Faces and more places

Mount Fuji from the Bullet Train on our way to Kyoto

We traveled to the newly built Fujisan World Heritage Center in hopes of seeing the great mountain.

Sadly, it was overcast and we only saw glimpses when the clouds briefly parted.

The center, however, was worth the trip. Multi-level screens showed different elevations of and views from Mount Fuji.

Hiking Mount Fuji.

Takayama Festival

The festival showcased century old parade wagons with mechanical robots.

Takayama Festival

Takayama Festival

Mount Koya is a temple town and the center of Shingon Buddhism, first settled in 816. The original monastery has evolved into over 100 temples.

Many of the temples offer lodging. We spent one night in Mount Koya.

The meditation area

We visited Okunoin, the largest cemetery in Japan.

Okunoin Cemetary is home to over 200,000 graves.

On the grounds of Okunoin, is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the monk who founded the religious order. It is lit by thousands of lanterns.

In the morning, we were invited to witness the morning prayer ceremony.

The morning fire ceremony

In Mount Koya we slept on traditional bedding as we did in other ryokans around Japan.

Easter Mass in Kyoto. Afterwards, they handed out colored Easter eggs to those who came to Mass!

Hiroshima was one of the most emotional places we visited.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Beppu hot springs

Our private bath at Beppu hot spring resort

Preserved postal town of Magome in the Kiso Valley

Shinjuku

Taro Okamoto’s “The Myth of Tomorrow” mural in Shibuya station depicts nuclear proliferation and the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This Japanese calligraphy master offered to write our names for us.

Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market

Coincidentally, our favorite pilot was in Tokyo when we were!

Our group in Japan – Kanpai!