We're Off !

Okay this is my first blog experience so I'll try to make this worth your while. Rather than write this as a running dialogue I will offer a series of observations, thoughts and comments.  Enjoy !

*We left RDU Wednesday morning to Washington,DC.  From Dulles Airport we flew to Narita International in Japan.  When we booked the flight the seat selection option was not functioning so Peggy and I ended up separated.  However, this worked to our advantage since the flight was not fully booked and 2 seats behind a bulkhead with full leg-room became ours. What a luxury on a 15 hour flight.

*We landed in Japan at 3PM after flying across snow-covered northern Canada and Alaska.  Coming into Japan I noticed very flat land in an elaborate grid of green fields interspersed by short "mesas" covered with trees.  This is an interesting geographic feature that I have not seen before.

*We had hoped to spend 2 days in Japan before going on to Taiwan but I forgot about the International Date Line. So we took off on Wednesday and landed on Thursday.  Still after settling in to the hotel we took the free shuttle into Narita and the Aeon Shopping Mall, a high-class facility(see photos) where we roamed around and then ate before returning to the hotel.

*Since our flight did not leave until 6PM on Friday, we took the shuttle into Narita in the morning.  By the way I failed to mention my surprise at discovering that the Japanese drive on the left side just like in England.

* We found our way to an old winding, narrow street lined with 100 year-old shops and restaurants which leads to the Naritisan Shinshoji Temple complex. This impressive array of temples, shrines, pagodas and gardens attracts over 10 million people a year.  This is an active sect of Buddhism and the grounds house ancient(940 AD) and modern facilities.  We witnessed a service in progress.

*We wandered through the adjacent forest and gardens with classic Japanese attention to detail. What a refreshing area of waterfalls, stone walks, bridges, and ponds with koi the size of king mackeral.  There we ran into a group of elementary school kids on a field trip.  They all said "konnichiwa"-hello. Thereafter we noticed that most students wear uniforms(similar to Catholic schools here).

*We ate lunch at a place that seemed to be the purveyor of products produced in the area.  They are known for a sweet bean paste which is incorporated into all kinds of confections.  They are also famous for grilled eel.  While here we were treated to a concert featuring stringed instruments I have never seen. Five young ladies plucked the strings on what appeared to be long log sections with the strings supported by again what appeared to be the spine bones of a whale. They played classical and contemporary music. A thought-how many different cultures developed instruments that consist of plucked strings.

Thereafter we headed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and headed for the airport.  Next.Taiwan. 
Also, I'll add photos but right now I'm on my way to the wedding.