We got back to Tokyo on Friday afternoon at about 4.00pm and Helen took us to a local spa in an area with natural hot springs. We managed to keep our bikinis on and no one noticed... even though Helen said it was imperative that we strip to our birthday suits to shower! It was a really nice place though and absolutely massive! There were even rooms where people could go and have a sleep! They gave us pyjama type outfits to wear when we were not in the hot springs...

Well we arrived in Kyoto on Tuesday night and again we were pleasantly surprised to find our hostel a short walk from the station. We bought microwave dinners and had an early night as we had to get up at 5:30am the following morning to go and visit the sumo stable! Our alarms went off and after pressing 'snooze' several times we decided we had better get up as our taxi was booked for 6:15. It arrived on time and we headed to the sumo stable. It is owned ...

We arrived in Beppu after several train journies and ALOT of food from the trolley cart. We were ready and prepared for another mountainous hike to our guest house... however we were pleasantly suprised to discover it a 2 minute walk from the train station! Fantastic! On first glance Beppu seemed like a pleasant seaside resort, the kind you would take your children to for a family holiday! But... on furthur inspection down the main strip of Beppu we uncovered th...

After a day of travelling on Thursday we arrive in Hiroshima and look for a bus to catch to the Hiroshima Youth Hostel. Easily found we hop on and head for our humble home for the next two days. We arrive at the stop and find a sign that says the hostel is roughly an 8 minute walk away. 'Great' we think! So we head off...We round the corner and alas! We come across a beast of a hill roughly rivaling the steep slopes of Mount Everest. Our hearts drop ...

Hi everyone!!!! Sorry for keeping you waiting, this is the first time we've been able to write a blog, various computer problems etc etc! Japan is amazing, loving every minute of it!! We thought New York was impressive but the whole atmosphere here takes it way beyond anything America has to offer!! Getting here was a nightmare! First of all our plane to Tokyo gets cancelled so were re-routed via Shanghai in China with a promise of a flight to Tokyo as soon as ...