Nikko back to Tokyo
Rest day in Nikko
Kusatsu to Nikko
Herayu to Kusatsu
Noto Island to Herayu
We seemed to not have had enough rain yet on tour. Today we were blessed with another load of it. But this is not necessarily a bad thing at all. The Onsen (natural hot bath) sure is waiting for you in the next hotel 
Well, and this is also the reason why you are only getting pictures of food today 
Japanse dishes are a sight by itself anyways
Only reluctantly we left our beautiful hotel in Nanao
This coffee machine produced very tasty coffee and...
you could even watch it being freshly brewed
Along with it we had another Japanese speciality which you find similar in Germany and Austria - the famous "Baumkuchen" (tree cake). The Japanese version, though, comes with green tea flavour - of course 
All the boots at the end of a pretty wet day - yes, they are on their way to a heated room to dry out over night 
While we are enjoying our super delicious dinner, again Japanese style. This time we are actively involved barbecue our food
Fukui to Noto Island
Our journey to Nanao on Noto Island lead the group on two routes. The avid riders among us took the long loop along the coast of the peninsula and those who wished to do more sightseeing went for the Eiheiji Temple. A temple complex of the Zen-Buddhism that has been founded in the 13th century and is still an actively used place.
Numerous places around the temples invite you for a peaceful walk
And if you take a closer look you will find many Japanese secrets 
Ginger from Australia makes for a beautiful foto opportunity
We haven't found out yet, but someone was piling up the stones on Peter's and Ingrid's bike 
Viktoria brightens up the day 
And Helmut, being a seemingly endless source, has always a joke to share 
The northwestern area of Honshu island is dominated by rice fields. Apparently the best rice you can get in Japan is growing here in these prefectures
Driving on the beach was one of the highlights today. And a special one for Ingrid and Peter They will soon celebrate their 50st wedding anniversary. Congratulations! 
What a nice wellcome at dinner
Himeji to Fukui
Today was a pure riding day. We had to cover a stretch on the highway but it served only the purpose to get to go to the good riding areas
Brigita and Vili are fun to be with at any time
We all enjoy those little Japanese coffee places - or at least the ones who drink coffee
Each cup is brewed separately and it tastes really delicious 
Yoram and Brian decided to celebrate their coffee next to the rice fields
The owner of the coffee shop was so fascinated by Paul that he presented hime one of his wood work pictures 
The ride over the Rainbow Line prepared us for the following ride along the coast to Awara/Fukui
At the top of the Rainbow line we were awarded with spectacular views
Japanese style dinner .... yummy
I don't understand why only the men got lucky to get a massage from the waitresses Kyoto to Himeji
Today's ride took us to the most famous castle - or better say fortress - in Japan: Himeji Castle.
On the way to our restaurant we were passing by some old Japanese houses...
...and also some new ones 
It may seem to be totally weird to us but the Japanese apparently enjoy being with a pet in a place that was just designed for this purpose. If you like pets but don't want to own one you simply spend some time in a cat cafe, for example.
It is easy to find something to eat after your taste - many restaurants have plastic food in their window to make the choice easy for you
Rest day in Kyoto
Ginger used the opportunity here in Kyoto to dress like a Geisha and walk the city. Something that is quite common to do for people here.
The golden Temple in the north of Kyoto is only one of the numerous places to visit in Kyoto. You could spend days here and not feel bored at all
The Japanese love any type of charm or good wish that they can use to support their believe in good luck
We are good tourists so we had to give it a chance, too, of course Nachi-Katsuura to Kyoto
Today and yesterday we had our two rainy days of the tour...
Irago Cape to Nachi-Katsuura
Fujiyoshida to Irago Cape
Kawazu to Fujiyoshida
A beautiful good morning
The Izu Skyline Road started our ride this morning
No matter how often the Mt. Fuji pops up in front of your eyes, it won't stop to impress you again and again
The German crew Ingrid Peter and Helmut
Tokyo to Kawazu
The welcome briefing - and Paul is here, too 
The group of international riders is about to leave Tokyo on the first riding day - an exciting start into the day 
Paul and Mary found a special parking lot 
Ramen with the thick noodles .... yummy yummy
And here it is - the most famous mountain in Japan
These are Ingrid and Peter from Germany "decorating" Mt. Fuji...
and Ginger and David from Australia.
Sharon from America enjoys the sun and the Izu Skyline.
Sharon says "hi" to Charly in Florida. Charly, when are you going to come? 
A typical Japanese starter at dinner.
Arrival in Tokyo
Konichiwa - Hello and welcome back to another tour of Japan.
Having arrived two days prior to the tour start, I find myself back in the biggest town on earth. Sharing the pier for a picture with not as many Japanese people as one might expect, Tokyo does not at all feel like a crowded place from here.
Preparing a tour here follows completely different structures compared to home. But this is what I love with travelling - getting immersed in a different culture and making it possible to tour it with you.
So I am very much looking forward to meeting the riders this afternoon. See you soon
Looking at Tokyo from the Odaiba quarter
Arriving from Munich, the last thing I was expecting to find on an evening walk in Tokyo was an Oktoberfest 
Expect the unexpected - the pretty impressive 18 meter high figure out of the famous animation film
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