Japan Holiday Part II

Great Boiling Valley in Hakone is a volcanic hot spot full of sulphurous springs.
Famous Kuro Tamago (black eggs), boiled on site, their shells are a mottled black due to a chemical reaction with the sulphurous water, but the inside is quite tasty.

Typical Hakone Onsen Rooms with a hot tub on the balcony.

Day trip to Kamakura. We had a lot of fun with the Daibutsu, Japan's second largest Buddha.

Sanrokuen restaurant in Kawaguchiko, where we grilled our own meal around charcoal pits set in the floor.

From Kawaguchiko you had a wonderful view of Mount Fuji.

Day trip to Miyajima, a small island close to Hiroshima. The island is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Beatiful Tori Gate on the island.Some wild deers walking around the island. They seemed to like Bastian.

The next days we stayed over in Kyoto. Again, we had so much luck with the weather and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Kiyomizu Temple.

Ryoanji Garden.

Spotting some Geishas on the street.

Philosopher's Path is a perfect place to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

Definitely one of the highlights of our trip: Shimbashi Street in Gion, which is one of Kyoto's most beautiful streets and arguably one of the most beatiful streets in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry blossom season.

Walking through the Tori Gates at Fushimi-Inari in the evening can be quite a spooky experience.

Overall, we have to say that Kyoto is definitely one of the "must-goes" in Japan. More pictures to come from Hiroshima, Kanazawa and Osaka, where our trip ended! Stay excited :O)

Cherry blossom time in Japan April 2010

Bastian and I finally had our two weeks vacation and went off to Japan!Sumida River Cruise Tour

The famous Hachiko dog at Shibuya. In the late 20s, a professor kept a small Akita dog, who would come to the station every afternoon to await his master's return. When the professor died, the dog continued to show up and wait at the station till his own death.

Shinjuku-Gyoen Park

We were perfectly in time for the cherry blossom season.

Wake up at 4.30am in the morning to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market to see the tuna auction.

The world's best Sushi at Nobu!

And other fine delicacies.

Too much food can be very tiring :O)

Sometimes it can be more than just an ordinary dinner in Tokyo. Fun night out with our colleague in a restaurant that resembled a prison.In Japan it is all about video games and slot machines. Bastian playing Pachinko. Looks like he is having fun?!?

Shibuya Crossing, which is one of the most famous crossings in the world and well-known from the "Lost in Translation" movie. Up to 15000 people are crossing this street each time the green light is given.

Fantastic view over Tokyo from the Roppongi Hills.

More from our Japan trip to come. The next days we headed to different cities within Japan including Kamakura, Kyoto, Hakone, Osaka and more.

Trip to London in March 2010

Dinner at Wembley Stadium

Three hours in London gives us a bit of time for some sightseeing.