So much news!

First of all Jane thank you for your comment and you are right I have been doing lots of shopping but still no cool gift for Dale, but cool gifts for you I think. I will definately come up for dinner when I get home, if I ever come home - just joking but I love it here.
Now sorry I have not been blogging for a couple of days but I have just been on an amazing three day trip with Ayaka and her family and what an experience it was. I could never fill you on everything with did but here is a little taste. After another earthquake early this morning we set of on our 3 day 2 night stay to a holiday destination. Because of the earthquake the Shinkensen line and some of the highways were closed. However Yukiko found an alternative route to our destination. Mrs Fujii, Ayaka's grandmother also joined us on the trip. Our first stop was a market stall where I ate fried potato on a stick and a coffee at Starbucks. We drove travelled for approx. 3 hours down soth where we could have had a view of Mt. Fuji but it was covered with cloud. We arrived at Fuji Safari Park. This place was incredible, you drive through several different enclosures each housing different animals. There were bears, lions, tigers, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo's and giraffes as well as many different other animals. It would put Monarto Zoo to shame. We then drove on further & stopped at a Japanese Restaurant for lunch. I had fried pork which was delicious but I could not eat it all. We then drove on even further to a sea port. Here we left our car & off loaded our luggage & stepped onto a small vessel which took us across to an island called Awashime. The grandeur of the hotel was simply stunning from the moment we entered the　magnificent entry hall. We were taken to an apartment on the fifth floor overlooking the sea. I thought this apartment was for all of us to share as it was as big as our house but it was only for Ayaka amd me. Just picture a large bedroom with two 3/4 beds a loungeroom with lounge suite, coffee table, television and everything else. You then stepped up to the Japanese style dining room from there you step up to a western style round table & chairs and this leads onto the balcony which overhands onto the sea, what a sight, we could see from here. Off of the living area is a bathroom to die for with twin basins set in marble, the lighting is exquisite, on one end is a toilet which is nearly as big as my laundry and at the other end the bath is located in its own room. Tonight we head to the restaurant for dinner, Oh what a night . Well the dinner was nothing short of oshii (very delicious). we went into a room where the six of us were the only ones, we sat a large bar type table & had our own personal chef who cooked our meal in front of us. We had many courses including mizo soup, fresh salmon and prawns, steak cooked with begetables and all cooked on a barbeque plate. This was finished of with fresh fruit & Japanese tea. Before we went to dinner Ayaka and I enjoyed Onsen (Hot Spring Bath) the water was very hot and took a while to get into. When you get out you have a showere there is shampoo and conditioner and body soap supplied. You then go into the beauty parlour area and dry your hair and put special lotions on your skin. I had a wonderful nights sleep.