Wednesday, May 21 - Depart Narita for JFK

Took Limo Bus from our hotel to Narita Airport at 9:15 AM.  Flight departs at 3:10 PM (Wednesday), scheduled to arrive at JFK at 3:00 PM (Wednesday).

Day 14 (Tuesday, May 20) - Dinner in Tokyo - Ginza Kojyu (銀座 小十)

Takeo took us to an amazing Japanese restaurant in Ginza for dinner...

Ginza Kojyu

Tooru Okuda: Owner-Chef

First Course

One of the Middle Courses

Dessert

Last Course

Fresh Fish?!?!

Chris, Mr. Okuda, me
Mr. Okuda showed us around the kitchen after dinner. 

Day 14 (Tuesday, May 20) - Yokohama to Tokyo

View from hotel room in Yokohama

Left Yokohama about 10 AM.

Arrived at the motorcycle shop just past 11 AM AND didn't get lost getting there!  After we dropped the motorcycles off we took taxi to hotel (Akasaka Excel Hotel Tokyu) in Tokyo.

Day 13 (Monday, May 19) - Shizuoka to Yokohama

Left Shizuoka just before 1 PM.  Arrived at the hotel (Yokohama Grand) about 4 PM.  Two veterinarian friends of Mark (Takeo and Shin) live in Yokohama.  I contacted Takeo to say hi.  We ended up having dinner with Takao and some of his friends at his favorite yakitori restaurant.  Shin joined us at the end of dinner.

Takeo (between Chris and me) & Shin (end on right)

Day 12 (Sunday, May 18) - Shizuoka - Mount Fuji

Hisao lead us on a ride around Mt. Fuji.  We tried to go to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival but the traffic was terrible...so we decided to visit Shiraito no Taki instead. 

Day 11 (Saturday, May 17) Evening - Shizuoka

Arrived at Kazuko's home about 5:30.  She made a delicous dinner; Hisao came over.  After dinner we went to visit Hisao's parents and his cat, Mame.

Hisao's Parents

Mame

Day 11 (Saturday, May 17) - Departing Otsu (大津市), Lake Biwa to Shizuoka

View of Lake Biwa from hotel

Chris along Lake Biwa

Day 10 (Friday, May 16) - Otsu (大津市) on Lake Biwa - Dinner

Found a hotel in downtown Otsu on Lake Biwa (Hotel Piazza).  Got a room over looking the lake. Walked to local Izakaya for dinner.

Chris and new friend drinking sake at Izakaya

Chris in front of Izakaya

Owner of Izakaya and Chris

Day 10 (Friday, May 16) - Departing Kinosaki (城崎) Onsen, Toyooka - City, Hyogo - Prefecture to Otsu (大津市) on Lake Biwa (map)

Departing Kinosaki Tajima Ryokan

Day 10 (Friday, May 16) - Morning in Kinosaki (城崎) Onsen, Toyooka - City, Hyogo - Prefecture

Friday morning we had breakfast in our room and then walked around Kinosaki Onsen town.  Took the Kinosaki Ropeway tram to the top of a local mountain.  Half way up there is a Onsen Temple (Onsenji- 温泉寺).

View from top 

Day 9 (Thursday, May 15) - Mornning & Departing Saginoyuou, Yasugi, Shimane to Kinosaki Onsen near Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture

Morning at Saginoyusou. 

Following are some pictures from Saginoyusou:

Rainy day.  Got lost TONS...finally made it to Kinosaki Tajimaya (ryokan) about 7 PM.

Dinner in the room at 7:15.

Day 8 (Wednesday, May 14) - Morning at ryokan & Afternoon at Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Shimane

Inside our room.

Entrance to ryokan (place we stayed Tuesday night) 

Ryokan where we spent Tuesday night.

Wednesday - Spent the entire day at the Adachi Museum of Art.  In addition to the impressive Japanese art collection, the museum has a spectacular garden.

Following is a slideshow of pictures from the Adachi Musum of Art:

Day 7 - Departing Kyoto (Tuesday, May 13) - Arriving in Yasugi, Shimane - Map

Checked out of the hotel in Kyoto about 11 AM and hit the road.

Packing up the bikes.

Friends that Chris met at Service Area along the way.

We arrived in Yasugi, Shimane about 5:30 PM and found a small ryokan near the Adachi Museum of Art that had a room for us.

Day 6 (Monday, May 12) - Kyoto - Nanzen-ji, Junsei

 We left the hotel late morning, stopped for lunch (nowhere special) on our way to Nanzen-ji (南禅寺)...Dinner at Junsei, a tofu restaurant that has an amazing garden, which was immediately in front of Nanzen-ji ... walked back to the hotel in the rain.

Following is a slideshow of the pictures taken during this day:

Day 5 (Mother's Day - Sunday, May 11) - Departing Linx - to Kyoto

Breakfast at hotel

Just before departure

Arrived in Kyoto about 5 PM.  Found a hotel, Hotel Centnovum Kyoto, near Kyoto Station that we could park the motorcycles easily. Went to an Izakaya near the station for dinner.

Izakaya for dinner

Day 4 - Okazaki (岡崎市) with Katsumasa's Family

Katsumasa and his family met us at a McDonald's that was just off the expressway. Stop by Katsumasa's house... dinner at local Chinese Restaurant. Then drove to hotel..stayed the night at a resort on the Mika Bay called Linx, Katsumasa's Dad manages it.

Day 4 - Riding with Hisao to Omaezaki Lighthouse (御前埼灯台), Hamanako (浜名 湖サービスエリア), onto Okazaki

View from lighhouse

We rode west from Shizuoka City to Omaezaki Lighthouse (御前埼灯台), the southern most point in Shizuoka Ken (Ken = Prefecture = State).

Chris & Hisao at the top of the lighthouse

View of lighthouse from southern most point

Then we visited Hamaoka Nuclear Museum (浜岡原子力館) at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. Hisao's Dad works at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. We watched a short movie at the Omnimax Theater there.

Hamaoka Nuclear Museum (浜岡原子力館)

After visiting the museum, we stopped for lunch at Sawayaki Grill Restaurant (炭焼き). Hisao really likes hamburgers.

Then we rode onto the Hamanko Service area (浜名 湖サービスエリア) off of the Tomei Expressway.  From there Chris and I headed to Okazaki and Hisao headed back home.