Part 1 - adjustment

I've been to Japan a few times, and each visit is as rich as the last. It's a visually stimulating country. And not speaking Japanese is not a problem. Nor is it expensive, contrary to nearly everyone i speak to (outside of Japan).

This trip is from our return to Australia from Japan after living in Ireland for about a year. It was very hot, humid, oppressive heat, sweltering. So hot, we totally forgot to be jet lagged. More like gobsmacked with an obsolute stupor of dribbling heat.

And the night time photos are as intense as the day time photos. We stayed in Osaka with our moocow friends, Jezza and Kana. I think the centre photos give the impression of the one million extras from the set of BladeRunner.

We had a mission in Japan. To purchase Kimono fabrics for our foofpods and to obtain a hand crafted hanko for fofo and for fosh (foof & dirtymouse). In addition to this, we had the objectives to stay in a traditional home stay ryokan, a buddhist temple and a non western hotel (all in Kyoto).

All this was helped greatly by our always excellent and fun friend Chiaki. (we used to be flatmates in newtown). Translation is always great fun (if not tiring) and that bit i said about not needing to speak japanese is a complete and utter lie. Getting about is also, expensive, but eating is not. Chiaki assisted us with both. To our amusement, she always suggested humbug, humbug?