Rain rain go away...

I didn't realize beforehand that it was the rainy season in Japan. It's been cloudy nearly every day with a lot of light rain. For those that know me you know I don't like hot weather so this isn't so bad for me. In spite of the rain, it has been so incredibly hot here. The weather feels like Thailand but without the screaming ladyboys.

I just spent the past 7 days in Kyoto which is the old capital of Japan. I went there to experience the cultural and more traditional side of Japan. I got to see much more than I had expected because I came during the week they were celebrating a festival called Gion Matsuri. The people, mostly teens it seems, paraded in the streets wearing Kimonos all week. A few blocks were blocked off from traffic every night so the people could gather and walk around. On the final night there were hundreds of food and game vendors lined up on the sidewalks, and the large decorated floats were filled with men creating music with drums and bells. This is side of Japan that I had always wanted to see.

Here are some photos with desciptions (use one of the slide show options and increase the duration).



I just flew into Sapporo (same as the beer) from Tokyo which is up north in Hokkaido. To be honest, this place looks like Buffalo or for us Canadians, East Hamilton. The building and house style here is very much American. I'm going to tour around this large island by train and visit some of the national parks, world heritage sites, and hot springs for the next few days. My friend lent me his wireless broadband USB stick so I'm able to stay connected wherever I go... if I want to that is!

The weather here is so cool I have to wear a sweater. I couldn't get the smile off my face when I got off the plane and felt the breeze :)