Our Japan experience started in Okinawa and branched out to Kyoto for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Working for DODEA gave us our first opportunity on the other side of the world. Living on an island gave us a different perspective of Japan.
In Japan, tradition is still very important. Temples and symbols of hope, luck, and belief in a spirit world can be found in lots of forms.
One way to have fun in Japan is to go to a bullfight, an actual bull fight where the bulls fight each other. The bulls are pampered and trained and win the fight when they are able to run off their competitor!
Most gravesites and tombs are situated in the sides of hill sides so that the deceased can sit up and see the world around them.
Japanese stores were very similar to South America in that you could find lots of little shops with all kinds of interesting items for sale.
The cherry blossom festival in Kyoto was a wonderful time of seeing mainland Japan with all its people, bicycles, and temples. Extra treats were the "kid corral" and the hearse!