May God bless Japan and its people

After weeks of following the disaster news in Japan, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant crisis scenes keep appearing in my mind from times to times.  I really wish its people who have lost their homes and families can stand up and build their homes again, and hope they can see the light in darkness.  Personally I have only been to Japan once about 5 years ago (thanks for the inflating air fares... --!), but the beautiful scenes and fun are kept in my memories.  I would like to share some beauty of Japan from my memories, and wish Japan can retain its beauty, solve the radiation crisis soon, and re-build homes for those poor people who are in needs.

Japan has always been a peaceful place for travelers, and you can feel the relaxing atmosphere once you've landed on it.  Japanese are calm, yet very polite, and I wish other countries can learn the ways they respect on good things.  Because of their respects on nice things, they can produce things in good quality and delicious cuisine in the most beautiful settings.

In Tokyo you can find upscale shops at Ginza. And you will find alot other attractions including temples, gardens, or shopping malls.  Top attractions in Tokyo include Asakusa Sensoji Temple, Nakamise Street Mall, Palace of Tokugawa shogunate, and Nijuhasi Garden.

 
Mountain Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. Its beautiful shape is a Japanese symbol.  We did have chance to climb up the Mountain Fuji on the bus to 2.305M to get a closer look of it.  The tour guide said we were lucky to see a clear Fuji mountain since it's often shrouded in clouds.  The white top of Mt. Fuji seems really gorgeous.  

There are many different temples with red entrances.  The red entrances, named as Torri, symbolically mark the entrance to a sacred space, and as a protection symbol to the temple and its people.  Even if you have other religion or no religion at all, it is good to visit those temples to see their special structures and beautiful scenes along the way.

During our trip we had the chance to see a tradition tea-making process, a traditional Japanese costume show, and a fall festival where people put vegetables together in beautiful structures to celebrate the harvest of the year.  I always admire their professionalism and attentions on details.

The hot-spring is something that you don't want to miss in Japan.  You can try it in many different traditional hot-spring resorts.  There are some hot springs that are too hot for human body--but you can eat the hot spring hard boiled eggs, called "kurotamago", which got a black shell because of the thermal hot spring.  According to the tour guide, there is a traditional myth saying that by eating each "kurotamago" black egg can add 7 years to your life span--you may guess how many black eggs I have eaten...  :)

I always miss the great food and street snacks such as octopus balls, soft-serve ice-cream, sashimi and shabu-shabu.  It's impossible to find the same tastes outside of Japan--at least I haven't found in California yet...

I had plenty of relaxation, ate alot of great food, and saw many beautiful scenes from the trip.  I wish Japan will recover from all the crisis and disasters soon and continue to be a great place for travel again.  And hope the whole world will have true peace someday, with no war, no disaster, no pollution, and no crime.