We had a little surprise to start our day today as Japan was hit with a small earthquake. It woke Kent up, but he wasn't sure what was going on, just that the bed was shaking. Christine thought she was having a dream. We didn't realize that it was an earthquake until we got downstairs to meet the group and people were talking about it. Another experience we were not expecting to have during our vacation! We had an addition to our group today. Saki, one of th...

After what seemed like a very short sleep (due to our late night laundry last night) we awoke and had breakfast in the hotel. Kent enjoyed having some western food (bacon!) available again. Once breakfast was done, we met up with the group and headed out to explore Kyoto. Our first stop was Teramachi Shopping Arcade (an outdoor shopping area of Kyoto). The area is quite large and is mostly covered. Many of the shops were not open yet, but it intrigued us enough...

We awoke this morning for our last traditional Japanese breakfast at the minshuku. Afterward we relaxed for a little bit and then headed out to wander the main street of Shirakawago on our way back to the bus station for our bus to Kanazawa. We browsed through many of the small shops, picking up a few souvenirs along the way. Once we got to the bus stop and retrieved our luggage, we got on our bus and headed to Kanazawa, where we had a 2-hour stopover on our wa...

Day 3 in Takayama dawned sunny and hot. I guess Mari (our guide) was right when she said that when the rainy season ends, it ENDS! I didn't think I would look back on those rainy, overcast days with fondness, but the sun is just so hot. Oh well, no complaints about the weather so far, we have been very lucky. Christine started her day with a trip up to the rooftop onsen to loosen up her muscles for another day of walking. Once she was finished, we got ourselves ...

The rainy season has officially ended, as today dawns clear and sunny. Of course, that also means that it's hot. Really hot! Christine started her day with a trip to the Onsen and sauna this morning, while Kent used the free internet connection to catch up on the world of news and sports. Once we were ready to go, we headed down to check out the breakfast buffet here in the hotel. It was a blend of western and Japanese food, which was a nice change. Kent ne...