Well everyone, I’m back home in Hawaii. It’s been an exhausting three weeks in which I did just about everything short of becoming a sumo wrestler. After leaving Osaka I ventured to Mt. Koyasan, where I explored the tiny mountain city and prayed with monks. From there I went to Hiroshima where I stayed with a Japanese family and made contact with a relative in the area. It was a touching moment to say the least! After a brief rest back in Tokyo, I traveled to picturesque Nikko and took in the sights of the national park and the famous Toshogu Shrine. There was little time to catch my breath!
If there’s one thing I learned from this trip, it’s that the people and the culture of Japan are in a unique class of their own. I can’t say enough positives about the many individuals who helped out this complete stranger along the way and made my brief stay in Japan a memorable one. If you haven’t visited Japan, definitely put it at the top of the “to-do” list.
I realize that the Japan blog stopped on day 9 due to technical difficulties and a shortage of time, but hopefully you all enjoyed reading about my travels. If you did, there’s plenty more where that came from. The tidbits from this blog and the many wonderful, exciting experiences that I had will be the subject of a multi-part series to debut in the Hawaii Herald come November. Be sure to visit the website regularly so you know exactly when the next issue of the Herald is out on stands!
Sayonara for now!
