I am pleased that John Mahon agreed to join us as a coach this year. Today is an orientation day and the competition “draw.” The first case of the competition is scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday (1/4).

Go Maine! Go BlackBears!

I love trains and a ride on the famous Japanese “bullet train (The Shinkansen) is a special treat no matter how many times I have taken the train. On this trip to Kyoto we were about a N700 series and the fastest of the scheduled trains between Tokyo and Kyoto — the Nazomi — zipping along the countryside at speeds up to about 300KM per hour.

You will note the crew arrives like an airliner and each car is inspected and cleaned in Tokyo by an assigned staff member prior to the departure from Tokyo.

A visit to Kyoto is always an inspirational experience, rich in the history and culture of Japan. On this trip, taken to visit Keiko’s aunt whose husband had passed on, we did not have a great deal of time for touring. Our choice was a visit to the Imperial Palace, built when Kyoto served as the capitol of Japan. Despite the rain, the grounds, gardens and buildings offered a wonderful journey into the past. I’ll let some of the many architectural study photographs I took speak for themselves.

For our final night dinner, Keiko’s parents invited us to join them at a local sushi restaurant. As you can see from the pictures, the fish is very fresh … and at this establishment, priced according to the color plate it is served on off a conveyor belt. Great fun …. and great sushi at an unbeatable price. The photo of my niece, Mai, provides amble testimony to the evening’s dinning success!

While in Kyoto on Monday March 8, Keiko and I visited her aunt Akemi. She had prepared sushi for us to eat …. and insisted we should be able to consume the offering presented for five people! We did our best and finished the meal for breakfast on Tuesday morning. It was quite a treat.

We are off for our final day in Tokyo (Wednesday, March 10). I will post additional photos from Seoul and commentary on our journey to Kyoto later in the day.