In Sapporo we: saw the largest Shinto shrine in Hokkaido (northern island), saw a car being blessed, had traditional foods made by Yuki's mom, Tomoko, saw taiko drumming, went to the Olympic ski jump, went to Sapporo beer museum, went to Maruyama zoo, went to the local fish market, went to the beer gardens often, went to Nakajima park, ate yakitori.

In Kyoto we: stayed at a ryokan (traditional Japanese guesthouse), used public bath (naked hot tub split by gender), went to Arashiyama and visited Tenryuji Temple and Sagano bamboo grove, visited Jojakoji Temple and Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple, had octopus-only dinner, and went on Higashiyama walk and saw various temples including the big Buddha.

In Tokyo we: went to a Yomiuri Giants vs. Hanshin Tigers baseball game (like Yankees vs. Red Socks), saw the oldest temple in Tokyo (by accident), saw a 360 degree city view at the Tokyo Tower, went to an aquarium, went to the busiest intersection on the planet (in Shibuya), went to the busiest train station on the planet (Shinjuku), went on a bonsai garden tour and met the master of all bonsai masters (odd, we know, but very cool), participated in a traditional tea ceremony (like in the karate kid - not sure if it's part 1 or 2), had awesome tempura and soba noodles, ate heart, liver, and intestines, drank with Uno at the Champion bar in the Golden Gai area of Shinjuku, and slept in a 4 by 8 foot hostel room…in bunk beds…for three days.

When in Japan, one must: be polite/use polite language, always take shoes off before entering someone's home, be pretty quiet most of the time, bow to others (slightly - not like stretching your hamstrings), slurp your noodles, use hashi (chopsticks) to eat, drive on the opposite side of the road, drink tea instead of soda, drink lots of Japanese beer especially after work, try as much "weird" food as you can handle, use wash toilet (most advanced toilets in world), avoid Japanese toilet (porcelain hole in the ground), eat nori and other types of seaweed all day long, eat rice, miso soup, and fish for breakfast, say "itadakimas" before eating, say "kum pai" when drinking, eat yakitori, carry a fan, umbrella, and towel to cool yourself off in the heat, use tissues as napkins (they don't use paper towels or napkins), separate trash into 5 categories before throwing away, search to find trash cans (very few places to throw garbage away for some reason), watch out for the vicious crows, go to Bic Camera (Best Buy has nothing on this place), and try Mister Donut (green tea donut).

Don't worry, Japan has everything we do; Starbucks and McDonalds were everywhere, and there was a KFC around the corner from our Sapporo place.

Japan is an awesome country! The pictures, videos, and descriptions we included don't do the country justice. To really experience this place one has to come here. Japanese culture revolves around its food, which has provided the strangest eating experiences we have ever had. There are more unique and sometimes scary textures and flavors here than you could imagine. Through wandering endless train stations and small alleys in all areas and at all times of the night, we can say that Japan is the safest place we have ever been to. The only thing keeping us from staying any longer is the price. We definitely hope to come back and visit all of the places we missed some day,

Tubber, Yuki, and Taisei (the Lopez family) - you guys made a huge difference in the way we experienced Japan. You gave us an insider's perspective on everything and made us feel at home. We really appreciate your generosity and hospitality. Thank you so much, we love you guys!

Another shout out to the hundreds of subway and train station workers who used their limited English to show us where we were, how to get places, how much fare we needed, which lines to take, which platforms to stand on, and how to work their ticket machines. We would've been helpless without all of you! Arigato!