It's been 5 weeks since we've started our world tour and it's time for an update to show you some photos from Japan. We'd also like to thank everyone who sent us emails and left comments on our blog, it's great to receive news from you too, THANK YOU :)

Beppu

We spent two days in Beppu on Kyushu island, south west of Japan. We had a really good time as the city has hot water springs and geysers all over the place!

Shiraike-Jikogu spring

It looked like Paradise to us! 

These hot water springs mean onsen for Japanese people! A Onsen is a (artificial) basin filled with natural hot spring water which is very rich in minerals, it's supposed to be very good for your skin. You first new to clean yourself under the shower and then go into the hot basin (45-45 C) naked!

Private onsen!

During our stay in Japan, it was the start of spring and also of sakura. Sakura is the ~10 days when you can see the cherry blossom. We could see the very start of it:

In Beppu, we had a bento in a small and cosy restaurant. A bento is a complete meal in a tray.

Yummy!

Nagasaki

We took a train for Nagasaki and there is an interesting detail about the seats of the train. Indeed, they can be turned around to face the front or the rear of the train.

Demonstration (in French...):

There is another detail about bus drivers who talk all the time with a soft and quiet voice, like a speaker of a merry-go-round. We did not understand a word but we imagined he was saying: "Tchoo tchoo ho yeah!" "off we go!"... :)

To talk about Nagasaki now, we did not enjoy the city so much. We visited the atomic bomb museum which destroyed most of the city in 1945 and it was moving. It's hard to describe the horror and it's scary to know that there are still a lot of countries with this kind of weapons they could use one day...

Asterix and Obelix (famous  Gauls from a French comic book) were right, there's only one thing we need to be scared of: "that the sky may fall on our heads"!

After the museum, we needed some time to unwind and we got a nice dinner we enjoyed in our ryokan (traditional japanese house with tatami floors):

We feel better now! :)

Hiroshima

We stopped for a few hours in Hiroshima (thanks to the very handy Japan Rail Pass!) to eat one of ET's most prefered meals: okonomiyaki.

Even if it doesn't look yummy, trust us, it's delicious :P

Kyoto

We started by Gion quarter and its surroundings, and we randomly ended up in a lantern festival. We attended a sound and light show projected over a temple.

This is bioooootiful

When going through Gion again the next day, we attended a buddhist mass randomly. It was quite interesting, we're thinking about conversion. ;)

We went hiking on the hills around Kyoto to go and see the famous red wooden structures from Fushimi Inari shrine.

According to color-blind ET, this is  green!

We saw a lot of temples (there are over 1600 in Kyoto!):

Tofuku-ji temple

Wat-ya-call-it temple

Then, we had to refill our batteries with a bento, but the rice had special seasoning...

These are little salted fishes!

Kyoto is also well known for its Geishas. Here are our best photos just for our readers!

Traditional Geisha

The new generation: otoko-geisha (man-geisha) and geisha.

A geisha's beautiful hair-do

We also saw a lot of rickshaws in the city.

Nara

We went to Nara for one day, old capital (a very long time ago) of Japan. There are still a lot of temples and above all there are deers wandering freely through the parks.

Singing in the rain

We have changed a bit but our love is still intact!

Takayama

Takayama is located in the Japanese Alps. We were lucky because it was snowy the week-end we were there! We went for a walk and took pictures as well.

Tokyo

On our way to Tokyo, we could see the mount Fuji:

We went back to a big city and Tokyo is huge! We booked a hostel in the old quarter of the capital, Asakusa. Here are a few pictures:

Asakusa market

... picture dedicated to Cookie...

Sensoji Temple

We walked around in the numerous, different and atypical areas of Tokyo. Among the most popular quarters, we saw Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginzha, Akihabara, Harajuku and Odaiba... We also went to Tokyo center and Yokohama where we took a ride on a roller coaster hihihi

Shinjuku

a restaurant near Ginzha

...errr the two of us posing for a picture as two eejits to test a Sony camera in the Sony tower... We are celebrating Sakura haha (it suits us well, doesn't it?!)

A special part for Odaiba which amazed us and made us laugh. First of all for the parade of dogs in strollers and/or dressed as little men... (we even saw a cowboy dog, like Sheriff Woody in Toy Story... We swear it's true!!) Secondly, there was also a shopping center which looked like an Italian city. It seemed like being in a fun park, incredible! Explanation of the dogs parade and the dolce vita below:

"little bitchette"

... this one was dressed better than us.........

Daddy's little babies :D This is one of the rare kids in a stroller we have seen that day!

che bello!!!

We finish this article with some pictures of a gastronomic restaurant where Mr Yoshida invited us (a contact from Aurore's family). It was astonishing (it was a spring menu with cooked tree buds, flowers and multiple plants) and delicious as well. Here are some pics:

One of our plates with sushi, sweet omelet, a green bean donut and a salted cake.

Ice cream made out of plants, maybe green tea but we are not too sure ;)

The cook who wanted to become a French chef but the language barrier made him change his mind...

Last picture, it was a really good night! Thank you again Mr Yoshida!