A travel day today, with many (5) transfers...but got from Tsumago to Koyasan without any hitches, apart from deciding to have a lunch break near Shimimamiya in Osaka and not finding much to choose from. Now in our temple after a feed (vegetarian)and Japanese public bath. An early rise to go to the 6.30am service and fire ceremony. Koyasan seems like a nice way to finish or holiday, on top of a sacred mountain with over 100 buddhist temples.

A quick one tonight after a long day walking 10km across from Tsumago to Magome in the Kiso valley. We were going to cacth the bus across to Magome and walk back, the normal way to do this walk as it has less uphill... climb 200m then down 400m. But we waited for the early bus and then realised that there is no early bus t this time of year. Went back into Tsumago, found a coffee and then decided to walk to Magome. So off we set walking up and up to the pass, ...

Quick record of the last few days. Haven't been able to blog because we stayed in a modern hotel in Matsumoto and of course this meant that we couldn't get wifi access. But Matsumoto ended up another great part of the trip..the Castle on the first afternoon, out to a museum of block prints and a wasabe farm the next day, and a day trip to Kamikochi up in the mountins on our last day. Also tried soba noodles the first night followed by Italian Japanese style at...

A bit of exercise today cycling around Lake kawaguchi. Fujisan hid for most of the day, but we did get some good looks from our window at the beginning and end of the day, so I think we should consider ourselves lucky. Stopped for a picnic lunch and a coffee that took ages to come....another place run solo, so we had to wait for 2 orders of pizza and pasta to be made before our coffee was done...not into multiple tasking. A nice place to hang out anyhow (which...

Our last day in Tokyo was spent taking in sashimi at Tsukishima Markets, visiting the Omiya Bonsai Museum in the northern part of greater Tokyo and seeing the modern and traditional at Marunouchi - the Imperial Palace and afternoon tea on Nakadori Avenue. However the highlight was dinner at a Japanese restaurant down the road from Sawanoya Ryokan in Shinobazu Dori. Although we can't speak Japanese and the waitress and chef couldn't speak english, we ended up ha...