Since Tokyo we've been to Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and have just arrived in Fukuoka. Kyoto and Nara were full of ancient temples, shrines, pagodas and a giant Buddha statue - all very impressive. We can't seem to escape the built-up, urban Japan though, it seems like the whole country is one big city. Riding the bullet train from place to place you never seem to actually leave the city. We can see empty mountains in the distance occassionally but the vastness of the sprall is just incredible.

Hiroshima was really interesting, there were lots of memorials and a very informative museum. The general vibe of the place was a (not surprisingly) peaceful and anti-atomic town. Also visited the Mazda factory here which has the longest assembly line in the world full of Japanese men working so fast it was a blur.

We're finding the Japanese people so kind and polite, especially the customer service you get at shops and restaurants, just not used to being bowed to at McDonalds. Managed to completely embarrass ourselves a few times by not understanding how to use busses or trams. We actually tried to get off a tram without paying yesterday and then dropped all our possessions under it's wheels, brilliant.

Booked our ferry ticket to South Korea for tomorrow afternoon, it'll take about 6 hours. Hope everyone's well and we'll update from Korea!

Matt and Katie x