As we had some vacation time, we decided to visit Seoul, South Korea.

We found it to be much like Japan in many ways. One noticable difference was the prominence of evangelical churches.


At the Deoksugung Palace, they were having a "changing of the Royal Guard". They are from the Josen Dynasty era. Aren't the period costumes colorful!!

When they motioned if I wanted to stand and have my picture taken, I couldn't resist....


The DMZ is something we have heard about most of our lives; especially since Martin's oldest brother served in Korea during the war.

It was exciting to be so close to where history is still playing an active role.


At Panmunjeom, where the armistice agreement was signed in 1953, we could only take pictures from this point. The United Nations Command had very strict guidelines to follow. We were required to sign a release declaration before we could enter the area.
You can see the North Korean soldier in the background, looking back at the South Korean soldiers in the foreground.
We were allowed to go inside the conference room at the Joint Security Area. To stand on the North, and South Korean side of the demarcation line running down the center of the table, was a little scary.


Something new to us, was the "3rd tunnel" that had been dug by North Korea. Discovered in 1978, it had the capacity to move 10,000 soldiers in one hour, plus their weapons. Definitely designed for a surprise attack. When you consider that Seoul is only 55 kilometers (33 miles) away from the zone area, that can be a disturbing thought!

There have been five reported discoveries of such tunnels.
I asked about any recent discoveries and was told that the zone is monitored at all times.

This is the War Memorial of Korea.
It gave a sombering look at military might at the time, and the human loss from the war. As it was Memorial Day week-end in the states, we gave thought, and thanks, for the approximately 34,000 United States soldiers who died here.

One encouraging display was a clock that, hopefully one day, will show the exact time when North and South Korea will no longer be separated by border or ideology.

We want to share with you some beautiful spring flowers.



This is at Showa Koen in Tachikawa, one of our favorite parks and cities.

We have enjoyed the park in all seasons, but had never been there during the two week spring flower festival.



Can you imagine the effort on bended knees to accomplish this? We certainly appreciated the hard work that was put in so we could enjoy them.

We have been enjoying "Sakura"; the time when the cherry trees bloom signaling that winter is over.

It is very typical for the people to come out to the parks for "hanami"- to watch and take pictures of the cherry trees.

This year people were showing "restraint" in their celebrations due to the suffering that the people in the north are experiencing. Usually you would find it difficult to find a spot to have your lunch.

This is our bento lunch that we picked up at a store before going to the park.

This is either a late bloomimg plum tree or a cherry tree that is not of the Japanese variety.

As the country is settling into a "new normal", we are reminded of the Hope we have through the renewal of the seasons.

This picture was taken minutes after the big earthquake on March 11. We were in Tokyo city on the 7th floor of a building.

When all the shaking stopped, we made our way down the steps to the street. As you can see people left the buildings and made their way to the sidewalk.

Once we learned that the trains were no longer running, we looked for other ways to get home; walking, the bus, and walking again. We were standing at a crosswalk and a Good Samaritan came along in his car and gave us a ride. We did not know this man nor did he speak English. He knew we needed help. He drove us to our apartment taking 5 hours. In all, it took us 8 hours to make what would have been a 35 minute train ride.

As we were relocating to Osaka on Saturday, we saw Japan's flag at half mast due to the crisis they are experiencing.

Before we left Musashi Koganei, we felt safe there. We were experiencing rolling blackouts where they would happen at different times of the day. Other cities were having no blackouts. These were certainly mere inconviences for us.
Stores were open on an abbreviated schedule due to helping to conserve energy. Everyone was trying to help in their own way the people of the north.

Now things are uncertain due to the nuclear contamination. We are scheduled to be here for two weeks. Everyday has brought different news that may affect us. We thank you for your prayers for Japan and its people. We had to leave our national friends, and that saddens us.

Welcome to Sydney, Australia! With our term coming to an end in July, and the volunteer season soon approaching, we decided to take some vacation time to a place we had always wanted to visit.

The Sydney Opera House did not disappoint us. After seeing it so many times in pictures, I had to pinch myself to really believe I was there.

We took the tour and got to see the inner workings of the productions, also background information about the construction and how the plan for constructing this amazing facility was almost eliminated.

This shows how busy the area is in the evening. All along the water front, there are tables for those who are meeting for dinner, or enjoying the weather prior to attending a performance.

We found Sydney an easy place to get around. We planned our activities around what we could do either by bus, train, or ferry so that I would not re-injure my heel.

