The pace has been pretty hectic. I've been jotting down notes and observations, which I'll probably post later, but I guess I'm not a very good gonzo journalist. I like to make edits. I like to refine a bit before I post. So for now, I'll just make a quick update while I still have Internet access.

Kyoto was great. It's been my favorite city, so far. Loved the Geisha district - called Goin. Kyoto is very 'old Japan.' Charming streets. After Kyoto, we went to Osaka, which was much more industrial. Mitch tells me the people in Osaka are known for being more laid back and lively. The city itself is a little more 'industrial.' A little more 'blue collar.' We went to an area called 'Namba' at night, which was a very young area full of arcades and lights and general craziness. It was like Las Vegas. We also mistakenly trekked through the 'red light' district. We wanted to take pictures, but thought it might be a bad idea.

Now we're back in Tokyo. Mitch met us last night and we're going to go down to where he and his girlfriend Naoko live in Nagoya. They just moved into a new place and are still waiting for their internet to be installed, so I may not be able to get online for a few days, which is probably a blessing in disguise. We'll be back in Tokyo Wednesday and then, sadly, it's home to DC on Thursday. (And in a neat twist of time, we'll arrive in DC before we leave Japan.)

I can't believe it's almost over.

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