While the Sakura is in full bloom in Tokyo now – it has been a transition for the past few weeks.

Cherry blossoms are here! We are in Tokyo and the blossoms are fabulous.

We continue to explore dining options here. Last night we found a little spot filled with locals and each place setting had a grill. The food was great, atmosphere lively. A perfect dining experience for hungry travelers. Did I mention that this one had unlimited Lemon Sours for 60 minutes😄. So refreshing & light.

Exploring Hamamatsu has been fun.

Greg found a locals restaurant that is superb! We had the chef’s choice. Starting with a beer- then a soup starter – heavy on local clams-tiny & tasty. Next we had the catch of the day. Beautiful(saw them before cooked) mackerel. First we ate the sautéed fish – including all bones as instructed. Yum! Then a dish of tempura – this is where one trusts chef – the heads of our mackerel. So tasty! He prepared them expertly so we had no idea we were eating fish heads. We finished with a lovely local sake. Btw: we are not fans of sake & now love it with Japanese food!

Still on food.. last night we tried a little local spot (no gringos there) and had amazing gyoza, okonomiyaki, & their specialty. Portions are small so we could explore. Excellent!

Greg played pickleball / had a blast. Yamaha is headquartered here – music everywhere. Happened upon local high school & 2 ‘pro’ jazz type bands playing in the square – excellent!

Yamaha headquarters is here and they have Innovation Road which highlights their musical products. Very well done!

Tokyo,Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima all are fascinating cities with lots to explore. However, as we have the luxury of time in Japan, we have had a blast exploring places off the tourist trail. Oita & Kyushu, Kochi – Shikoku and now Nagoya & Hamamatsu.

In Nagoya we walked – a lot and loved the parks – Sakura & people watching. The castle was fun as they had a great indoor exhibit showing & educating on the techniques used for Japanese art – the types using gold leaf on their walls. Fascinating.

A lot less crazy than Kyoto and great temple.

First time in Kyoto with Jack – it was chilly & uncrowded. Now tourists everywhere!