What to say… after my Osaka experience and my desire to see the villages in Japan, I have visited now 3 more or less small villages this week… although the first one Takayama is a weekend tourist attraction and was packed on the Sunday I arrived once I reach Monday it seems that I have traveled back in time – tranquil, silent and slow… the two other places, Nikko (host to few of the most impressive temples and shrines of all Japan and hence a world heritage site) and Hiraizumi (in the past home to one of the largest temple complexes of all Japan, but today only few of it is remaining and hence applying for world heritage status) was what I needed… this is such a different Japan… one would think he is somewhere in Eastern Europe or Mexico… as I arrived late in Nikko, this means at 19:17, there were no busses, no light, no nobody… everything closes at 18:00 and I was not even able to get a cab… so now that meant walking some 4km to my hotel – lucky me, it was raining – no, to be more precise, it was pouring down on my… and once I arrived, the receptionist told me he had given my room away… my question what has happened to my email reservation was quitted with a smile… a nice smile, however, the search went on – so that I finally settled in one of the luxury ryokans (this as Japanese style hotels, where you sleep on futons, have shared baths and pay double what a western single room costs)… same at Hiraizumi there also live ends at 6pm… good luck to find an open restaurant afterwards… and moreover, strolling through the streets, you can clearly see, that all homes are gaining their income from many businesses they run… I saw a butcher, which also has a taxi stand, a restaurant which is some kind of souvenir shop, a barber which also is the dry cleaner of the village – but one thing this romantic Japan has in common with its high-tech super cities… people are friendly, smile at you, and try to help you where they can (especially away from the tourist attractions English is as rare as an angry Japanese)… but this just makes this country better and better…