From Osaka, Japan

Dear Friends,

After a great flight, we arrived in Japan ready to start our tour. With one day of rest before the tour began, David chose to use his time wisely: rest and prepare for the seminars. Yumiko and I went to Nara!

Nara is one of Japan's oldest cultural treasures. It is the home of universities, buddism and the Sacred Deer.

The deer are revered. This means they are accustom to getting their way. So take the picture, pet the deer and give them the cracker. Despite their pampered status, they are docile and put up with a lot of petting and crackers.

Nara was beautiful. Their gardens contain three elements: stone, water and trees. Bridges and outlooks all represent aspects of life and the other world. We climbed to the top of a hill to look over Nara. The view was beautiful. The cherry trees were in full bloom. Families were gathered in open spaces enjoying the view and gentle weather.

As we came down the hill, we passed this relaxing view.

On to Todaiji, the home of the largest Buddah statue in Japan. He lives inside this beautiful temple surrounded by statues of other priests and guardians.

Forever the artist and designer, Yumiko noted design elements along the way. Formal and informal designs are everywhere!

We finished Nara with ice cream before our train ride back to Osaka. Meanwhile, David was at the hotel working, working, working. He feels good about tomorrow's seminar. A great day for all.

Sincerely,

David and Martha