adorable neko in the gardens of the government buildings next door to us

So that ActionItem to write up what we’ve been up to? Hah! Yeah, no.

Possibly tomorrow. Though a more realistic plan would be to grab a notebook and start writing things down when I find spare moments. Already we’re starting the “what day did we do x?” | “where did we have dinner on Thursday?”.

I can’t quite believe we still have more than a week of holiday to go! It feels as though we’ve been here for much longer.

I keep promising myself that I’ll sit down and record my observations. If I don’t, I’ll forget everything – the blog has kind of become the system of record for my life.

ActionItem for tomorrow. I will sit down and write some things.

We pretty much spent today in department stores. 

It was fabulous! Such an interesting experience. Even the very-long-time spent in the Giant golf store. And I had what is possibly the best coffee I’ve ever tasted (must go back for that!)

And there are so many, many more department stores to explore! (seriously, like at least three within 15 minutes walk)

After a whirlwind visit to Kyoto, it was back to Tokyo today for 11 days of adventure!

 
one of the approximately 65 billion red gates in kyoto

We’ve just returned from an excellent dinner with a colleague of Don’s and her husband and have fallen into the hard, giant bed, exhausted.

There’s so much to see and do, we’re not even sure where to start!

Captured on the way to dinner. The light on the mountains was incredible.

We were a little more sedate today. One outing in the morning to Fushimi Inari Taisha (and a neko cafe!) then lounged about in the afternoon. I napped and read, Don got a massage. 

I’ve been feeling REALLY unwell for the last day or so which is putting a bit of a dampener on things. I can still get out and about for a bit here and there, but pah! it is full of suck. I’m hoping another proper night’s sleep fixes me.

Back to Tokyo tomorrow.

This holiday caper is exhausting!

Today we travelled to Kyoto on the shinkansen. It was crazy-fast and crazy-comfortable.

We then walked around temples and took roughly 65 million photographs.

It’s been both action-packed and pretty excellent. And exhausting. So exhausting.

I’ll hopefully get on to a post with actual content at some point. It would be nice to stop walking for 5 minutes to do so.

My impressions two days in – incredibly peaceful and very soothing. And food! Such good food!

Ever since I first read about it, I’ve wanted to see Nakagin Capsule Tower In Real Life – and today was that day!

It is just a fabulous as I had hoped! Especially with a bonus layer of urban decay.

It was by complete coincidence that we are staying (tonight) about 30 min walk away, so there was nothing for it but to meander around trying to locate it – in spite of google maps often trying to lead us off in the wrong direction.

Already we’ve walked for over 20km, gotten rather sunburned and consumed some amazing food.

I’m completely knackered and keep nodding off while writing (and hitting lots of the wrong keys).

<edited> next morning to correct sleepy typos!

Next stop, Tokyo!

I’m pretty sure this is my favourite photo from the Canberra trip. Very dystopian, nightmare world – post-apocalyptic even. The perfect location for the centre of government.

xxx

ONE MORE SLEEP!

I’m heading to the airport straight from SML tomorrow afternoon, while Don wrangles the luggage (best husband ever?). I’ve tried to be ruthless clothing wise, but I threw a couple of things in at the last minute – just in case.

It has been a completely insane week work-wise and my brain is just about broken. I think I have crammed about 5 week’s work into the past four days. I have an interview tomorrow at 8:30am (eeep!), back-to-back meetings most of the day and one more piece of work to cover off. And then … many glorious hours of lovely, lovely reading. I have no expectation of sleeping on the plane, so I appreciate the opportunity to be trapped with a couple of books.

I’m so glad to have the chance to get away and recharge. Rome (in 2008!) was the last time I had a proper mid-year break, every other trip has been wrapped around Christmas holidays.

We’re so enthused about making time to take vacations that we’ve just booked flights for a 2018 break.