Japan!

Today we can happily brag that Orange and Cyan Arts are going to be hitting Japan this Springtime! A Mecca for computer game lovers and Manga fans alike, we have booked ourselves a mega time in this diverse island nation!

We kick off our tour in Tokyo, followed by a couple of days in Hakone - a town famous for it's onsens (hot natural springs) plus we'll be using trains and funiculars to ride up Mt Fuji. We're then heading on to Kyoto, the former Imperial Capital with around 2000 magnificent temples, shrines, palaces, museums and Zen gardens. It's also the home of the International Manga Museum - hurrah! After Kyoto, we're continuing by train to Hiroshima, a peace promoting city following the explosion of the atomic bomb there in 1945 and will spend time in the Peace Museum.

We are also planning a trip to Miyajima Island to take in the views, especially the the floating Torii Gate which glows at sunset.
From there on to Koyo-San and more mountain railway journeys. This time it's to Mt Koya, a religious centre founded in 816 by the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi. staying in temple lodgings run by monks (shukubo) we will eat Shojin-ryori (tasty veggie meals) and have the chance to be up at dawn to observe the monks praying. Next we're off to the culinary capital of Japan - Osaka where Ian will no doubt be consuming octopus balls whilst Tracey goes electronics shopping in Den-Den.

After that, we'll be heading back to Tokyo for a further 6 days
to enjoy Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing parties) in Ueno-koen where there are over 1000 flowering trees.

We'll also be hitting Origami Kaikan for demonstrations on the art of paper folding, The Sumo Museum which is a huge store of records, relics and pictures of past yokozuna (grandmasters of Sumo) and is also a venue for matches, followed of course by a visit to Fujita Vente and the Sony Centre where we'll be testing out the latest electronic gadgets, gizmos and video games.

We're taking empty bags to fill with goodies and souvenirs from the cos-play streets of Harajuku and 'Electric Town' Akiharbara.

Phew! So there we have it - trip of a lifetime here we come!
Sayounara, O&C