Matching day - we remember to both wear pink Day 6 - hike down mountain to train

I love it when they make up our futons.....what a treat

Enjoying one more cup of coffee before our walk

So so neat and tidy

We took bus to top of mountain, and walked down. So beautiful!

We liked our faces in this picture...

Maki reading map - I was helpless - it was all in Japanese

Stopped by for quick lunch before our next trek - this was a 2 stage day - from top of mountain back to hotel to get our backpacks, then to train station

The entire shoe situation was so confusing to me - you remove outside shoes upon entering, then put on house slippers - but have to change when in bathroom, but also remove to go on tatami mat. Made me dizzy.

Vegan cafe in mountain of Yoshino = super expensive too - we did not go there

Made me smile to see mouthpieces on conch shells - in Hawaii they don't need mouth piece :)

Sake tasting - why not?

A beautiful restaurant we passed by

Gives new meaning to "Fish Stick"

Sakura country - we were too late for the blooms, though

YUMMY roasted sweet potatoes - better than any candy

Never ending beauty

Coming off the mountain I feel really out of place for some reason LOL!!!

After a few trains, the hostess picked us up at train station to bring us to this Buddhist temple, which has lodging building. 

Truly in middle of nowhere - 20 minutes from train, no wifi. We were the only 2 people staying here and it was kind of creepy. I kept checking how many shoes were at the doors. 

Our our window on one side:

Pleasant Surprise! Day 5 train to Nara, hike to Miwa - train and bus to Yoshino

Woke up at our normal 5am time, waited around at the guesthouse until breakfast. Outside bath.

My kind of room 

Took train to Tenri to start our hike through the OLDEST road in all of Japan: The Yamanobenomichi - we were creative at hauling without our backpacks - left them at the guesthouse. 

These are Deer Boogers 

We had to get creative with hauling stuff without our backpacks as we left them at the guest house.

Never seen a mass of frog eggs before

Beauty everywhere...many orange groves 

Cute little cafe on way 

Amazing manual farms 

Another place to grab some food and drink 

THIS was cool  

Temple after temple after shrine - from ages ago 

OK THIS SCARES EVEN ME! 

Beautiful wild iris 

We stopped to buy an orange, and we bought 6. This lady peeled a 7th for us, and we sat there and ate all 7 oranges.... 

She brought our her very last Buntan Orange - GREEN and delicious! 

We wondered how poor she must be and wanted to leave her more yen until.... 

She took us to her house to wash our hands....she didn't need more yen 

Ran into a couple who also stayed in our guest house, and they made us pose for this picture here because it is a famous scene in a movie as well as history - Mt. Miwa behind us 

Group drinking hole at temple

HAD to stop for Tako Balls...yum 

Took a few trains to go to what we thought was a monastery with rugged accommodations. Cute exit from train station.

Driver picks us up to climb the mountain to monastery. 

Upon check in, we learn that it USED to be a temple but has been turned into an exquisite hotel with a personal room attendant! 

I could totally get used to this 

Dinner and just in time for sunset 

Just out of the baths - so made this picture smaller 

Delicious dinner - again 

THE WORSE THING TODAY: half way through the day we realized we were not wearing our matching shirts! It was a blue day and I goofed and wore PINK!