Travel Blog Posts
December 27th 2007
I took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima from Kyoto to see the A-bomb memorials. The weather was perfect for sightseeing. Once I found my hotel, I dropped off my luggage and my coat and headed for the Hiroshima Peace Park. The sky was bright blue and the temperature was probably about 55 degrees. My first stop was the A-Bomb Dome. It used to be an exhibition hall prior to the war, but quickly transformed into military offices during the war. It was one of the few structures that remained partially standing after the bomb due to the fact that the bomb exploded roughly 600 meters directly above it. The main target was a well known bridge next to the dome called the "T Bridge". Its shape was easy to spot from the sky and thus easy to ... read more
December 25th 2007
Christmas Day in Kyoto was lovely. I started the day early - 8:00 - with my first Japanese-style breakfast (you can see the menu in one of the pictures). It wasn’t as good as I was hoping for, but the miso soup was excellent. It definitely wasn’t worth the $10 I paid for it . I have to admit I was a bit jealous of the Australian father-daughter couple sitting across from me with their coffee, thick toast and jam, scrambled eggs and salad! After breakfast I set out to rent a bike at a shop around the corner from my ryokan. The shop owner spoke a bit of English and rented me a bike for $5/24 hours. Not a bad deal! I was particularly fond of his ratty little terrier called Amerie who flirted with ... read more
December 24th 2007
I’m going to try my best to recall the most significant events of my trip to Kyoto, although I’m sure I’ll forget a few here and there. I decided to forgo taking the “night bus” which takes 8 hours, from 12am to 8am. Instead, I forked over the money to ride the famous Shinkansen, the Japanese Bullet Train, which makes the trip in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Once aboard and moving, it didn’t seem it was going very fast. But once we got outside of the city, it took off and I began to feel just a bit queasy. Houses and trees were flashing by so quickly that I could only look in the distance or face nausea. Good thing the trip was through the mountains and along the coast. It was beautiful! I arrived ... read more
December 17th 2007
Today I went to see the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku. The weather was perfect for my excursion, and I’m glad I was able to avoid hordes of people by going on a Monday. The shrine was built in 1920 and is dedicated to Emperor Meiji who ruled from 1868-1912. The main building was rebuilt in 1958 after being destroyed in WWII. Its entrance is through the largest torrii (gate) in Japan at 36 feet high, built from 1,600 year-old Japanese cypress trees imported from Taiwan. After snapping a few photos of the first torrii (there are two) I headed down the path leading to the shrine. Emperor Meiji is known in part for his interest in western culture, and this interest is partially responsible for Japan’s modernism period during his reign. In particular, Emperor Meiji was ... read more
December 10th 2007
Today I returned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. As you may recall from a previous blog, the first time I went was so foggy that I wasn't able to see nor capture the expanse of concrete that is Tokyo. This time, I was a bit more successful. The following photos were taken from the 45th floor of TMGB around 3:30pm.... read more
December 10th 2007
There's a beautiful park in Musashi Koganei and although it only takes about fifteen minutes to walk there, it took me a little under one month to decide to take the trek. My first trip there was the best - the trees were absolutley beautiful - they were all boasting bright autumn colors. I vowed to return again with my camera. Unfortunately, the leaves weren't as brilliant as my first visit. Nevertheless, I still managed to get some nice shots. I also included some photos of Musashi Koganei. Enjoy!... read more
November 23rd 2007
I promised a blog entry after my first day in Harajuku. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera, so I’ll save my description of the area for a later date when I’ve got photos to illustrate by stories. Instead, I’ve decided to share the finer points of Gaijin House living. I currently live in Big World 21, a house for foreigners. It’s much like an American dorm with a shared kitchen, bathrooms and showers. I can say with great certainty that I’m excited to move out. Below is a list of the goods and bads of BW21: Good: 1) The showers here are much better than the showers of my freshman year in the dorms. The water pressure is enough to remove paint three layers thick, and it gets as hot as you want it. If ... read more
November 16th 2007
My training started on Monday, so I haven't had a lot of free time to take pictures. So, I thought I'd share some of the little things about Japan that I've noticed over the course of my first week here. Some of the little things are easier to cope with than others. I will mark the ones that have been difficult for me to adjust to with an asterisk (*). Here it goes... 1) It is entirely appropriate to fall asleep in any public space. And Japanese salarymen work so hard that you frequently find them sleeping in awkward positions. For instance, I saw a man fall to sleep standing up on the train. He literally fell into the wall before waking back up. And my friend Andy saw a woman fall asleep standing up with ... read more
November 11th 2007
I'm absolutely exhausted after spending five hours in Shibuya. I was certain that I wouldn't find an area of Tokyo busier than Shinjuku. I was SO WRONG! Once again, Jen and I set out to explore this most photographed area of Tokyo, recently famous for appearing in the movie "Lost in Translation," and more famous for hosting the busiest street crossing in the world. When we exited the station, we immediately had to find a "quiet" corner in the station plaza to get our bearings. We snapped a few photos, then decided to find the bronze statue of Hachiko, a dog of "legendary loyalty." Legend has it that at the end of each day, the dog would meet his owner at the train station in Shibuya and accompany him home. After the man's death, the dog ... read more
November 10th 2007
Today I returned to Shinjuku for the afternoon, although this time I was not completely jet lagged. As I explained before, it's a very crowded section of Tokyo. My friend Jen and I did a whole lot of exploring, although after we got off the train we needed a coffee break! After locating our training headquarters (the impetus for the second trip to Shinjuku), we set out to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (TMG) because we heard the observatory offerred amazing views. Plus, it was free, something we were both excited about! It was rainy and cloudy, so the views from the top were a bit limited, although I did get a couple of good photos. We've vowed to return on a clearer day so that we can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. On our ... read more
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