This was my second trip to Japan, the first was mainly to climb Mt Fuji, visit friends and various other cities in Honshu, ("Main Island" or "Main Province") Honshu is the largest and most populous island of Japan.

This time I travelled with my son Ross and although we visited some of the places I had been to before it was good to have his company and the knowledge I had gained before made getting around so much easier.

We arrived with Air France at Haneda Airport and took the train into Tokyo Station, here we validated our Japan Rail Pass and boarded the Shinkansen or Bullet Train for Kyoto. Having a Rail Pass allowed us to take almost any train to anywhere in Japan over our 7 day period and book our seats ahead.

Kyoto
We dropped off our cases at the hotel and started to explore, over the two nights we stayed there we visited the Nishiki Food Market, Kiyomizu Temple and the Yasaka Shrine, Kinkaku-ji the Golden Temple.
Using our rail pass we travelled to the Hozugawa river boat ride. We took the train on the JR line from Kyoto station to Kameoka station and then walked

Kiyomizu Temple Kyoto

about 10-15minutes to the boarding point.

Yasaka Shrine Kyoto

The boat ride lasted about 90 minutes and we both enjoyed the experience. We felt that the rapids were thrilling enough as those seated in the front were getting a bit wet, the boat ride was relaxing and the ravine was absolutely gorgeous. The men who navigated the boat were really friendly and although they did not speak any English their smiles and jokes created a really nice atmosphere over the entire ride, so we joined in with the laughter of the others.
The end of the trip was in Arishiyama, here there are plenty of shops and places to eat and later we caught the train back to Kyoto. In the evening we enjoyed the dancing fountains and the general atmosphere around the station.
Kyoto is a very attractive city with good, easy to use local transport and lots of shopping.

Nagasaki
Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became a centre of Portuguese and Dutch influence in the 16th through 19th centuries.
On August 9, the U.S. dropped a plutonium implosion-type bomb (Fat Man) on the city of Nagasaki. Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects of the atomic bombings killed 39,000–80,000 in Nagasaki.
Unfortunately the weather on our arrival in Nagasaki was a little wet as the rain had caught up with us, our hotel here was Japanese style at Mr Fujiwara's Ryokan, only a 10-minute walk from JR Nagasaki Train Station, Fujiwara Ryokan offers simple Japanese-style accommodations.

Japanese breakfast Nagasaki	Nagasaki	Nagasaki tram	Shopping Mall Nagasaki

I felt it would have been a mistake to miss out on true Japanese comforts.
The futon (bed) is traditional Japanese bedding comprising a quilted mattress that is usually laid on the floor. A bedding set consists of both a mattress and a duvet, although the word "futon" is also used to refer specifically to the mattress. Both elements of a futon bedding set are pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom. In other words we slept on the floor.
The hosts, Mr & Mrs Fujiwara were lovely people, he was always ready with a jug of hot water for tea while his wife made the traditional Japenese breakfast. Spending two nights here really made our visit special.
The weather did hamper our sightseeing in the city a little but there is a wonderful indoor shopping mall and the day ticket for the tram network was good value too.

Hiroshima
Back onto the main island and Hiroshima, our hotel was adjacent to the station and from the station entrance there is a free city bus tour for

Mount Misen Miyajima

JR Pass holders, this takes you round all the sights and you can get on and off whenever you like, so visiting the Castle, The Peace Park, the shopping area or the station was easy.
We got oand visited the castle and then walked to The Peace Park, to me no visit to this city is complete without a stop here. The area now known as Peace Memorial Park was previously an urban district called Nakajima. It was a thriving commercial centre where goods coming up the rivers on boats were unloaded, then sold or sent elsewhere by land.
It is estimated that at the time of the atomic bombing, about 6,500 people lived in the seven cho (neighborhood units) in the Nakajima district. On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in history exploded directly over this area. Nearly all of these lives were lost as the entire district vanished instantly. The acute effects of the atomic bombing killed 90,000–146,000 people in Hiroshima.

From hiroshima station we took the JR line to Miyajimaguchi Station, then the 10 minute ferry which crosses over to Miyajima Island, it is one of the most scenic spots in Japan and has long been regarded as an Island of Gods on the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. It is a very historical island where Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site, is located, along with the Virgin Forest of Mt. Misen, and numerous preserved shrines, temples and historical monuments. There is also a cable car to the top of the mountain.

Tokyo
We arrived back in Tokyo on the seventh and final day of our JR Rail Pass and using the subway we travelled to our hotel in the Shinjuku area, again it was very close to transport as the station was directly below the hotel. Another nice place and included breakfast.
Our final seven nights were spent here in the capital and boy we wasted no time.

Rainbow bridge Tokyo

Shibuya crossing Tokyo

There were just too many places to mention, but included Sensoji Temple, the Meiji Shrine, Kappabashi Street where you can find kitchen items, knives, table wear lanterns and more. There are also a few stores on the street which sell plastic and wax food samples, used by many restaurants in their show windows. Tokyo Tower with its glass floor window, it was here that Ross startled the locals by jumping onto the glass while they were noisily discussing its safety and whether or not they should trust even putting a foot on it - I tried to explain that everything was OK and that he was Scottish!   Boys eh!
Akihabara, also called Akiba after a former local shrine, it is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops. In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the centre of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district. Harajuku which is known internationally as a centre of Japanese youth culture and fashion. Odaiba which is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world but does mean an early start to see it working fully

Sensoji Temple Tokyo	Sensoji Temple Tokyo	Meiji Shrine Tokyo	View from Tokyo Tower

One of the real highlights was our visit to Robot Restaurant, this was someplace Ross really wanted to go although I was skeptical, but it was truly one of the highlights of our entire trip.
The Robot Restaurant show takes place within the Shinjuku area, inside there are spectator galleries flanking both long sides. Performers enter from beyond black curtains at each end. Total duration of the show is about 80 minutes, roughly divided as follows:
First part 20 minutes, introduces a broad theme that, upon the Earth being invaded by alien beings, several types of animals join the humans to defend our planet. In procession we’re introduced to warriors in gaudy costumes as well as the cloaked enemy. The costumes, like the waiting room above and the stairway, are riots of colour.
Second part 30 minutes is a war of advances and retreats by battle wagons, a whale, a Godzilla, two huge metal-shielded segmented androids and other assorted fighters. Their leaping antics are accompanied by psychedelic flashing lights, spitting sparkling machine guns, and deafening electronic dance music. And so it goes on, although the noise was deafening it was something to behold and should be included to a trip to Tokyo.

One of our final stops was to a place I had wanted to visit for a while; it was to see Asimo the Honda Robot.
He does his stuff at the Honda Plaza and it is quite a show, the movements "he" can undertake are enough to make you think there is someone inside it.
The whole show finishes with a photo opportunity with Asimo himself.

We also met with the family I have been friends with for many years, it was their Silver Wedding Anniversary and we enjoyed a real Japanese meal in celebration. Keijiro had helped on my first visit with advice on climbing Mt Fuji, he and his wife Yuko guided me around the city and stored my luggage while I was at Mt Fuji. We also met their boys Takao and Satoshi and Yuko's sister Erika.