Best Of

Best Pictures from Japan

I waited here while Eric and the kids went to a cat cafeThe manager of the cat cafe
A day trip to Nara, and our first views of the famous Nara deer
They clustered around the spots where tourists could buy deer biscuitOnce you'd bought the biscuits, the deer got a little aggressive!
Run away, run away!The deer grabbed this map from me and ran away with it. Another tourist grabbed it back for me
This volunteer guide talked with us for quite a while about the sights in Nara. He had worked in London for 10 years, in the securities businessThe deer will bow for food if you prompt them
Lots of pretty little canals running through the park and temple groundsAt the Kasuga-taisha shrine, known for it's stone lanterns
There were many tourists, but you could also get off the beaten track fairly easily
Deer feeding time
Practicing the bowingThe sign says "There are no public trash cans. Please take your own trash with you." This is true - there were really NO public trash cans. But still no litter.
An ice cream vending machineMost temples had a little rest area with benches, usually with red cloths on them.
This building was made from logs cut in a triancular shape, assembled log cabin style
A dragon protects this fountainA nice view from this temple
This bench was made without nails or screws
In another little rest area. This one actually offered free hot tea, and was heated as wellA beautiful set of steps. These long sets of steps were frequently challenging, because each step was taller than normal
A stream on the way to the temple Todai-jiTodai-ji Buddhist temple, with the world's largest brass Buddha statue
There were a group of older people in bright yellow windbreakers who were volunteer guides to the temple. One of them (a former femployee of Komatsu) was showed us around and was very friendly. This is a diagram of how the bronze statue was castPeter lit a candle
The main Buddha statueA side statue - one of the gods maybe?
Crawling through a hole at the base of a pillar. Supposedly it's the same size as a nostril of the Buddha statue, and if you are able to crawl through, you attain enlightenment!Eric lit some incense at the temple
On the main road back to the station was a building demonstrating techniques to avoid earthquake damage. Kenny is sitting in this chair that is programmed to shake at the same strength as some of the recent earthquakes
The building itself models earthquake building techniques. Below ground level, you can see the shock-absorbers.
At the shopping arcade next to the station. We went to a McDonalds here. The cheeseburgers and hamburgers are the same as in the US, the chicken burger was definitely different.At the Kiyomizu-dera temple
We thought this monster statue looked like the demogorgon in the tv show Stranger Things
These men were prepping the bark to rebuild the cypress bark roof of the temple. It was an amazing amount of work for each bit of barkThis is the bark as it came to them
Statues with red bibs on them. These may represent Jizo, a Buddhist saint.The road leading north from Kiyomizu-dera. Full of tourist stores, but very interesting.
A soap store - the soap was actually squishy!Amazing - this tiny, very Japanese looking stores is actually a Starbucks!
There was another Starbucks sign higher up on the building. Overall, very easy to miss.Two geishas
A view into a lovely tea shopPeter had lots of fun feeding the pidgeons at Maruyama Park
There were also some feral cats there, which would occasionally make little runs at the pidgeonsHe enticed them to come up on his leg, but once they did, it was maybe too close!
Nice bench, but the top was so slick you couldn't lean back and support yourself on your hands, because they would slipThe Shoren-in Monzeki temple.
Some very impressive beams supporting the temple entrance
There was a massive scaffolding structure for a rebuild of the roof
Many 1, 5, and 10 yen coins were scattered aboutThe woodworking on the walkway built to route around the building project was very well done. You can barely see the join in the wood here.
Back out the temple
Very impressive stonework on the floor of the temple entranceThis is at Okazaki park. We knew something was goinig on, but couldn't figure out what
Turned out to be an antique car showPeter had more fun with the pidgeons
I like what the AirBnB owner did with the crumbly concrete around the entryway - just putting these black pebbles around it makes it look much betterOur bullet train on the way to Takayama. They really are very sleek.
Some scenes from the train. There were lots of little rice paddies.
Our AirBnB house in Takayama. It was very much a mid 60's house.
Finally had a TV again!At what we thought was a grocer store, but what turned out to be a restaurant supply store - a huge selection of pickled vegetables
At a "cook your own" restaurant. You chose your own cut of the heavily marbled Hida beef.Grilling the beef at our table
Peter ringing a bell at the Hida Folk VillageThis device was designed to scare away wild boars, apparently
Lots of wood-working shops in Takayama, selling nice looking furniture
Rice paddies, again. I wonder if the rice is sold, or just used by the family? Rice prices are sky-high in Japan, because of tarifs.
We saw this huge temple off in the distance. Apparently it's the main temple of a new religion called Sukyo Mahikari.
Dressing up in traditional outfits at the Hida Folk VillageSome of the longest benches I've seen
They had some traditional toys and games to tryInteresting single log table
A snake sunning itself on the stone wall
Lots of houses that are traditional for the areaSome very thick roofs
They must not have had very many nails. Much of the construction relies on things being tied together
A lot of manual work (in this case, weeding) is done crouched down in Japan. There was a group of 3 men doing this. You wouldn't see it in the US.
Weaving sandals
Nicely designed tables and benches at the rest areaMore hida beef
And always plenty of noodles and rice!
A spaghetti noodle sandwich, with some pickled ginger.The "cute dance"
One of the many nice river views in TakayamaThe morning market. Much of it was not tourist oriented, and I think a lot of it was more of a social opportunity for the older local ladies who ran the stalls.
It looks like this is an interesting, less expensive alternative to the fancy over-engineered fish ladders they have in the US
This temple in Takayama was combined with a playgroundMost temples had an area like this, where you would tie your folded up fortune
But this is the first fortune vending machine I sawThis space, right off a main street, had a sign saying "free lounge". It included a crib, complete with fresh white linen and a fluffy blanket!
Another Hida beef experience, this time a burger
Yea for McDonalds! It's always comforting to just get a simple cheeseburger.Some shots from the train from Takayama to Nagoya
Lots and lots of little garden plots everywhere
I think these bushes may have been teaThe airplane on the way back had a "Star Wars" theme