Best Of

Best Pictures from Japan

These drink vending machines were EVERYWHERE!In a grocery store -these funny pyramid shaped contains were like a can substitute.
Strawberry and cream sandwich, right next to the ham and cheese!The place we stayed was RIGHT next to the train tracks.
At the Daiso (100 yen store, like a dollar store) - rubber booties, for when you're cleaning the bathtubThe rice here is priced very high, a protectionist scheme to benefit Japanese farmers. One of the large bags (5 kilos or 11 pounds) is about 25 dollars.
Love the models of the food at restaurants!Very serene neighborhood nearby, called Mejiro Woods
Even the smallest little strip of property is often very nicely cared for.A beautiful gate
A view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildingAt the food court in the Isetan department store. It was truly an exceptional experience, with an amazing array of beautifully prepared foods.
Some (beautiful) tomatoes for about $32
The fruits were displayed like jewelsThe playground at Nishi-Ikebukuro Park. We went back so Peter could enjoy the slide. A group of kids from a daycare were there as well.
We did the tour at the Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center. First, fire extinguisher usage
Also an earthquake simulation
Peter's earthquake simulation was for kids only, and much gentler. The adult version was rough! I felt "shaken up" for quite a while afterwards.Nice border made of bamboo, at a temple
The temple also had a batch of polliwogs in a bowl.Finally bought a drink from one of the many vending machines. I was surprised - it was hot! Next time I know that if the price is in red, it's not. Blue is cold.
Another beautifully kept spaceA lame small playground, but this little egg was cool
Ringing the bell
This area was to get water and brushes for cleaning the tombstonesBeautiful workmanship of a temple bench. The woodworking in Japan was amazingly well done.
Neat water fountain, that sprays straight up!At Minami-Ikebukuro Park. It was a beautiful open space in the middle of the city, obviously very popular.
Oddly shaped ping pong tablesThese ladies set up a very fanciful scene, involving stuffed animals, little trays of what looked like fake food, etc, and then took pictures of it. I have no idea why.
Beautifully tended micro parking spotOur place, from the train track side
Checking out the selection at a restaurant, via their models of food
Ueno Park was a big cherry blossum viewing area. There were large blue plastic sheets set up for people to set up picnics on, along with signs telling them to stay only one hourOctopus on a stick
Some cherry trees, still in bloomView of the Senso-ji temple area
The symbol for Buddhist temples looks like a swastica, except not on an angle, and turned the other directionMany shops on the way to the temple, selling souveneirs and snacks
I asked this lovely lady in a kimono to pose with PeterPaying 100 yen to get a paper fortune
Headed back home on the subway, unusually empty. The subways are spectacularly clean and comfortable.The Akihabara neighborhood, previously famous for electronics, and there's still a few stalls left. It's mostly all about anime now, though.
Old radiosMany places had whole walls of vending machines, selling various collectibles
Some of the many interesting buildings in our neighborhood. This one was very narrowA mini townhouse complex
This Frank Lloyd Wright designed building was a few minutes walk away from our house.The traditional fence building style is to tie bamboo together with black cord
At the Mejiro Teien temple/garden, very close to our houseA very beautiful looking driveway
The Nippon Foundation held a show to promote Adoption Day in Japan.At a "love hotel"
We stumbled upon "Outdoor Day" at Yoyogi Park. Peter and Eric in a tent sauna. It was hot in there!
A s'more station for kidsFully disposable bbq set
Japan style RVThe largest ballon sculpture I've ever seen
A Subaru made front-wheel drive bikeThis guys had FIVE poodles
A folding cooler. The Japanese have all kinds of cool ideas for folding and collapsible items.Another cherry blossum viewing area
A folding picnic table
At the Meiji Jingu Shinto shrine
We happened to come across a very formal Shinto wedding ceremonyThe bride and groom, and attendants
A beautiful avenue
It's more interesting to walk down the street in Japan because things actually happen and are visible on the street. This man has a street-side shoe polishing stand.The grocery store about a 2 minute walk away, we bought all our food there. Nothing was in English, and there were no American brands, so it was pretty difficult to figure things out.
