Oh Koyasan was beautiful and cold, freezing cold. We applied what we learned from camping and put our clothes to wear in the bedding to warm them up. Last night when we went to dinner, we came back to the room and the table with a heating element had been moved and two futon beds had been set up. We put our pjs under the bed to warm and then nodded off. The bathroom was down the hall and during the night one of our friends had a slipper faux pas with the bath...

Today was a day where we didn't get lost...as much. In part, we benefited from a hotel mixup where we didn't have to change hotels and could stay another day in the ryokan. Because we have gotten quite lost in this neighborhood, it is easier to stay on track. It can be tiring staying focused and the names on streets or subway stations as we shared can be similar - Gojo, Kujo, Nijo... But today we walked down to the market, got coffee and picked up a few thing...

After the morning toast, I began to reflect on the adventurous culinary experiences and thought... I'm good! So when we went out to dinner, Shauna ordered sushi set and I had the teriyaki set - that's right, not food I pretended was chicken but actual chicken (photos provided). Even when the man next to us lit up a cigarette, I still enjoyed consuming my meat and veggies knowing my Eileen Fisher sweater would have to go into detox thanks to Mr Puff-dragon. We ...

Today, we began with an American breakfast - eggs, ham, orange juice, toast, coffee and...salad. We were both pleased for different reasons! Contrary to the Nijo Castle, at the ryokan, space efficiency is key! We took a photo of the kitchen which can be found behind sliding doors, same with the bathroom and closet. We are plotting the next remodel project! After breakfast, we headed up to the Philosophers' Path which goes from Ginkakuji Temple to Nyakuoji Ji...

News flash - Last night we went out to eat meat...I mean sukiyaki where we cook meat and veggies at our table. We are still catching onto shoes - no shoes. I believe the rule is no shoes on hardwood or tatami - simple rule but easy to slip on (no pun). Communication challenges exist - we rely on pointing and nodding and eating what we get (re daikon bowl in day 2 Tokyo). At dinner, our server started by cracking a raw egg in each of our bowls. When we asked ...