Japan 2015
 

Before I start here's the whole album to peruse since its a couple thousand pictures and I can't post them all. Gopro videos from my pack rig i'm still working on
http://s524.photobucket.com/user/Sha...?sort=3&page=1


Pretty sure I mentioned it to everyone but for the past few weeks I was in Japan backpacking. Thanks to some incessant pestering of Ben I was able to make it happen. I went solo cause that's how I prefer to do most things anyhow.

First three days Tokyo.
Landed around 3pm in the afternoon and it was raining and hot, like carrying around a wet dog. Whatever jet lag is supposed to feel like I didn't have it I was ready to get my ass to Tokyo. First things first, I go to exchange my exchange order to get my train pass. After an hour or so train ride I arrive in Tokyo and cram into the local Yamanote line to my hotel, after realizing that google maps walking nav is fucking worthless and after getting lost for about an hour I found my hotel. Check in, dump my shit and rush to make my dinner reservation.

I finally make it to the restaurant after getting lost again, and sit down. Everyone at the bar is very apprehensive about my presence, and after awkward staring from the chef and the locals, he asks me why I came to Japan. I explain that I teach Shorinji Kempo and that I wanted to see the sights related to martial arts and he and his wife start to laugh loudly, the whole demeanor of the restaurant changed. Now everyone wants to hear the stories I have about teaching and fighting, the locals at the end of the bar have the one who spoke english very well to ask "can we make buff with Sensei?" Make buff? Oh you mean flex, uh, sure I guess.

Now mama and papa wanted to take a picture too

It was a late night and the locals were trying to buy me sake to drink with, after explaining that i've never tasted alcohol, one of the older gentleman at the bar with his wife walked over to me and shook my hand and in broken english said "I wish my daughter could have married an american like you" :jester:
We all exchanged cards and I left to go crash.
Next morning I hit the city early to see what I wanted
Center tokyo there was a famous shrine on the way to the Katana Museum


After getting lost, again and walking around again for a couple hours I finally find the museum

Unfortunately the museum did not allow pictures, but didnt say anything about video :p
From the museum I head over to the park. For whatever reason the park names are drawing a blank since there were so many but when I remember i'll edit


I'm having some issues with photobucket so i'll continue it after I work them out.

So that's the reason for the silence. Congrats on the trip. I'm anxious to hear and see more.

Japan is on my bucket list. lucky you

Sounds like all in all you had a great trip. Looking forward to more pics and video.

I will be going to Tokyo on July 28. Frankie will be there 2 weeks before me, so she "should " know her way around a little. I am super excited to go. Her son is working in Tokyo, so we can stay at his place for free.


Great photos. I loved the contrast of the Day/Night shots in Hirosima. Frankie has been to some of the Temples on your trip. This will be her 5th trip over there. We have a few temple sites on our plan.

From the museum I headed over to the Shinjuku Garden






I was there a couple hours and was just about to leave to get food when I saw a small diner in the middle of the park, menu was on a vending machine that issues tickets, odd, but lets try it. I get my tickets and the lady say "you get too much" ha, this is a snack
Bento box, tempura udon, and a sushi plate for $11? Fuck. Yes.

Then jam to see the other side

Massive greenhouse in the park


From there I head over to Tokyo government building after walking for a couple hours to find that there's a subway stop in the basement.


This was the garden I just came from

Went up in to both towers and was hungry again so I got sugary crap with a nice view, japan isn't big on protein snacks but they love their cakes and ice cream

After that I headed over to Akihabara to be a nerd


Walked around for a good 5 hours, going in all the shops, went to a maid cafe (what a fucking waste of time and money)
Saw old business men playing pokemon and yugioh like their lives depended on it :jester:
Saw that an m14 airsoft gun costs what my m14 costs here
Ate at the Gundamn cafe
Ate somewhere else
Then went over to Ginza to eat again

I forget the name of it right now but there's probably a few hundred restaurants that run under the train in Ginza, popped in a few of those



Then spent a few hours window shopping
Then went back to my hotel to change to go to Womb night club, after wandering around Kabukicho for a couple hours and being harrased by hookers saying the same thing over and over "handjob, blowjob, anal" only to run away if I even looked at them to say no. BTW Womb was horrible.
Go back to my hotel and eat in this little diner next door, 24 hours and cheap



By now its around 3am and I need to be up early for the sights so I crash
5am the train starts and I head over to Meiji Shrine, this place is fucking HUGE. Walked it in about 3 hours cause it's just covered with shit

Just getting from this Tori to the actual shrine was probably 35 minutes of walking





Spent a while there but could'nt spend all day
Popped in Yebisu Garden Place on my way, which is just a bunch of new building and the Sapporro building, so I didn't spend much time
Then a long train ride, a longer walk, to near the harbor and Tsukiji Market to arrive at Senkakuji
For those of you that saw the "Ronin" movie, this is the area that fat dude talks about in the movie. The burial site of the 47 Ronin who against the orders of the shogunate, trecked for almost 2 years to track down the dude who killed their master, once found they walked for 4 hours through heavy snow to behead him in his villa, the head was washed and presented to the Shogun, where after they committed Sepuku to be buried with their master.
Graves of the 47 Ronin and their master



Where they washed the head of Lord Kita before delivery of the head

After getting all kinds of goosebumps and watching the videos in the museums I bounced
Arrive at Kyu Shiba Rikyu after eating and walked around, MUCH smaller than Shinjuku but very nice, spent a couple hours




Watched some old ladies doing Kyudo, which I have gopro video of.

After spending a while there I get something to eat and leave
Head over to Zojoji Temple

Continue later, need food.

Great pics. The ticket thing is common, especially at Ramen places.

The story of the 47 Ronin is still a pretty commonly told traditional story. Like Hachiko the dog, it's essentially about complete loyalty, a very big deal for Japanese culture even now.

Right, it's common for familiars, not so common here. Which I why I did a very vague explanation. Other parts of my trip are very lesser known areas for people in the arts, but the japanese were extremely interested in hearing about because for many of then it was a "some day" kind of visit.