Hiroshima and Miyajima

Our next stops include a visit to the A-bomb dome and Peace Park and museum in Hiroshima AND the island of Miyajima. The weather FINALLY started to cool down a bit and we were thrilled! We stayed at a ryokan on Miyajima, which is a traditional Japanese inn where we dressed in yukata (summer cotton kimono) and ate and slept on the floor -- it was a neat experience!

at A-bomb dome in Hiroshima

our ryokan on Miyajima

serving up rice

"studs"

petting the wild deer

in front of sake offering

to the right in this picture is a bride and groom getting photographs taken

mom strikes a yoga pose

Kyoto

We spent 3 days in Kyoto and really had a great time, despite the near 100 degree weather. After having been there at Christmas and freezing inside every old temple/castle/shrine, we'd prefer that over sweating inside of them this time around!

Cora hydrating frequently

Nana and Duke drinking water from Kiyamizudera (filling Cora's water bottle for good fortune)

family shot in front of Kiyamizudera

mom taking part in buddhist ritual of making a wish and hitting big gong pot

family picture in front of Golden Temple

mom and dad at Zen garden

Nanoji temple pagoda

Cora taking a break in the heat in her cute jinbei

streets of Kyoto

REAL geisha in a rickshaw at bamboo forest (we were shocked to see them!)

in bamboo forest

Shabu shabu dinner

more pix from the grand tour...

After we left Tokyo, we headed south to the resort town of Hakone, which is in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. It was too late in the season to climb it to Greg and Dad's chagrin... we really enjoyed the cooler weather and change of pace! We took a ropeway/cable car ride to view Fuji-san, but he was a bit "shy" so our pictures don't do much justice. We also took a boat cruise which had some nice views!

Mt Fuji in background (you can see the peak through the clouds, really.....)

The relaxing ropeway

Enjoying a burst of wind on daddy's shoulders

hello, Nana and Duke!

Here's a preview of our Tokyo segment of vacation 2010

@ Hase-dera temple, Kamakura

with Hachi-ko (remember that story from Greg's visit a few months back?)

Dinner at Wellingtons for Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary ( a couple of weeks late)

trying out a comfortable ride at the Tokyo Edo museum

riding a Tokyo bus like a pro

strolling with Nana and Duke

stepping stones

inside cool caves at Kannon Shrine

family shot in front of big Buddha

rubbing Buddha's bellly from his insides

washing hands (playing in water...) with Nana

sharing Daddy's treat

chocolate ice cream goatie!

On the Road again...

We hope your summer has been wonderful, it sure went quickly! Sorry for not posting more regularly, but honestly we didn't want to bore you. The last couple of months have been filled with a LOT of work and not much play. We are leaving this weekend to pick up Greg's folks in Tokyo and bring them back to Sasebo via Shinkansen (bullet train). It should be a fun trip, albeit challenging with our VERY active daughter, who's running and climbing on everything.

Speaking of her, Cora continues to shine and is forever keeping us on our toes. She took swimming lessons this summer and loves the pool! Her 15 month appointment statistics are as follows: 27.2 lbs and 33 inches. She's trimming up and looking even more like her tall daddy. A bit more hair, but not enough to hold a bow YET...

"stalin" on daddy's lap at a re-enlistment ceremony

working on her molars (a more than 2 month process thus far)

napping with Bonny

playing tug-of-war with Bonny

wishing it'd cool down outside so she can go play!