summary of return flight home from Japan and a few concluding thoughts

Our last stop was Hiroshima.  We planned to spend a little more than a day here, but ended up with

Our next stop was Miyajima, the common name for Itsukushima island, which lies just off the mainland south of Hiroshima.  Miyajima

Nara was the the first capital (the emperor’s home) of Japan from 710 to 784.  It is now a medium sized

We spent four nights in Kyoto. We arrived after dark on the first night and were tired after the day’s

We spent two nights in Takayama. We arrived mid-afternoon after three train rides from Yudanaka. The snow stayed with us

We took our first Shinkansen (bullet train) today from Tokyo to Nagano. It was pretty easy to navigate to the

Our two weeks in Japan started with two quick days in Tokyo. We found a hotel near Ueno train station

We had a smooth and uneventful 10 hour direct flight from Seattle to Tokyo. The flight path took us north