The atmosphere was a little low as we departed Kyoto and headed for Nara on the last day of our stay in Japan. We had experienced so much and had two fantastic weeks, but Clare had left us and Tony was planning to head off after Nara...the tour was definitely coming to a close. Nara was a little damp, but there were plenty of tourists and it is always worthwhile seeing the giant Buddha. Not to mention the deer, of course, who apparently love to eat all paper, including paper money. Beware of that if you ever have money in your pocket as those deer are not shy!! We had to laugh about the toilet instructions in Nara Park - bit late for those, who needed the information earlier on in the tour, but we also enjoyed the unfortunate spelling errors. From Nara we headed to Iga to visit the Ninja Museum and Iga Castle. Participants seemed to enjoy the Ninja House and museum although it was unfortunate that the show had been cancelled. From there we headed back to Osaka and the Stargate Hotel in Rinku Town. By then people were simply concerned with how they were going to pack all their goodies and get them home safely. A significant number of participants had already had to invest in a second, smaller suitcase!! There was a definite twinge of sadness, but also a feeling of contentment among participants that the tour had offered them so many more amazing Japanese experiences than they had initially imagined. In addition, a whole new group of solid friendships had been made. In fact, the 2013 Tour Team had made plans for a reunion before the last night had even drawn to a close. I shed a tear as we boarded the Airport courtesy bus the next morning and waved goodbye to many of our tour team, who were continuing on in their travels. Our first ever HPGCC Tour of Hyogo, Hiroshima, and the Kansai Region had been a wonderful success and I felt very proud of what we had achieved as a team. My sincere thanks to my new Tour Team friends - we shared the trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. To everyone in Hyogo Prefecture, who welcomed us so warmly at every single stage, we are eternally grateful. And a special thank you to my co-leader, Shingo Usami, who was an absolute champion and a great support.
The atmosphere was a little low as we departed Kyoto and headed for Nara on the last day of our stay in Japan. We had experienced so much and had two fantastic weeks, but Clare had left us and Tony was planning to head off after Nara...the tour was definitely coming to a close. Nara was a little damp, but there were plenty of tourists and it is always worthwhile seeing the giant Buddha. Not to mention the deer, of course, who apparently love to eat all paper, including paper money. Beware of that if you ever have money in your pocket as those deer are not shy!! We had to laugh about the toilet instructions in Nara Park - bit late for those, who needed the information earlier on in the tour, but we also enjoyed the unfortunate spelling errors. From Nara we headed to Iga to visit the Ninja Museum and Iga Castle. Participants seemed to enjoy the Ninja House and museum although it was unfortunate that the show had been cancelled. From there we headed back to Osaka and the Stargate Hotel in Rinku Town. By then people were simply concerned with how they were going to pack all their goodies and get them home safely. A significant number of participants had already had to invest in a second, smaller suitcase!! There was a definite twinge of sadness, but also a feeling of contentment among participants that the tour had offered them so many more amazing Japanese experiences than they had initially imagined. In addition, a whole new group of solid friendships had been made. In fact, the 2013 Tour Team had made plans for a reunion before the last night had even drawn to a close. I shed a tear as we boarded the Airport courtesy bus the next morning and waved goodbye to many of our tour team, who were continuing on in their travels. Our first ever HPGCC Tour of Hyogo, Hiroshima, and the Kansai Region had been a wonderful success and I felt very proud of what we had achieved as a team. My sincere thanks to my new Tour Team friends - we shared the trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. To everyone in Hyogo Prefecture, who welcomed us so warmly at every single stage, we are eternally grateful. And a special thank you to my co-leader, Shingo Usami, who was an absolute champion and a great support.
This short article is really important to know about Hyogo Prefecture.
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