Japan

Lesley and Caroline were lucky enough to be invited to attend a conference in Japan by colleagues. They flew from Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda airport, taking a bullet train to Kyoto on September 1st. After a week in Kyoto with colleagues from Japan and business associates from the USA, they travelled back to Tokyo - narrowly avoiding a major typhoon.

Food hall

retail therapy (with air-conditioning). Fish shaped waffles - only in Japan?
Dinner time Friday

We joined Jennifer and Yadine at Mangetsu no Hana - the really popular places fill up early as most are very small.
Traditional sake

It's poured in front of you until the glass overflows into the wooden box
Yaki onigiri

The most delicious rice ball - lucky we ordered one each.
Menu

Flavours of Japan
Gateway to Fushimi Inari shrine

Saturday morning
Entering through the gate

We tried to arrive at opening time, before the crowds
Lighting a candle

Small shrines are everywhere
Prayers for sale

There are many stalls selling prayer cards
Dog statue

Guardians of the temple
Heading to the torii gates

It's a long uphill climb through more than 1000 gates to the shrine at the very top
Fortune teller

All kinds of 'spiritual' things for sale here
Torii gates mark the entrance

The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters
En route

Everyone is trying to take photos, while being swept along by the crwods
Shrine selfie

Pushed along by a wall of tourists. And it's stiflingly hot!
Rules for wild boars

and monkeys
Rules for toursist

There were rules in the loos too
Monkey rules

We didn't see any monkeys or wild boar
More prayers

Choose one - write a wish on the back
Somebody's prayer
Halfway point

Having left Caroline resting in a shady spot some distance back down the trail, I finally arrive at the halfway point of the climb…