfurous fumes. They sell boiled eggs there that are BLACK - they are boiled in the hot springs and are meant to extend your life by 7 years! (Actually, most days Naomi (our guide) would be telling us about another Japanese tradition or belief that was meant to extend your life.)
Nishijin Textile Centre - kimonos and silk, Kyoto. Here we watched a kimono show, but better than that was the fantastic shop, museum and exhibitions we found upstairs. I could have spent a fortune here, not just on beautiful silk fabric, but all sorts of souvenirs. The exhibitions were interesting - the lady in the photo below was making crafty things out of the empty cocoons, and there was also a lady weaving silk. This was the only place Naomi had trouble getting us out of on time. Good shopping!
Golden Pavilion, Tokyo. This temple's top half is completely covered with gold. It looks a little yellow in the photo but was actually very shiny gold. It is surrounded by ponds and islands and gardens - very pretty. The photo of the little boy is just cute. He had found a stone seat just the right size and was so happy there, smiling away at everyone around him. We had a traditional tea ceremony here, more on that later.
Bullet train - Kyoto to Hiroshima. Ok, this isn't an actual tourist attraction but it was funny how excited we all were to go on the bullet train! It isn't the fastest train in the world anymore, but it used to be. Very comfy and quick.
To be continued...
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