April 04 –24, 2018

Japan

Margit & Christian

In April 2018 we decided to give a trip to Japan a Go. Well, Margit already knew how to get around in these parts of the world as she worked and lived there for a couple of months a long time ago. So we decided to stuff our backpacks with the most necessary things and off we went, or flew for that matter. In colorful and lively Tokyo we not only met up with Margit's long time friend Akiyo, her husband Nobu and their agile and smart little Takahiro but also met many other lovely people there and later along the way. Our first trip after we left Tokyo brought us a bit further north to Nagano prefecture where we saw the 1998 Olympic site, marveled at the majestic cherry blossom in Suzaka and encounterd snow monkeys in Margit's old home town of Yamanouchi far off  the beaten track. After that we visited gorgeous Kyoto, hiked in the hills around  the quiet town of Fukuchiyama and explored the (admittedly very busy) area around the majestic Mount Fuji before returning to Tokyo. We stayed 3 full weeks in Japan and essentially had great luck with the weather. We explored all places by train (from the speedy Shinghansen to the slow but comfortable regional railways) and not a single one of those many we took were even a minute late. We enjoyed the excellent Japanese cuisine, litterfree streets and landscapes and last but not least the very gentle, polite and hospitable Japanes people! Arigato gozaimasu!