Japan Trip 11/14-11/27

Wow! That about sums up our trip to Japan. We spent nearly two weeks there staying with JT's uncle Isamu. This time around my parents tagged along with me, JT and Mako. We were due for a visit and figured we better get in another trip to Japan before we start having kids (whenever that might be). Even though the point of the trip was to visit family, we packed in a lot of sightseeing and mini-trips. For me, I think the highlight was visiting the mountain resort of Minikami and staying overnight in a Ryoken, a traditional Japanese-style hotel. This area is known for the onsen, which is natural hot spring water. My mom and I accompanied Mako and her sister Noriko to the bath - naked, of course. There was no way I was going to do the co-ed bathing experience. The womens only was scary enough. Once I got there and got in the water, it was no longer a big deal. We also stayed overnight at the Hilton Tokyo and had about a day and half to soak up as much of Tokyo as we could. We managed to fit in quick trips to the Imperial Palace, the Meiji Shrine, shopping and sightseeing in Ginza and Shibuya. This blog would be a book if I wrote about all the little experiences, so I think pictures do a better job of telling the story. My goal is complete a Japan book, similar to the one I did for our wedding. Check out our Japan 2007 pictures. There are over 200, but you can speed up the slideshow and click at your own pace. Happy viewing!