Every trip has its moments.

Our lodging in Hakuba had no heat we did not stay the second night. Good brekkie.

As we were leaving Hakuba for Tokyo- I tripped & fell. It was pretty dramatic & I escaped with no torn ligaments & no serious concussion from my head hitting glass door. Pretty gimpy. Could still enjoy last 2 days in Tokyo with Jack before he left. A fabulous medical team – 2 docs,2 nurses, Google Translate determined I did not have a serious injury- whew! The clinic in Takamatsu – I walked in- Google translate the problem – waited 15 minutes to see physicians- they thoroughly examine – tske x-rays – wait 15 minutes- back in – they tell me my knee is deteriorating- no serious injury. Get an elastic bandage & take it easy. Bill-$35. Cash please!

We only had a day to explore Kanazawa & we made the most of it!

Beautiful Kanazawa castle.

Extraordinary gardens

Fun art museum.

It snowed!

Our hotel had a wonderful onsen.

Hike. Inspiring. Fun

We left the weekend & Osaka behind and traveled the short distance to Kyoto.

We are so fortunate to be here before cherry blossoms are in full bloom. No crowds – can really enjoy small alleys, cafes, temples & restaurants.

This is our first large castle – stunning.

Much later in day we stopped for a beer- which was served with a snack. Four macadamias in shell. Drop them individually on the plate & they crack open – crazy!

Finally, a shop in the mall food hall which is famous for its basque cheese cakes. Greg waited patiently for 30 minutes – so we could all enjoy!

This is a tourist thing! and lots of people!

Our first dinner where we cooked our beef at the table. Great experience- and surrounded by locals! Fun.

Then lunch at counter!

Then Pokémon store in a huge mall.

We travelled via train from laid back Kyushu (during the week,) to vibrant Osaka on Saturday morning. As we approached Osaka the train was more crowded- to standing room only& when we got off the train – wow! Crowds! We stayed at a really nice Nikko hotel with a great location- right across the street from Gucci! 😄

Osaka is vibrant, safe, fun and I took lots of photos.

Jack wanted to enjoy a bento box lunch on a bullet train & Beppu to Osaka was a good time! Additionally had to add the photo of sweets offered at a cafe!