where's wolmut?: choo-choo japan

floating shrine at miyajima (better at high tide)

johnny mosley

japanese alps near nagano

shogun heading to onsen (hot springs)

matsumoto castle

laurel says:

it is hard to describe how efficient and just plain cool the train system in japan is. the network of bullet trains or "shinkansen," that travel at speeds upwards of 300 kilometers per hour, arrive to the second. the trains themselves look like something out of the space age, with their smooth, white, snakelike exteriors. inside the carriages are spotless and the white gloved conductors bow every time they enter the room. we were lucky to have been tipped off to the japan rail pass (similar to a eurorail pass) and we used our 2 week unlimited travel pass to the fullest, visiting 12 places in 14 days. it is safe to say that we are both exhausted from the rigorous pace, but glad that we were able to cram so many of japan's a-list sights into one trip. one of the more powerful stops on our trip was our time spent in hiroshima. the atomic bomb museum, victim's hall and peace park leave you praying that this type of devastating weaponry is never again used. on a completely different note, the buddhist graveyard at koya-san was one of the most zen and spiritual places we have ever visited. strolling thru the 1200 year old gravesites and paying respects to kobo daishi, the founder of esoteric buddhism, was one of our favorite experiences. our last stop in the resort town of hakone, near mt fuji was also highly memorable. we finally bit the bullet and stayed in a traditional japanese ryokan...aka sleeping on mats on the floor. it turned out to be a wonderful experience, largely due to our delightful hostess, a four foot tall japanese grandma that bowed so low she was practically at emil's knee caps. but these are just a few of the many wonderful places we were fortunate enough to visit. japan has a wealth of culture, unique history and stunning scenery and its retention of ancient customs combined with modern technology make for a dynamite vacation. i would highly recommend traveling japan and am already plotting our return.

streets of osaka

aggressive sushi

loving kobe

emil is bullish on kobe

emil says:

besides antarctica, japan has proven to be my favorite destination on the trip thus far. using the bullet train (shinkansen) throughout the country allowed us to see a huge amount in a relatively short 3 weeks. nagano: site of the '98 winter olympics. skiing does not have the same sort of she-she foo-foo panache like it does in the states. lift tickets are $40 and the ski resorts are hardly resort-like. this is bad news for the non-skiier in our troupe but for me it was glorious. add the fact that the japanese do not like powder but thoroughly enjoy their groomed corduroy runs. one liftie said to me "you ski good, but why you ski over there" (pointing to the pristine figure 8s i left behind out of bounds). kobe: yes the beef is that good. hiroshima: its an astonishing museum and city to visit. few buildings remained standing in the city post the bomb. within the museum are exhibits of concrete steps of a former bank where a person's shadow remains post the nuclear blast. i think most amazingly though is the message the peace memorial museum conveys. rather than focusing on the past, the museum preaches global peace and the need to end nuclear proliferation. whether one thinks our use of the bomb(s) brought ww2 to an early close and thus avoided further casualties or whether one thinks it was a proper and proportionate response to pearl harbor or not is up for debate. personally, i was overwhelmed with sadness while in hiroshima. koyasan: if you want a zen-like experience head to oku-no-in in koyasan, this is the coolest single afternoon we spent in japan. a buddhist cemetery/temple complex where thousands of who's who and it's it monks and feudal lords rest. mt fuji: though obscured by clouds one day and by snow the next it was fabulously relaxing to spend a few days in the hot springs "onsen" and shrines of hakone hoping to spot the elusive mt fuji, but we settled for some bright sunny postcards instead. japan has been tremendous and even better than our lofty expectations. the food, the people, the mix of modern and ancient, the skiing, the bullet trains, the ww2 history, the shrines, gardens, and buddhas oh my. will be hard to beat this place.