J A P A N

We always wanted to go to Japan. In January 2002, Will, Ray and I made it happen. I took few pictures, and the ones I took I mostly took badly, and then I scanned them badly. Still, they are here for your enjoyment.



The Night Before
Will and I prepare to drive to Ray's apartment to spend the night, since he lived much closer to the airport. Heidi sniffs our crotches one last time.






"Cowpiss"
We spent most of the trip in Tokyo. One of the first things Will noticed was this unintentionally funny vending machine beverage.






Ryoken Room
We stayed at a traditional Japanese inn called a ryoken. The room where Ray and Will are standing is where we slept, and every morning we had tea at the table in the foreground.






Kabuki Theater
We went to see a kabuki play -- how original!






Woodwork at Meiji Temple
Here is the entrance of a temple we visited in the heart of Tokyo. On the other side of this door, we watched a Japanese couple get married.






Prayer Cards
These are wooden cards containing handwritten prayers. I don't recall whether I snapped this photo at the temple above or at another Tokyo temple.






Palace Entrace
The building off to the right is the entrance to the Emperor's palace. This is about as close as you can approach without special permission.






Kamakura Temple Markers
About halfway through our trip, we went on a side journey to nearby Kamakura, a quiet little town with a rather high concentration of old Buddhist temples. These are markers of some sort that we saw at the first temple. Along the wall you can see what look like headstones. There were no guided tours or helpful signs, so we had to guess at the meaning and purpose of everything. Not that I'm complaining. It was nice to experience a beautiful place without being told where to go and what to think.






Temple Building
Some of the architecture at the same temple.






Temple Offerings
A close-up of some of the "headstones." You can see coin offerings on the bases.






Triforce
Still at the same Kamakura temple. A Legend of Zelda veteran, I did a double-take when I saw the glyph on the wooden box. What, you mean they didn't just make that up? It was trippy.






Oh How I Wished We Had Bought It
Back in Tokyo, we went one day to a big outdoor market where you could purchase, among other things, articles of clothing that are valued for their nonsensical English.






Tsukiji Fish Market
Our last morning in Tokyo, we got up early and went for sushi at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. It was, beyond question, the best meal of the trip, and ruined me for all sushi to come. I snapped this picture in a hurry as we rushed through the market. A few hours later, we boarded a train for Narita airport.