This is the last instalment of Japan photos. We have many more interesting photos so you’ll just have to see us for the rest of them.

Concert at Head Power

One of my favourite moments in Japan was a concert we went to in Shinjuku area of Tokyo. This was an underground electronica concert and it was great!

Train Station

This is right next to our hotel. This is the site of the first train station in Tokyo. A train station is still there, right across from where Chris is sitting.

Me attempting a tea ceremony

Itsukushima Shrine torii (gate)

A nice tourist shot of the gate from the ferry as the tide was coming in.

A trip to the monkey top…

Ropeway to the mountain Monkey Park on Miyajima Island

Etiquette from the monkey point of view

The monkeys will gladly steal your belongings and are not going to be responsible for what happens if you stare them in the eyes. Furthermore they hope not to become dependent on the handouts, so don’t feed them!

Just hanging around

Mom and Baby

The baby was 9 days old. Mom was holding it the whole time and all that we saw of it were the arms and legs that he would stretch from time to time.

Monkey-Deer Symbiosis

The monkey picks bugs off the deer and eats them.

I’ve put more pictures up. Since I did not want to make pictures any smaller than what I’ve already made then, I’ve moved them to archives. Check them out!

Here are a few things that are probably completely boring and banal, but ignorant foreigners like us get amused by:

Electric Toilet

I must admit that in the week or so I spent in Japan I was not able to embrace the virtues of this invention. But, if you were adventurous, you may enjoy the following (we encountered several models, not all had all the features):
– warm seat (this I didn’t mind so much except there is only one level – very hot – and there is a warning to turn the hear off if elderly or inform individuals are using the seat because they might get a burn)
– fan to disperse the smells
– back spray and front spray (adjustable force and optionally vibrating)
– music to hide the noises

In Tokyo

I am not sure who this guy is, but he must be very important since he is at least five times the size of Godzilla.

Domo-kun and friends

This is a morning kids show. Domo-kun is a friendly monster with a bear and a rabbit as friends.

Bad English

There seems to be a lot of English words used in popular culture products, but I didn’t really get a sense that people generally know what they’re saying.

Deer Instructions

Unlike most other seemingly important instructions, this one did not come in English. We assumed it said to not piss off the deer (particularly not mothers with young).

Bicycle

Biking seemed to be a sane way of getting from point A to point B. I’ve even seen women in suits biking. The cool thing is that you’re supposed to bike on the sidewalk. A lot of people carry children on their bicycles, and this woman has two. I don’t think that is even legal in Canada.

No comment.

Beer Vending Machine

This vending machine was on a street corner. There is some do-dad where you would apparently put your ID card, but we got beer without one.

Hi-technical Excellent Taste and Flavor liquorish gum

Because of the huge amounts of pictures I’ve been posting, I had to allow only the last post to appear on the main page. To see more posts, Including this morning’s post about cityscape, please look in the archives.

I’ve been constantly busy over last few days with work and my aunt visiting from Rijeka. There is so much I want to post about, hopefully I’ll get around to most of it. But before I archive all my Japan memorabilia, here are some little tidbits on the cities we visited.

Me looking for food while jetlagged. There are restaurants in the background.

I’ve never seen so many restaurants all over the city. They were all full too. A lot of the restaurants are quite small and all have little flags/curtains over the doors so you’d know it’s a restaurant (Like in movie Tempopo). Most of the restaurants have plastic models of the food on their menu displayed in front of the restaurant which made it really easy for Chris and me but, since we saw very few non Japanese people, I guess it helps the locals too. Even if a restaurant doesn’t have the display, there are pictures in the menu. We’ve only been to one place that did not have this (in fact, apart from a sign on the wall, they did not have menus) and that was an experience in and of itself. The noodle shops were my favourite. I can’t believe how fast people can eat soup, but I guess that is because I have not mastered the art of slurping. The Japanese food is so distinct, most of the time I did not know what I was eating, but then again, I enjoyed all the meals so no complaints there.

Gothic Lolitta Square

This area, Harajuku, is all about teenage chaos. This particular place is where Gothic Lolitta cos players hang out. We were too shy to go around taking pictures though some kids were posing for cameras. The kids in black sitting under the fence are all cos players. The place reminded me of the Dark Wave Nights but with more crinolines and parasols.

Tokyo Street

Tokyo Street

The architecture in Tokyo is mostly from late 40’s onwards. The 50’s and 60’s design is omnipresent and fun. The interesting thing about the apartment buildings is how narrow they are. What I liked the most are the trees that manage to grow in less than a square meter of “garden” afforded by the crowded architecture. In places where they don’t have a luxury of a tinny garden, people leave potted plants on the street. It gives otherwise a stark street a cozy people-live-here-and-like-it feel.

Roppongi Hills

The National Art Gallery in Ottawa just bought one of these. I don’t make a point of listening to CFRA but I imagine the tax cuts-ignorance-church-and-tradition loudmouths must have had a cow.

Tokyo City View from Mori Art Gallery

Tokyo City View

Tokyo City View

Kyoto Neighbourhood

If I lived in Kyoto, I’d want to live here. Compared to apartment buildings this neighbourhood looked like Westmount. While we were there the school kids were just coming back home and whenever we passed a bunch they would say “hello” or some other greeting phrase they so obviously learned in english class such as “I like baseball.” When we would say hi back they would giggle.

The Kyoto Accord (you knew this one was coming)

In Kyoto Shopping Mall

There are only certain decades when something like this would pass through the planning committee.

A sea of taxis in Kyoto

Back in Tokyo

One way to make sure Tokyo does not get crushed again is to make Godzilla small enough not to be able to step on anything.

I’ve shown a few pictures from our trip at work and some people were surprised since they expected more crowded cities and advanced technology. We saw a lot of these, but they are hard to take pictures of. In the metro pretty much every second person was reading the news or messages on their cell phone. Akihabara (technology) district was full of technology but looked a bit on the cheapish side with huge yellow banners advertising something or other on each shop. I expected something more snazzy. The cities, particularly Tokyo were just crazy, it is something that really has to be experienced.