March 28 2026

I woke with a severe case of man-flu which I suspect I picked up from Denise in Tokyo. Quite a few of the others in the group were also showing signs of it. The day became a bit of a death march for me.
After breakfast it was onto the bus and off to visit the Kenrokuen Gardens which are considered one of the most beautiful in Japan. They were first established in 1620 and contain 9,000 trees comprising over 200 different species. The cherry blossoms were just starting to come out. We also had a look at the grounds of Kanazawa Castle which adjoined the gardens before hopping back onto the bus to go and look at the Nomura Samurai house.
It was then back onto the bus where I slept all of the way to Kyoto. After finding our hotel room I was in bed by 6pm and not very good company.Read more