Good thing Yumi and Hiraoki have two cars! Three kids, food, clothes, couple of sleeping bags, two Canadians (and their two pieces of luggage) and Mom & Dad!! No way we would have fit in one car!  
 Hiraoki had to go to work on Saturday morning and Natsuki had an 'Igo' (a Japanese traditional board game we call 'Go') competition so she arrived later with Dad and her friend that we'd met the day before. So that meant only five of us in the car with all the gear!
Off we went through the pass to Nyu-yamasemi Onsen north of the Kumano Kodo on the Nyuno River arriving during a monsoon like rainfall. I'm thinking.... eight kids and seven adults in two cabins in the rain!! That's when someone heard my plea and the sun came out. We had beautiful weather for the rest of that day and the next.  
 So nice to see the kids playing outside. The Onsen, situated on the river side, has a hand powered trolley 'chair' that everyone took a turn at. If you don't take the trolley then you have to walk across the bridge to get to the Onsen which is a bit out of the way.
I'm getting pretty good at being comfortable sitting in an onsen though it is strange to sit there with children (boys and girls) as well as women having casual conversations while sitting "au natural"! Boys up to 10 years old can go with Mom in the women's section of the onsen.... so strange. These little kids are not shy which makes me feel that perhaps we have it all wrong here in North America. I remember years ago we had a Japanese neighbour who shared with us that her job as a child was to get the fire going and heat water for the daily family bath. It is an ongoing traditional to spend time in conversation with the family. In a steamy room there is no place for cell phones or TVs. Imagine how different life would be if we turned off the 'toys' and spent time in honest, fun and friendly conversation.
Honest, fun and friendly conversation was a part of the next couple of days for sure. It was so nice to see Mayumi and family again. It was kind of funny the way Gosuke and Shota (both the same age and good friends) fought over our attention. All the kids wanted to try to speak with us and get to know us...play with us & laugh with us. It was kind of like a Canadian cabin experience on the river with a Japanese Onsen thrown in for good measure. We brought (among other gifts) marshmallows which we roasted over an open fire. A first time for many of our new friends. That sticky bag of sweet goo (sticky because it had survived in our luggage from Kelowna to Japan via Kathmandu and Bhutan!) was what we had for dessert after roasting hot dogs (yep more hot dogs). Sota wanted to cook them the way he learned at day camp so he was in charge. You put your hot dog inside a bun (with the trimmings you want) and wrap that in tin foil. The tin foil is wrapped in wet newspaper and all that goes inside a clean, empty 1 litre cardboard drink container. Then you take all of those and put them inside the barbecue and hope for the best. Thanks Sota for the idea.... they were pretty good though it looked awfully strange to watch all those containers going up in flames knowing your food was inside! So, with lunch behind us and lots of laughs getting settled in, the mood was set for the rest of our time together.
We explored rice paddies finding lots of gross looking newt like things... we played dodge ball... found more bugs... played in the river... sat in the onsen ...and just had a good time. 
A few years ago our friend, Katharina, went to Japan. We encouraged her (and she listened) to call Mayumi. They have become good friends. Last year Katharina went to Japan on her honeymoon. Part of their trip was to spend time at this same Onsen. It was strange to hear our Japanese friends sharing experiences about their time with a girl from Switzerland that we met in Myanmar!! Feels good to have been a part of their shared experience. Hopefully Katharina's family (she now has a baby boy) and our Japanese family will continue to stay in touch through the generations!!  
In true Japanese tradition we had way too much food for dinner. Mayumi was recreating her Canadian experience for her friends and somehow found nacho chips and salsa.... we even made tortillas and had soft tacos for our meal. Not a noodle in site! But camp food among friends means more than enough food. There was also sashimi, potatoes with cheese and a delicious roast cooked in the most unusual way. Mayumi had to order roast. Most Japanese buy their meat sliced or in small portions. There were two small roasts which she pan seared then wrapped in three layers of plastic wrap (yep... more wrapping). These multi wrapped roasts were then put in a zip lock bag and immersed in boiling water where they continued to cook. The result was a delicious tender rare slice of mouthwatering roast beef!  
The kids started giggling in the cabin after dinner....doors banged and the laughter began. Apparently it is also a tradition for the kids to have pillow fights before bedtime. They got all the pillows they could find (from both cabins) and went at it. Meanwhile the adults are, in good camping tradition, cheerfully proclaiming "Kanpai" (cheers) as we clinked glasses and drank our beverage of choice.  
Beer is tasty and popular in Japan. When we first visited the country it was common to see more people drinking saki than beer. That seems to be changing. There are still large displays of saki in tetra packs at the grocery stores though. On this trip we didn't sip saki until we got to Kyoto!
 
Had an early start the next day as one of the families had to leave by 7am and the cabins had to be vacated early. No problem.... we had to be out of the cabin but we didn't have to leave the area until later in the afternoon.  
Shane taught Hiraoki and Takamichi to play 'chicken' with Gosuke and Shota sitting on their shoulders. What a hoot!! Later I went off with the little ones to catch newts in the rice field while the bigger kids played in the river. It was another 'family' kind of day topped off by a game of dodge ball before lunch.
Then it was time to head back. We had a train to catch for the last leg of our trip .... a couple of days in Kyoto.
With the sun shining we were able to see more of the countryside as we drove to meet the train in Minabe.  
We took a different road this time. Mayumi and family wanted to see us off at the train station too which meant we had to meet up with the train midway between Shirahama and Osaka. The limited express that we were booked on only makes a few stops. With both Mayumi and Yumi were taking care of us we were pretty confident that we wouldn't miss our connection.  
This road took us past hundreds of plum orchards. We were early when we arrived in Minabe which gave us time to wander through a store selling plums. These rock hard green plums are sold to make plum liquor... a specialty of the area. I prefer plump, juicy, purple, sweet plums myself! Never did try the liquor.
At the train station the finality of the situation set in. We had made new friends and reconnected with our Japanese family....here is where we say goodbye. Mayumi and family are planning to come to Canada next summer which made it a little easier. Yumi and her family, however, had just survived their first big 'foreigner' experience and were very sad to see us go. I heard from Yumi after getting home... apparently Shota was "lonely for three days"!! They had a long drive ahead of them and all the cleaning up when they get home yet they were reluctant to leave us. Finally we said goodbye and hugged with tears in our eyes and new memories to cherish.

