last day in Japan :( Hard to believe it is our last day. Tomorrow at 06:50 we will fly out of Haneda airport and arrive at 06:30 the same day at JFK. This trip has been amazing, from the sites of modern Tokyo to the Imperial Palace of Osaka, I feel as if I have spanned the eras of Japan. Of course this trip would not have been as amazing if not for our wonderful tour guides and translators, Rik and Mai. They made this trip memorable and easier. I can't thank them enough. Our last day in Japan was spent walking through the Tokyo fish market (open today) and then walking the grounds of the park across from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The park was built in 1903 and has been maintained just as it was back then. Even though we were in the heart of Tokyo, you would never know it. You could hear the birds and the rustle of leaves,but no sounds of the outside city. It was lovely. We then walked through the high end Japanese dept stores in Ginza before heading to our hotel by the airport. My last few thoughts on Japan and this trip before I end this blog are these. The only down side to our trip was the weather. When they say it is hot in the summer here, they are telling the truth. It is so humid and the sun beats down that you are drenched in a matter of minutes. No wonder every one carries umbrellas, fans and wet rags to get through the day. I don't know how they did before air conditioning.The only other draw back is everything is so expensive, the dollar does not go far enough. What I loved besides the natural beauty of Japan, was restaurants that had ticket machines instead of waiters, the used good stores selling high end purses for a fraction of the cost ( yes I finally got my Louis),the Temples and shrines with their fortune telling sticks and incense and of course the people. Other simple but fun highlights are all the hotel supply pajamas,tooth brushes, hair brushes and razors. You a can pack a bit lighter coming here! I am already planning my next visit and saving my pennies. Any one like to join me?

Good News - Bad News Well the good news today was the heat finally broke. The bad news is that it rained pretty much all day! Even in the rain we still found fun things to do. That was good because the flea market was rained out and the fish market was closed for a scheduled holiday. So our quick thinking guides ( Rik and Mai) put their heads together and came up with an other itinerary. We took the subway across town and toured the campus of the University of Tokyo. On the way stopped by the rain a store keeper invited us into her store for free tea and a taste of her specialty cakes. Just another example of how wonderful people are here. It felt like an older east coast campus, but lined with Ginko trees. A group of students were doing singing exercises in the foyer of the clock tower and another practicing archery, chanting with each step. From there we left the school and went to see the Tokyo Dome. We got there just as the fans were lining up to watch the baseball team, the Giants play. It was crazy, every one wearing their colors and buying more souvenirs, getting ready for the game. Lunch was at the "best" spaghetti place in Tokyo. We waited in line, as there was probably about 20 seats in the whole place and it seemed every one wanted to eat there. Rik said there is always a line, no matter what time you go. After tasting our meal it was easy to see why. We had fresh made pasta covered with meat sauce, fermented bean paste and a lightly pouched egg. It was probably one of the best meals we have had. After that we walked around the neighborhood checking out the high end stores. By this time it was close to 4p and every one was getting tired. At this point we said good bye to Mai :( and headed back to our hotel with Rik. Rik helped us plan our day for tomorrow before heading off to his apt. My heart broke just a little as we said good bye and now I am counting the days till I see him again. Luckily I got to skype him later that night. We finished the night by having dinner with Noah and AJ before saying our good byes to them. Hard to believe just one more day left.

Osaka day two and then off to Tokyo This morning we spent the day touring the Imperial Palace in Osaka. It was an impressive site, surrounded by 5 rivers that acted as a moat, it rose over the city. We stopped for a few photo ops and then into the Palace. We took the elevator to the 5th floor, 2 more sets of steps and out to the deck. What a site, it was amazing to see how big Osaka really is. On the way down Noah and Rik stopped to dress as samurai warriors. Rik looked so good two girls had to have their picture taken with him!! From there it was back on the bullet and train and back to Tokyo. We stopped and picked up fresh sushi for the ride back, yum!! Back in Tokyo we made to to our hotel in the Ginza district. Ginza is like Park Ave and 5th ave rolled into one. It was fun to window shop at Mikimoto, Burberry's, Chanel and Louis V's to name a few. I have never seen so many high end shops in one place. Later we wondered the streets checking out the neon lights and settled on a Sri lankan dinner. It was very tasty but it still seemed very similar to some of the meals we have had. We retired to the hotel looking forward to tomorrow and my last day with Rik :(.