Konnichi wa, and welcome to Japan. I haven't actually left yet- the trip dates are June 29 - July 16, but I wanted to get the blog up and running. I'll post information and pictures as time and computer access allow. I hear they have some familiarity with computers and electronics in Japan,so I should be able to put in something between bites of sushi. Here's our basic itinerary:
June 30 - July 4: Sapporo at the Hotel Okura. Sapporo is the biggest city on the
northernmost island, Hokkaido. The Winter Olympics were held here in 1972. While here we'll see all the sights, learn about the Ainu people, and spend a night with a Japanese host family.
July 5 - July 8: Tokyo at the Shiba Park Hotel. We may do a little shopping, catch a ballgame, and take a trip to the Buddha of Kamakura.
July 9 - July 10: Hiroshima at the Aster Plaza Hotel. We'll visit the Peace Park hear survivors stories of the atomic bomb.
July 11 - July 16: Kyoto at the Maifukan Ryokan. A ryokan is a traditional inn, so we'll be sleeping on futons and sipping lots of tea. Kyoto, which served as the capital until 1868, is famous for its many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.
That's enough for now. If I don't make many updates, its due to one of the following:
1. The computer won't work.
2. I won't work.
3. I've committed a grave social error (forgot to bow, had holes in my socks...) and was I deported.