Alone in the station with time on our hands I looked over to see a very nervous attendant. Made me giggle because I am sure Mayumi and Yumi had asked him to make sure we didn't get the wrong train. Just before the train arrived he came out to the platform, white gloves on and his hat sitting perfectly. He bowed and pointed out that yes indeed... the number '4' car that we were getting in to was in fact the right one! Off we went with the attendant smiling and waving at us.  

Then we arrived in Kyoto. From camping in the countryside to one of the most outstanding (huge) train stations in the world. We've been here before so it didn't take long to find tourist information for a map and an idea how much to pay for a taxi to our hotel. After buying a train ticket, for our eventual return to Kansai Airport, we hopped in to a cab and made our way to our hotel.  
Just a quick note about taxis in Japan.... the drivers are always impeccably dressed. They open and close the doors for you (don't try to do this yourself). When you have paid the driver he hits a switch and the door opens. The trunk magically opens and he gets your luggage out.  
When you arrive at your hotel you have the taxi driver helping ... the hotel staff taking your luggage while another holds the door. Kind of makes you feel like Queen for the Day! Service is still very much a part of life in Japan.
The hotel I chose was in a perfect location for a visit to the Gion (Geisha) area of Kyoto where most of the shrines, temples and older parks are located. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. We're looking forward to revisiting the historic areas that we breezed through years ago.It's been a  long day and it isn't over yet. Tonight we meet up with Kenji, Masayo and their son Tasku. Kenji was on the same youth exchange as Mayumi years ago and we've been able to meet up with him a few times over the years. After checking in to the hotel we have less than half an hour to clean up before going to dinner.
Both Kenji and Masayo speak English very well which helped to make this part of our trip much more of a kick back. Tasku ordered the dishes for dinner and Shane and I sipped soothing warm saki while we chatted away renewing our friendship and getting to know Tasku.  
There is no school tomorrow so he and Masayo are going to be our tour guides in the afternoon.  
Back to our tatami room for a cozy, much needed, sleep. I am still fighting a very bad chest infection. Part of my day tomorrow will be looking for cough medicine.... Yippee!
Next morning we rested and reorganized our suitcases before heading off to do some sight seeing. Wandering through side streets and temples finding ourselves in Maruyama Park for a rest. Three things struck me right away.  
 The first was the number of women of all ages dressed in traditional Kimonos. Last time we were here the only one we saw was worn by a Geisha. Seems it has become the thing to do in the old city. You will see them frequently posing for pictures. It is lovely to see these beautifully dressed women walking slowly over the bridges in the park or down the crowded streets. I have to say it is pretty funny to see the girls who don't take dainty steps as they walk. If you wear the outfit you need to act the part. I've tried walking fast in a kimono and it doesn't work. There is so much wrapping and folding that if you take big strides you start to come undone!!  
The second thing that struck me were the rickshaws. Unlike Kathmandu, the rickshaws are very plush and the people pulling them seem to be very athletic university students earning a good wage.
The third thing that I couldn't get used to was the number of tourists! Japanese and foreign tourists cram the streets. I really shouldn't be surprised because Kyoto is one of the main destinations for tourists. It's just so different from the Kumano Kodo where we saw only a few other tourists and Shirahama and Sanda City where we didn't see any!
After lunch we met up with Masayo and Tasku in front of Yasaka Shrine. Tasku, our tour guide, soon realized that he needed to work on conversational English. He did a great job though, with Mom's help. They took us to Chion-in Temple to see a huge bell. Apparently when they ring the bell (on New Years) it can be heard across the city. Wandered through Maruyama Park with a stop off for green tea ice cream cone (Yumm!) then through the streets of the old city towards Mt. Kiyomizu and the Kiyomizudera Temple for a great view of the city. We stopped along the way on this historic route trying to imagine what it must have been like in the days of Geisha's and warriors.
Before saying goodbye again I found a drug store where Masayo helped me to get the right cough medicine. (That little brown bottle covered in Japanese lettering proved to be a problem as we went through customs on the way home. Every x-ray of the 'liquids' zip lock brought out a customs official to question me. Japan - China - Canada... how come no one ever checks the toothpaste?)
Took a break from the hot sun enjoying a cup of tea and an afternoon nap in our room before heading out for a crab dinner and more warm saki. Wandering through the Geisha area at night is pretty interesting. Young women with pasty white faces being whisked off in expensive cars. There is a Geisha school in Kyoto. The word Geisha translates as "arts person". At the school they become skilled at traditional music, dance and games and learn to be entertainers who act as hostesses.  
On our last morning in Kyoto we wandered through the Ryosoku-in Temple & Museum, crossed over the bridge to do some more wandering before finding ourselves at the Kennin-Ji Zen Temple. This beautiful tranquil collection of gardens and buildings is one of my fond memories of our last visit to Kyoto. Fitting to finish our sight seeing by relaxing in this lovely place.  
Now it's back to the station to catch a train to Kansai Airport. We're spending our last night at the airport hotel before heading home to Canada.