A city of 4 million inhabitants, Sydney was enjoying the end of their summer season. On our first day, the ship "Queen Elizabeth" sailed in and docked; and every day afterwards, there was a different cruise ship.

The Sydney Tower allowed us to have a panoramic view of the city from the 76th floor. It is anchored by 56 cables weighing 7 tons each, and has a large water tank on the top floor that acts to stablize the tower on windy days; or during earthquakes.


This view from the tower shows Hyde Park; one of our favorite parks in the city. We saw pictures where it was "laid out" in the late 1800's , planning that allows people to enjoy it today.In the evening, the largest bats we've ever seen flew around feasting on bugs.At the top of the green space is the ANZAC Memorial with its reflecting pool.




We wanted to see what it was like outside of the city, so we chose to go to a working sheep station in the Outback. Having had Jacob sheep when we had our small farm, this was an interest to us.

The ranch specializes in merino sheep which have the soft wool that we enjoy in scarves and sweaters. It certainly gives a new appreciation when you read the label.


Martin is getting ready to check this one's age. If it has its two large front teeth, it is at least one year old.
We were instructed in using the whip and throwing the boomerang. Again, a new appreciation, for neither is as easy as it looks.
We finished our day at the ranch by being served a hearty Australian steak dinner and lamingtons for dessert.

Australia has some beautiful beaches. Most people know of the Great Barrier Reef area which is 1,700 kilometers north of Sydney.
This is Manly Beach, just a ferry ride away from Sydney. We spent part of the morning there before moving on to other sites.

Another out-of-town day trip was to the Blue Mountains. It had a mixture of rainforest and forest. It reminded us alot of the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, only much larger in size. This is the rock formation called "The Three Sisters".There were hiking trails and sky trams for those that didn't mind the 1,000 foot descent into the bottom of the gorge.

Watching on CNN Sydney welcoming in the New Year with fireworks from the Harbor Bridge will have a new meaning for us.

Martin went on the Harbor Bridge Climb to the top which was an adventure in itself. The summit is appproximately 450 feet above the water; he will have to tell you all the details in person.
We really enjoyed the ferries; not only for their easy transportation but also to enjoy the warm summer breeze.


You don't think of Australia without thinking of the Aborigine people. Today they are assimilated into society for the most part- especially in the larger cities. We did enjoy listening to the music when we were around the wharf area.
This was our last ride around the harbor before flying back to Tokyo that evening.

It was a vacation that we really enjoyed!!

Out of 592 pictures, it was hard to narrow down what we wanted to share. Martin told me "people are not interested in seeing pictures of birds and trees"; although, I know some of you are, ha.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is the creation of animation film maker, Hayao Miyazaki. He seems to be the "living Walt Disney" of Japan. He lives and works in his studio just one train stop away from us.

I had wanted to go here for some time, but with the entrance being on a "timed admission", it wasn't a spontaneous thing you did. The museum was showing a 15 minute clip of his most recent film, "Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess".

Going along with the movie,the exhibit he had on flour grinding using a traditional stone grinding wheel was a nice touch. Unfortunately, no picture taking was allowed on the inside.
He has nine other films to his credit. The lady at the information desk said he has an active role in his museum. I'm sure the exhibits that pertain to the latest film, change with each new film. To satisfy the desires of visitors, there were eating facilities, a souvenir shop, a place suited for toddlers, interactive manipulative exhibits, and a replica of his work shop. For anyone interested in how films are created, the exhibits would certainly satisfy your appetite.

You could tell that it was well planned and thought through. This is the spiral stairs that you could climb from the inside to get to the outside exhibit.


This outside exhibit was on the roof. After having three days of snow, it was a good afternoon to be out enjoying the sun.

Over the holidays, we went to Kawagoe, one of Japan's cities that represents the Edo period of which the culture of the past is remembered.

This is an example of the black walled fireproof storehouses that were built in the construction boom of the 1720's.



The mode of transportation during that time period in the city can be rented today for a short excursion.


The original Kawagoe Castle was built in 1457. This reminds the people of what was left of the castle after the devasting earthquake of 1923 and the bombings of WWII.
The landmark bell tower is 16 meters tall and its uniform style has been preserved since a fire in 1893. The first wooden bell tower was built in 1624.

Our timing was such that we heard one of the four daily ringings of the bell.

I thought it would be a good way for us to "ring" in the new year. Happy 2011!!