Tuesday, April 3rd, Hakone, Japan

Greetings!

Many subways and trains later, we're in Hakone.  We'll be back in Tokyo in 20 days, but now we're traveling around the country (and all its major islands).  We've all seen images of the crowded trains in and around Tokyo, and the staff who are employed to cram you into them.  I can tell you that we did not see them do that, but also did not try to enter the trains in the central stations at rush hour.

What we did do today was travel around the greater Tokyo area to visit temples and shrines.  The Cherry blossoms are still blooming, and everywhere we went the trees were beautiful.

Why do we visit all of these religious and governmental structures?  It's the easiest and most direct way to learn about history, and the people who lived through the last several thousand years.

We also walked through bamboo forests, watched hawks, and even heard a frog or two.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Tuesday, April 3rd, Hakone, Japan.