JAPAN
Last year I was able to take my kids on a great trip to Japan -- it all happened spur of the moment: the tour was available, I could afford it, the kids wanted to go, and everyone could make it. In other words, the planets were aligned. We spent Easter week taking an all-inclusive tour with Japan Deluxe Tours, completely guided & BLD of the best Japanese food you can imagine. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, & Mt. Fuji were al
l part of this intensive trip. The weather cooperated, the cherry blossoms began their annual show, and the last day we braved the Japanese rail system on our own (complete with ticket-buying & connections) to travel about 1-1/2 hours from Osaka to Omi Hachiman, my dad's home town. I had visited there in 1965, and not a lot had changed. We walked into town to the old historic section, and rode the tram to a great overlook of the town and Lake Biwa. Spent 15 minutes talking to a man on the train who could've easily been a distant relative, each of us tr
ying out our limited linguistic skills on the other -- a true highlight! I hope Joe, Laurel, and Charlie enjoyed this as much as I did -- and I hope they know that just because they're adults now, I'll still invite them on fam
ily trips, and I hope they say YES! Lots more places still to see -- starting with Maui next month.
Last year I was able to take my kids on a great trip to Japan -- it all happened spur of the moment: the tour was available, I could afford it, the kids wanted to go, and everyone could make it. In other words, the planets were aligned. We spent Easter week taking an all-inclusive tour with Japan Deluxe Tours, completely guided & BLD of the best Japanese food you can imagine. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, & Mt. Fuji were al
l part of this intensive trip. The weather cooperated, the cherry blossoms began their annual show, and the last day we braved the Japanese rail system on our own (complete with ticket-buying & connections) to travel about 1-1/2 hours from Osaka to Omi Hachiman, my dad's home town. I had visited there in 1965, and not a lot had changed. We walked into town to the old historic section, and rode the tram to a great overlook of the town and Lake Biwa. Spent 15 minutes talking to a man on the train who could've easily been a distant relative, each of us tr
ying out our limited linguistic skills on the other -- a true highlight! I hope Joe, Laurel, and Charlie enjoyed this as much as I did -- and I hope they know that just because they're adults now, I'll still invite them on fam
ily trips, and I hope they say YES! Lots more places still to see -- starting with Maui next month.
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