Hi Noriko,

 

Thank you very much for your contribution to our long awaited return to Japan.  Everything went without a hitch, and whilst we couldn’t do the trip down to Hiroshima this time, it was a wonderful visit yet again.

 

We spent 8 days in Sapporo with the family, (we hadn’t seen the kids for almost four years), then overnight in Hakkodate, down to Sendai where we were treated to a traditional sashimi dinner at a beautiful restaurant with nine old friends, all of whom had been terribly affected by the Earthquake/Tsunami.

 

They’re tough people,  and they’re recovering amazingly well.

 

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Hokkaido because it had been so cold so late.  We had one day where it was Minus One Degree – a little hard to take after an Australian summer.

 

I have hundreds of photo’s, and once I’ve had time to sort them out, I will send you some.

 

Many thanks again,

 

John and Sue

 

PS:  We are hoping to return to Japan  in October for two weeks (if finances allow), so expect to hear from us again soon.