THE ARRIVAL OF DICKY K (and much more)

Today I leave for another week of Japan travel with my father (aka Dicky K), who is in town from Lake Tahoe. He's spent 3 days in Tokyo checking out my favorite wards, favorite shops, restaurants, shrines, parks, gardens and even a boat cruise highlighting Tokyo architecture. We also caught our first Japanese baseball game in Yokohama- Tokyo Swallows versus Yokohama Bay Breeze (Swallows won by a landslide, but the cheering and hotdogs on sticks made it all worthwhile). Now it's time to explore uncharted territories for the both of us, which will mean many hours on Shinkensen trains and nights in various hostels around Japan.

First stop, Hiroshima where we'll spend one night and take in various peace gardens and museums. Then onto Nagasaki, a city often unvisited by foreigners, but what is commonly referred to a "hidden gem" for those who have spent time. We'll spend 3 nights at a hostel there before carrying onto Kyoto.

The Geisha picture in this entry was from my last visit to Kyoto, and I look forward to introducing fellow travelers to the red light district, my favorite temples and shrines, and to again view the city by bike. We have three nights there, and a day trip planned to Nara to pet deer (I'm told they're as domestic as dogs), and check-out the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

Our trip will end at Mt Fuji on Sunday, where we'll begin our big climb. The goal is the reach summit by sunrise. Many pictures to come as my final two weeks in Japan continue.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...