Based on what Google maps shows, this was a foundation.Interesting narrow buliding
Another interesting narrow buildingThis is the only place I saw bike sharing facilities
More interesting buildings
Pristine and very nice looking gates were everywhere
At our house. The Christmas decor was a little out of date. There were only Japanese programs on TV, no subtitles or dubbing. It was kind of relaxing to watch.Progress on the building diagonally across from us, on the other side of the train tracks
Our steps. The house was three stories, and the stairs were narrower than what we're used to, and also the railing was lower.A parking garage close by
Climbing wall at a school nearbyVery narrow builiding
Homeless man at a nearby park. Overall, there were very few visible homeless, though - maybe about 1/1000th of the what Seattle has.At the shopping complex in Ikebukuro. The bottom floor of department stores seem to always have these amazing dessert areas. They're decorated like jewels.
At a local department store - this was a whole new category of furniture for me. It's like an armchair, but on the floor. I guess for the low tables?Visiting with our friend from Geneva, Alison, and her two boys. It was really great to sege them again.
Little dogs wearing dresses. They were everywhere!Basketball at the park with Alison's boys
I finally figured out that all the bumpy yellow lines were for blind people. There were any more visible blind people walking around Japan than in the US (where you basically never see blind people).fAt a parking gargae/carousel
The house 2 houses down from ours, now being completely demolishedIn the line to ride the Shinkansen (bullet train) into Kyoto
These ladies in pink clean the train and turn it around in about 8 minutesOn the train!
In our Kyoto AirBnB. Very, very, traditional Japanese style, including low doorways and thin mats.In the neighborhood where our AirBnB was - a driving training area
Disaster preparadness storage area under train tracksThe outside moat of Nijo Castle
Inside the castle
The inside moatFrom the top of the watchtower platform
Little sticks with nearly invisible string were set out, I assume to discourage ducksBeautiful gardens
Interesting bench
Workers were fixing the concrete steps of the house next to our AirBnBWe walked along a little stream west of our house for a while
I saw these water bottles next to houses, all over the streets. I assumed it's a disaster preparedness thing, but then when looking it up, it appears people do it to repel cats!At a restaurant. This one was not a winner
In the Arashiyama area. We went there primarily to go to the Monkey park, but turns out it's a big tourist area!
Monkeys galore!This monkey baby was being groomed, clutching leaves in both hands.
Feeding time
Sometimes they got a little feisty
Along the Katsura river
We had lunch at a peaceful riverside restaurant. They led us to the one table that actually had chairs - at the others, you sat on mats.
The streets in the Arashiyama district had lots of tourists!Peter, posing in the style of some of the Japanese ladies we've seen
At a smoking rest area in one of the templesJapanese style RV
Kenny at the local Indian restaurant. He was very happy to have some curry.The little stream that runs east of Horikawa Dori. Would have been a nice place to walk
The park around the Kyoto Imperial Palace. There were some CRAZY wide gravel avenues.
At the info center of the palace
Beautiful gardens
This man was manually plucking every single plum off this tree. It must have taken hours
Sweeping the leaves up, with a little straw whisk. This is why everything is so clean! But you'd think they would use a blower or something to make it faster.The bento selection at a local convenience store
On the Philosophers Path
On the way home, saw a family in kimonos on the bus
... and a boy in a school uniform, complete with cap and fancy school bagOn our way to the railway museum, we walked through a very active fish processing area
Kenny as a conductor or an old bullet trainThe public toilets at the museum had the same fancy, complex self-washing features that the toilets found in most homes do
The new bullet train will look like thisBuilding an arc
Peter is self propelled on a train trackWhy train wheels are shaped as they are
Pretending to be a conductor
At the old steam trainDoing a bullet train simulation
A kid's meal at the Tenkaippin restaurant, which mainly carried the Kyoto style of ramen soup with heavy broth (which tasted like essence of fried chicken)
This is how you buy celery here - in single sticks!It's always a jolt to see the Buddhist symbol, which looks like a swastika, but laying flat and turned the other direction.
At Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrineThe gravel is very smooth because it's layered on a criss-cross mat. It looks like it's been raked smooth, but it's caused by the crossgrain of the mat
The fox, wirh red bib, is a Shinto messenger of Oinari, the god of food, farmers, and the rice harvest.More good-fortune sticks for sale
Smoothly "raked" gravelA fortune teller
There are thousands of the orange gates at this shrine
Throw in a coin, maike a wish, pick up the stone. If it feels light, your wish may be granted
Most temples had a little ritual washing areaA bamboo shoot
Another one, just poking it's head out of the ground
There are miles of paths with little shrines along the side
Outside of the shrine are the food stalls. Kenny had orange juice, Eric had grilled meatA really interesting star-shaped lincoln log type building
This was by far my favorite street food - fish shaped pancakes filled with either red bean paste or a custard paste. Extremely tasty!Octopus fritters. I didn't try them, but they were for sale everywhere