Transcript Japan

Japan
March 21-30, 2008
Kurashiki
Takayama
Kyoto
Osaka airport
Tokyo
Gora
First meal in Japan: the Ninja Restaurant
The combined effects of jetlag and squeezing all
5 of us into the small Tokyo taxis
Mark attains Nirvana
You took your kids to Kabuki? So desu ne!
Tokyo Tower
Does he look like he’s
enjoying this?
Riding the Tokyo subway for some
local flavour
$260 mango
$367
box of
cherries
2
$210 for 2 melons
Amazing, high tech Toto toilets keep
the bottoms nice and clean. This
one’s a public toilet to boot!
Strange
Stranger!
Akihabara electronics district
Wild roller coaster at the
Tokyo Dome complex
Boston Red Sox vs Tokyo
Giants at Tokyo Dome
Beer vendor with beer barrel on
her back. Strange this hasn’t
been imported to US yet
Tsukiji fish market Tokyo
Sushi breakfast at fish
market
Mt Fuji origami
A visit to the Toyota centre
Asakasa Temple
Dinner with Tokyo, and
London, friends
With JR Rail pass in hand, we leave
Tokyo for our whistle stop tour
First stop- Gora Kadan Ryokan
(country inn). Wearing our Yukata’s,
as instructed, left over right.
Awaiting our first
15 course dinner
Hmmmm…
Mark finds novel use for
napkin rings
Enjoying an evening soak in the
Onsen (hot springs). Mark called
this “the naked place”
“Now this is my
kind of camping”
Ryokan Nagase in
Takayama in the North
Sir Edmund Hillary stayed in this very
room. Not sure how many courses he
got through.
Gasho house in
Takayama
About to get a
delicious peeled
and cut apple
Shrine in
Takayama
5 hour train ride from
Takayama to Kurashiki
Shinkansen (Bullet)
train. Very cool
Kurashiki
Sashimi
Very tasty
Garden at our Kurashiki
Ryokan
Nakamura-san looked after
our every need
Himeiji Castle
Another amusing sculpture: is
there a pattern emerging?
Kyoto: Sanjusan (33)
temple: longest wooden
structure in the world
housing 1001 identical,
lifesize statues of god of
mercy
Kyoto
Crowded shopping
street in Kyoto
Koi (Japanese
carp) in our Kyoto
Ryokan
Machine making little
cream filled pastriesyummy
We were
very lucky
to see
cherry
blossoms
in full
swing in
Imperial
Palace
grounds,
Kyoto.
Golden Pavillion: Shogun
retired here and later joined
priesthood
Food market,
Kyoto.
Joshua accepts
defeat in our 5th
Ryokan meal. Mom
still going strong.
Josh, birthday scroll in
hand, celebrating his
14th
By the end, the
boundaries were clear
At the Kyoto train station
early Sunday morning,
heading for Osaka Airport
No complaints on the 13 hour
flight home