More Japan.

My one word summary of Hiroshima is "peaceful". Lighthearted guitar playing trances between willows, across the canal, and enters the hearts of onseers of memorials in remembrance of the A-bomb event.

Kobe was a very nice city. After waking up to sounds of morning internet cafe-goers, we walked up to Kitano 北野, the site of western style homes. The area carried an aura of nobility, yet the creative shops and the crisp and warm atmosphere were relaxing. We had a nice hike here; Rosanne and Sharon couldn't help themselves at the site of the exquisite merchandise...

Then had Kobe beef...! The most expensive meal in recent memory...

A short ride to Kyoto later, we hopped onto the city's sight seeing bus and went to Kyomizudera 清水寺, a famous temple in Japan -- lots of foreigners here... Then on to Gion 花見小路, the famous Geisha district. Parts of the movie Memories of a Geisha was made here. I even saw a Geisha walking the streets to her duty, just like the movie. The restaurants here do look ancient, and fancy at the same time. Salarymen, being here after sunset must be the highlight of their day -- closure, justification, and epitome of enjoyment ...

Back to Tokyo now, yes, tonight I'm also in an Manga/Internet cafe. Shower time...

A list of manga/internet cafe's in Tokyo:

http://www.cafeman.jp/htm/13101.htm