in country

Well, we are here in Kobe now, at Tim and Diana's place. We will soon be headedup to Kyoto for a couple nights. We took the Shinkansen, the bullet train, from Tokyo to Kobe. That was quite an experience, so fast, kind of like being on an airplane right before it lifts off, but smoother, with other trains and objects going by just a few feet away, which buffets the train. Wild. Tokyo was really something; so huge. We spent time in Akasaka, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Shinjuku was the place that inspired Ridley Scott for the setting of Bladerunner, and we were lucky enough to get the full effect with lightning and thunder, though no invitations for a better life in the off-world, just invitations to a better hour behind some red-lighted doors. We will post pics when we can, most likely when we get back. Super-thanks to Jonathan and Jackie for offering the local knowlege and touring us around the mountains.(eh)
The food is amazing! We are eating lots of sea items and then when we were in the mountains, all kinds of interesting root vegetables and different preparations. They like the gooey stuff, which is a little bit of a challenge for my palette. We have been enjoying the mini-marts here because they are very well stocked with cheap, good eats--sushi, baked goods, and Lemon 77 (has the vitamin C 77 lemons, really!). It is really wonderful here and quite easy to travel and figure stuff out, but we have been primarily in Tokyo, where there is quite a bit of English. Momo was a great tour guide for the few days she was here. (tb)