Venturing to the island of Hokkaido via a train underground from Aomori to Hakodate. Once in Hakodate, we are on a day adventure to see the area which is highlighted by the sunny day, pops of color, and onsens. (the original post of this was in three parts) Day 7.1: I heart trains. Why do I love trains so much? This leg takes us from Aomori on northern tip of Japan to Hokkaido and the city of Hakodate. The weather really has been our friend so far - even the rain, snow, wind

Day 3: rainy days and Sundays.... a transportation day with a short hour peaceful diversion through Utsunomiya before Shinkansen to next pitstop in Sendai. A peaceful morning at the shrine and found the Buddha with three beans standing strong from the encroachment of urbanism. We are on our way from Kanuma to Sendai catching the Shinkansen in Utsonomiya. This little map shows the Nikko line from that main hub. It's a rainy day with damp glistening streets. One of the things t