Japan

We had a quick stop in Korea on our way to Japan.

 On Monday, Ryan took off work so we could sight see.  We took a ferry to a nearby island of Miyajima.  It was awesome.

 Toilets in Japan (okay, so only some look like this):

 Itsukushima Shrine (depending on the tide, you can walk up to it):

 Washing hands before entering a temple:

 We decided to hike to the top of Mt. Misen.

 The Atomic Dome in Hiroshima:

 Memorial Park:

 Ryan was issued a pair of slippers at work to wear:

Bullet Train: 

 Some random picture of me coming out of a restaurant:

 Ryan got a kick out of how low the sinks were.  To prove how low they were, he took a picture of his coworker washing his hands, completely bent down.

 We loved taking pictures of funny phrases in English that didn't make much sense.

 The parking is cool:

 On Saturday morning, I took Ryan back to my favorite place that I went without him. Shukkei-en Garden:

 Ryan taking a picture of Robert taking a picture:

 Bamboo grove:

We got a kick out of walking out on the tarmac to our plane. 

 Ryan in front of the Hiroshima Carp home stadium (baseball...always):

 Back to Korea (because these pictures are not in any order):

 At the airport in Korea, they have these fun kid zones and all kinds of relaxation areas.  It is crazy.

 Hiroshima:

 We spent a lot of time using public transportation:

 Oh, now back to the ferry:

 Ryan called this guy "Japan Jesus".  I think that might be offensive, but I guess he didn't know what else to call him.

 On the island of Miyajima, there are deer roaming around everywhere.  They aren't scared of people at all (that may have something to do with the ice cream cone I saw a Japanese man feeding to one).

 Fish on a stick:

 More funny English:

 Back to the temple:

 Prayers:

 The beginning of the hike, before we realized how crazy it was:

 There were a few temples along the hike:

 It was miles straight uphill on stone stairs:

At the top is the flame that has been burning for 1200 years. 

 The flame:

Luckily we could ride a rope car down.  I think we would have died if we had to walk back down. 

 Ha ha:

 I'm not totally sure why there is a scuba diver in a fire truck.  But I thought my boys would like this picture:

 I thought Ryan was going to starve, having to eat with chopsticks for a week.  But he figured it out by the end...mostly.

 Back to Hiroshima for the dome:

 This flame at Peace Memorial Park was lit by the fire from the top of Mt. Misen on Miyajima.

 All handsome and ready for work:

 A chocolate Bonsai:

 Bus:

 I practiced selfies much of the week for some friends who requested them.  Turns out that I hate selfies.  

 My favorite place.  I loved this garden:

An art museum: 

A sweet lady, that didn't speak any English, showed me how to make some art of my own.  

 The exterior to Hiroshima Castle (moat and all):

The castle: 

 The top of the castle:

 Outside the castle, but inside the grounds:

 The traditional Hiroshima dish: Okonomiyaki

 Every restaurant has plastic versions of their food on display.  It is a great way to decide what you want to eat, especially if you don't speak Japanese and they don't speak English.

 The gym in our hotel was awesome:

 We went to dinner with about 20 people from Ryan's work.  This is Robert (who traveled over with Ryan).  We were told you have to sip your beer slowly, because they never let them reach the bottom.  Robert did just that.  However, no one else did.  FYI, Ryan and I drank Ginger Ale.  It confused everyone (What, no beer? No sake?  No green tea?)

 They fed us an array of different things.  Some kind of salad with Caviar:

 Caesar salad with egg, tomatoes wrapped in bacon, and cow tongue (it was NOT good):

 This was awesome!  Deep fried spaghetti noodles:

 All the raw fish one could ever want:

 BBQ (eat the head, tail, all of it!):

 Kind of like Mac and Cheese:

Fried tofu, fish something, squid, and shrimp (with the skin.  I really don't know how I was supposed to eat it.  I think they give you this stuff just so they can laugh at you when you try and eat it). 

 They served us a lot of corn:

 Pizza (not very good either):

 Everyone was so kind:

Hiroshima Memorial Museum: 

 Story of a family that died:

 People who were sick with radiation poisoning:

 Replicas of children with skin dripping off (I spared you the pictures of body parts they preserved.  It was so weird):

 While we were gone, our kids had the most amazing time with the most amazing family.  I really think they were sad when we came home.

 The view from our hotel:

 Baseball stadium:

 We found a Costco.  It was so much fun walking around and comparing things.  I bought swim goggles there (since they were out of them at the Costco here).

 Ryan found his souvenir.  I told him it might not fit into his carry-on.

 This is what you find at a Costco in Japan: Octopus and Squid:

 My hair was curly the whole week.  Even when I straightened it, it ended up bouncing back.

 We went to a department store that had never ending stories.  We never made it to the top.

They are obsessed with France over there.  We found French stuff everywhere. 

 We had a good time.