First and foremost, I thank the Lord for this wonderful blessing of being able to travel again. I was able to go back to a place I have come to love, the land of the rising sun...a land of friendly trendy fashionable people, a land of uber- expensive train rides (220 yen for 15 min 6 station away ride and 2400 yen for a one hour bus ride), a land of a lot of elderly citizens, a land of the shinkansens, a land of the most vending machines, a land of sushi and ramen, Nippon.
man walking his dogs in Mino Park, Osaka
It is also a land recently struck by a horrifying catastrophe that only affirmed the tenacity and dignity of its people.
Landing in KIX again almost brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it is disbelief that I am able to step foot again on this place combined with a feeling of gratefulness for this blessing of being able to go back to Japan again.
Nippon for the second time around is sweeter like a wonderful melody to my heart, with koyo colors to highlight an already beautiful landscape.
This trip has so many highlights but I have to pick the top 10.
1. Staying in a minsyuku in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture
2. Onsen in Fuji-kawaguchiko and Shirakawa-go
3. Seeing the A-dome in Hiroshima almost made me cry
4. Seeing Fuji-san for the first time in Shizouka while riding the shinkansen
5. Hitch-hiking in Lake Kawaguchiko
6. Experiencing couchsurfing hospitality Nagoya and Kanazawa
7. Walking through the streets of traditional merchant houses in the old geisha district of Kanazawa (for me these streets are better than touristy ones in Kyoto and Takayama)
8. Most scenic train ride from Nagoya to Takayama (rivers amid wonderful koyo colors)
9. Walking on the sand dunes of Tottori
10. Enjoying the autumn colors from the top of the main tower of Osaka Castle
Oh, and one additional highlight is our attempt to capture Geishas and Maikos in action. However they walk so fast and try to avoid people as they transfer from one restaurant to another. So, all Anne and I, got were blurred pictures plus a pocket full of stories to tell of the experience.
4 comments:
naku, hirap makarelate..... pictures please! -- grace
Koko! Sige para sa yo mag-uupload ako ng sang katutak na pictures. Uwi ka ba this weekend?
y giting? kelan tayo kokota ulit? madami akong pictures and videos na ipapakita din sa yo, as in inayos ko sya nix, major project! bat ang daming "said" dito sa blog mo? (said munir?) anong gusto mong gift this xmas? ---- kokokoko
i'm relatively free the next few days, so puedeng kumota. giting is daga in Hiligaynon. wow finally buo na ang pictures ng European tour? sige i set na natin yan.
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