Hello from Japan!

We had so much trouble with "red tape" that this was nearly the trip that never was, but here we are in beautiful Kyoto after spending a couple of awesome days in Osaka.    

Below are two pictures from our trip to a samurai castle (now a museum) in Osaka.  One picture shows Gemma playing dress-up with the locals, and the other shows a garden area of the castle.

Gemma has now learned to eat using chopsticks, and is an excellent navigator on the subway.  One of our favoring activities here is spotting "Engrish," that Asian way of expressing things in English that ranges from not quite right to downright unintelligible, but always comical.  So far, she has found the best example on a large sign outside an electronics/tool store in Osaka that advertised "High Prices!"  Who knows, maybe someone would find that a compelling reason to shop there!  We'll keep looking...

Michelle