Made it to Kyoto

My internet connection here in Kyoto is hit and miss so this is another quick update to let you know we made it.  Hakone was beautiful, and Mount Fuji was absolutely breathtaking.

We still feel completely safe here in Japan, and the further south we go the less evidence we see that anything is even amiss.  That being said, we heard there are scheduled 3-hour blackouts in the Tokyo area that began this morning in an effort to conserve power given the current nuclear situation, and all of the major train stations we've been at today have disabled many of their automated ticket booths, escalators, elevators, and other energy-dependent devices to conserve power.  We are unsure how this will affect the remainder of our trip since we are scheduled to go back to Tokyo for our last 3 days here, catching our flight out of Narita Airport.  I've attempted to make contact with the Canadian Embassy, and we're starting to weigh our options and make alternate arrangements to fly home should we encounter any further problems.

We're doing just fine right now and there still doesn't seem to be much concern from the locals.  As usual, I'll keep everyone advised if anything new comes up.  And not to take away from the severity of the situation, I'll post some photos of our experiences in Hakone/Fujiyama because through all the tragedy and devastation, we still have so much to be thankful for and it is so important to stop and appreciate the beauty and tranquility that so defines the Japanese spirit both in times of celebration and in sorrow.


UPDATE:
Just got an email back from the Canadian Embassy, they said that while France has issued an advisory to leave the Tokyo area, they feel that it is just a precautionary measure and at this point they are recommending that visitors to Japan follow the advice of local emergency personnel and emergency management authorities.  They said they do not have plans to evacuate at this point, and that most flights out of both of Tokyo's International Airports (Narita and Haneda) are running as scheduled.  We will play it by ear but perhaps we will be looking to fly out of Osaka's Kansai Airport so that we don't have to go back to Tokyo.... only problem with that is that we won't be able to fly direct, they don't operate any flights to Canada so maybe we'll have to fly to Honolulu instead.  Darn................. I suppose we could live with that, if that's our only option.

Facebook has a neat little info box at the top of the news feed that is updated with current news for foreigners.  What a great idea!!