Hiroshima and Arashiyama

When we discovered that we were coming to Japan I made it a family goal for us to see some snow monkey that I had heard about. When we were in Arashiyama we had the chance, although they weren't in hot springs, they were the same kind of monkeys so I count it. The beauty of the sign below is that the trail is straight up the mountain just as it appears. This was not a hike for the faint in heart. Luckily we were able to leave the stroller at the bottom and Ryan got to carry Jane all the way up. What a good dad.Here we are at the top with the city of Kyoto in the background. I think that Alice missed the whole experience. The monkeys fascinated the girls.
Is there anything as fun as looking at a monkey staring at you? I don't think so. Especially not when it's up close and personal like this.
But he wasn't interested in a chit-chat, he really just wanted food.

One of the things we learned on this vacation is that when you travel off season, there won't be nearly as many tourists, but many of the sights are going to be under scaffolding. This is the A-Dome in the background. I have to admit that I was really disillusioned, but they want to keep the building looking just like it did when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima.