Friends and Nagano

Zoe, Marjorie, and Justin came to Japan for summer vacation. We had a good time doing sightseeing in Tokyo, Yamanashi, and Nagano. It's pretty exciting traveling around Japan with a six-year-old.

After four days in and around Tokyo, we rented a car, drove west into Yamanashi, picked some peaches and ate them, and continued north to Nagano City.

Marjorie, Justin, and Zoe hopped the train to Kyoto. On the way back, I took the Shiga-Kusatsu Road east through the mountains to Gunma, and then the expressway back to Tokyo. Although the outbound lanes were jam-packed with people leaving the city for Obon, going into the city was smooth sailing. The last time I drove was in December, and it was fun to get behind the wheel again on this trip.