Day 1 in Japan

Fabulous breakfast at the Hotel Nikki, very Asian.  Next was the bullet train to Kyoto. Easy and fast. Checked into the Royal Park Hotel. Great location right in the middle of the shopping district. Had a great dinner at a pancake restaurant near us that a friendly Japanese young man had told us about on the train called, Okonomiyaki Kiraku.  Looked for a pub mentioned in the guide book in the Pontocho area. Never found it but lovely pedestrian area to walk around.

Arrival at Narita

We arrived in Narita and William was approached by a Japanese TV station who asked to interview him. It is a show called, Why did you come to Japan? They were fascinated with the old folks doing such a long walk, 85 miles on the Nakasendo Way.  They want to go with us??

Checked into the Hotel Nikko Marita for a short rest before heading to Kyoto via the bullet train.  They have very complex toilets here.

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My friend Jeanne got me started on handwritten and hand-typed recipes.

We are on our way to China with our friends Bob & Ina. We are going to be meeting Patricia at the airport, Neil and Sharyn will already be there and Valerie comes later in the week! We have 3 weeks of touring planned including one week in Tibet. Facebook is blocked in China so I guess I'll have to use my blog instead. Last night was in Newark, N.J. We had a good meal at a Spanish restaurant and today a 13 hour and 40 minute flight over the north pole to Beijing. I'll keep you posted.

Packing for the Japan Nakasendo Way Trip