We flew to Osaka and went straight to Kyoto - a truly magical city.  We had a chance encounter with a geisha in the Gion district and toured temples and shrines.  The most compelling site happened to be adjacent to our hotel (the new Hyatt Kyoto) and was an ancient long wood temple brimming with identical bronze sculptures.  Sanjusangendo Hall was really a spectacular, unexpected sight with a vista of a thousand figures lined up 8 rows deep as far as the eye could see.

We spent several nights at a hot springs spa (the serene and placid onsen Gora Kadan) and availed ourselves of the amazing food and enormous soaking tub in our room overlooking the mountains.

In Tokyo, highlights were the views from our hotel room that perpetually delighted Adam day and night, and the fish market!

Julie gave a science seminar at the Earth Simulator Center in Yokohama, and Dan was in Tokyo for the Linux Foundation Japan Symposium.

Places to stay: Hyatt Kyoto, Gora Kadan, Park Hyatt Tokyo, and Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.
Special thanks to Miwako Fujimoto, owner of Gora Kadan, for her warmth and hospitality.