Hiroshima was a fairly late addition to our itinerary. With a couple of days to fill in, and Hiroshima being in the exact opposite direction to everything else we are going to be visiting in Japan, naturally we decided to head there. Actually, I've always said that I wanted to return to Miyajima, a very picturesque island just off the Hiroshima port, so now that Isabelle is old enough to appreciate (and fend off) dears, and possibly monkeys, we thought we'd mak...

Today started out the day in typical Toyoko Inn fashion, which is to head down to the ground floor to rub elbows with businessmen in the small lobby area to eat a Toyoko Inn breakfast. On today's breakfast menu was croissants, bread rolls, sausages, tinned spaghetti (which is about as un-Japanese and I can imagine), corn soup and salad (read: lettuce) with dressing (read:water), along with coffee and juice served in teeny tiny cups not much bigger than shot gla...

We, finally, are in Osaka. It is midnight, and having lost 2 hours in the process of travel means that we've been up for 23 hours so far. That incident with the taxi seems like it was days ago, not just earlier today. Jetstar Business class was again, really really good. I still maintain that for flights of a decent length, I wouldn't go back to economy class. Jetstar economy class anyway. Despite having the boarding call pull us away from our comfy lounges,...

I'm currently sitting in the Cathay Pacific Reef Lounge at Cairns International Airport. I must say, compared to sitting in the crowded and limited food court just outside, this isn't half bad. A full bar, and a selection of cold meats, cheeses, dips, fruits, breads and other nibbles I didn't pay much attention to was a welcome distraction in the 4 hour wait for the connecting flight. Feeling fairly drowsy at this point. I've been officially "out of bed" for 9 ...

So we're heading back to Japan. Since booking it in August, I must admit the holiday has come around fast. Having Christmas, New Years and half a dozen birthdays in between might have had something to do with that. Lots of people have asked why we're going back to Japan. Not surprisingly, nobody that has been over there have asked that question. To be honest, I'm not sure why we're going back. Is it to see the sights we haven't seen yet? Yes, partially. Is it no...