Well boarding passes in hand, we are enjoying our last bites of sushi in Japan. We took a convenient shuttle from our hotel into Narita and bought some chopsticks, got a recommendation on food; ate the best sushi of our lives in the most quaint little bar & beat the cold with warm saki; then wandered to a noodle short order shop for omelettes & beer (sounds wierd but it was seriously delicious). I happened upon a karoake bar but didn't have time to belt one out. In the morning we found a zen garden & had tea at the hotel, then went back to the city center. Sunday morning proves a fantastic day to visit the market and the Naritisan Shon-ji temple - it was full of Japanese people, the market was buzzing and the temple grounds were full of little stands selling festive items - after cleansing our spirits with incense outside, we found a Homa ceremony in procession inside the Shongin Buddhist temple & we were lucky to see some of the rites - drum pounding and hear Buddhist chanting. The primary message of the ceremony was for good wishes and world peace. Like all the spiritual and other worldly places we've seen, again, it too was humbling.
(We'll try posting the last of our photos when our internet connection is better back in the states.)
Mentally we are struggling with coming home ~ it's been an amazing trip and we both agree we have adventurous hearts. It's been exactly what a honeymoon should be ~ a chance to be alone with your new spouse, relaxing and discovering a completely new world and perspective in life. And not only do we still really like each other, but we are looking forward to our next travels!
Dan's looking forward to hugging our dog and cutting his fingernails. I'm ready to open wedding gifts and try out our newly-acquired Thai cooking recipes. We are also just a few days away from our birthdays (a big one for me ~ 30th)~ so there is plenty more to look forward too!
Thanks for all the comments, we so enjoyed hearing your thoughts as we were so far away & also thanks for reading our blog ~ we know we are blessed when we can share & for knowing you care!
