Prologue

Kyoto temple

I have dreamed of taking an exotic vacation, and was jealous when my friend, Nancy, traveled to Thailand. This year, I convinced my husband, Larry, that we should visit Japan. We have a good friend who was born there and moved back with his wife several years ago. Larry and I were supposed to attend Yoshino's eightieth birthday party in Hong Kong about four years ago, but had to secure a doctor's note to obtain a refund on our airline tickets when his sister's cancer required us to move full-time to our lake house in South Carolina to be with her. In thinking about where to go this year, we decided that, although our friend is very spry, he is still eighty-four! Who knows how long he will be healthy enough to show us around? So, we decided this is the year to pay him a visit.

Lake Ashi with Mout Fuji

Instead of imposing on his hospitality for a solid week or more, I found a tour company and booked a week's tour from Tokyo to Kyoto, including Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi. We took a trip to the Celtic Isles last year with Globus. A related company, Globus Vacation, had a one-week tour for a price we could swallow, so we booked it for May. I sent Yoshino our itinerary and he agreed to meet with us one day before our tour begins and one day after it ends to add cities not included in our package. We are very excited about this trip. Friends of ours who have visited him in Japan still rave about what a fantastic guide he is. We cannot wait to leave on May 14th, returning on the 24th.

Two of my sisters have also agreed to stay at our home and care for our two little dogs, so we don't have to board them for this trip. We are very grateful to them for saving us some money, and worry about their well-being. They are two very spoiled little pooches.