Osaka

After camping on the hard ground for two nights, Aaron's tush could take no more, so we changed plans and headed for a hotel in Osaka. It was a great choice. Osaka is an urban jungle! We had a great time and ate excellent sushi and slept in a comfortable bed.




Streets of Osaka...a real night spot with Karaoke, slots, and all things Japanese...

Hep Five (an amusement park/mall) and hotel kimonos

Hiroshima and Miya-jima

We landed in Tokyo on Saturday, August 8, but no trains were available for Hiroshima, so we headed halfway there to Osaka, spent the night, and then finished the trip Sunday morning. It was raining Sunday which made the experience even more somber. It is an amazing city, and it is really quite shocking that everything was incinerated just over 60 years ago.

Around the outskirts of town and the city tram

Paper crane art and the memorial museum (where's baldo?)

Street of the hypocenter and the A-bomb dome (just a block away from the hypocenter, the only thing that was left intact during the renovations)

Another pic of the A-bomb dome and a tree exposed to the blast that folded over the damage and continued to grow.

After the sobering experience of walking through Hiroshima, we headed off to the island God of Miya-jima for some supposed R&R. The plan was to tour the temple and laze on the beach...However, Kelly got the idea to hike over the mountain to the temple through a trail covered with plant life and multitudes of spiders. When we made it to the other side, we saw that the trail had been closed for 2 years! Although Aaron had many complaints about this little adventure, it was one of the most memorable days we spent in Japan.

View from the ferry ride to Miya-jima and the famous shrine

Itsukushima-jinja (temple/shrine) and five-storied pagoda

Miya-jima is loaded with wild deer that eat anything including maps!

Cuisine and Camping

Jungle trek from Hades and cooling off afterward in a stream...oops, is this stream sacred?

3 Weekends of Adventure

The last weekend in June we went to the province north of Seoul and went white water rafting. We camped and bathed in the river...what fun!

For the Fourth of July, we hopped on a ferry with some Kiwi friends and headed to an island off the coast from Incheon, Deokjeok-do. Swimming, volleyball, camping, hiking...exhausting!

Then the next weekend we headed to Boryeong City for the annual International Mud Festival. We were not quite sure what to expect, but it was well worth the trip and the clean up afterward!

Our Town

Here are a few pictures from our new area of Seoul. We live in the mountains, mountain number 4 to be exact, and have really been enjoying hiking and exploring the alleys that make Korea amazing. We have found the best of both worlds in our new home - a bustling city and refreshing mountain escape!

Sadang, an area close to us, has an abundance of Japanese food and bars (as you can see).

This is a market area where we shop on occasion, but mostly enjoy walking through, smelling the products for sale!

Almost every evening we climb to the peak above, and the view is our reward. We started climbing daily in preparations for Mount Fuji in August!

On the weekends, we climb to the top peak and hike along the ridge.

Scattered throughout the area on the mountain side are various bunkers that are barbwired off. Pretty interesting but dangerous if you aren't paying attention!

Korean Baseball!

We experienced our first Korean baseball game, and it was truly an experience to remember! The fans are loud and never lose enthusiasm. There is a man cheerleader? shouting slogans for each player, and there are girl dancers that occasionally bop around for the crowd. The most impressive thing is the players. They really play the game and work the crowd. They are stealing bases, hitting fly balls just to get a run in, they are bunting, and just really working in the runs.... like they love playing, working as a team, and trying to please the crowds... a nice change!

Aaron's Ad

This is an advertisement for the school Aaron works at, Sangmyeong Elementary.

What a star!

Only in Korea...I hope

We were out exploring our new area and witnessed some tree trimming.

Yes, you see it right! There is a man swatting tree branches with a broom! WOW is all we could say (and pause to snap a shot, of course)!