Japan - without the kids!!

John got an opportunity to go to Japan for work. This particular job was sudden, but Grandma graciously flew out (bought the tickets on a wed, she flew out on a fri) to watch the kids for us! Thank you Mommy! I think Nana was secretly hoping for some extra grandkid time too. :) Thank you all for being so willing to help us with this crazy plan!

Anyway, we went to a Marine base on Iwakuni - a few hours east of Hiroshima. Iwakuni is right next to some amazing scenery. The Kintai Bridge below was finished in 1673. The first few bridges on that spot washed away. The third Lord of Iwakuni finally figured out how to build a bridge that could withstand the wind and currents and span such a great distance. He saw a picture of a place called Sokoutei (which means Kintai or brocade sash) where several small islands were connected by tiny bridges. He built five small stone islands to make the Iwakuni Kintai Bridge. The bridge lasted until a typhoon in 1950, but was rebuilt a few years later. I think that one of the coolest things about this new bridge is that the town built it with the very same materials and tools as the original bridge. Every year, craftsman practice ancient carpentry skills by completing repairs on this bridge with ancient tools. What a neat way to keep historical art alive!

It was windy, so my shirt looks weird...

These guys are cormorant fishing. They swish their poles kind of like a fly fisherman, but the poles are HUGE!!!! The picture does not show scale very well.

The old village of Kintai reminded me of a Japanese Jamestown (only much older in history). Everything was set up to represent the lifestyle of 16th century Japanese life.

This is the view from the cable car that goes from the old town to the castle.

John is drinking Pocari Sweat. Apparently, sweat is a bit lemony.

Displays inside the Iwakuni Castle.

The gardens were gorgeous!

Shinto Temple

There was an iris garden inside a pond! Beautiful!

Look, the turtle is squatting. :)

Another Iris garden

A new species of plant life: potted cat. These white snakes are found only in this area. They are pretty cool looking!

This was the coolest flower we saw in Japan. What is it????

The Iwakuni castle itself was five floors, and I neglected to put a picture on the blog, but have no fear! I will post tons of Japanese buildings when I get to the next post. :)