V.I.T.

...Very Impressive Tree.


There's a police guy in there too :p
But! It's neither a temple nor flowers. I'm branching out!
Er...pun not intended... (-.-;)

San-jyuu-san Gendou (again)

This is the long side. You can only see about halfway down its length...


Yep. Longest wooden building in the world.

San-jyuu-san Gendou

See? Another temple!



This is San-jyuu-san Gendou in Kyoto. It just happens to be the longest wooden building in the world (...this is the short side).

Temples and flowers...

It's spring in Japan. I'll probably be posting a lot of temples and flowers. (I'll try to add some variety every once in a while)


This was taken during the light-up at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto last week.

Toji Temple

This is the place where the flea market was held last Wednesday...it looks a lot different without all the people and stalls full of stuff.


It also has a five-tiered pagoda. (The bottom tier is kind of hidden by the trees.) There apparently aren't very many of those in Japan.

A Brief Moment of Culture

As requested - a picture from the CWU trip. This is from a show in Kyoto on Friday, where we saw examples of about six or seven different traditional arts (in 50 minutes...they were very efficient). This particular picture is from the section on Japanese court music, or "gagaku".


If you look closely you might see the back of a CWU student's head. (Maybe. I'm not really sure who everyone is in there...)

*Side note - If you're interested, check out this site, which has a little more information about gagaku, as well as a nice close-up of the impressive helmet the dancer is wearing.

Getting into Kiyomizu Temple...

It was crowded.
There was a line.


A very long line.

Another Kyoto night picture...

Lanterns near Kiyomizu temple during the light-up.

Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, at night.


...the blue streak in the air is either a spotlight, or the temple's holy aura. (We were thinking spotlight at the time)

Kyoto

Wandered around Kyoto after the flea market yesterday...they had a big light-up event.

This was taken just before sunset.


(...I like the crowd control police-guy on the right ^_~ )

Flea Market

I went to Kyoto today! There's a flea market held at Toji temple there on the 21st of each month. I went and bought a little Chinese-style shelf, a tea set, and a kimono. (For cheap!)


I also walked a lot today. Sooooooo tired......

Oh no!

I have no excuse. I simply forgot to post a picture yesterday...

In penance, I offer three scenes of Kobe:


First, a torii (shrine gate) at the entrance to Ikuta Road - which, coincidentally, leads to Ikuta Shrine.


Next, a view of the port. The boat is only blurry 'cause it was moving!


And lastly, another view of the Kobe Port Tower. For some reason I really like this one.

Look!

Kobe has glowing buildings!

Kobe Harborland

Went down to Kobe Harborland today, right by the water. It was *cold* - by the time I finished taking pictures my hands were almost numb...but I got a few good pictures. This one was the best. (Look! You can even see the evening star - Venus? - on the left side!)


I should go to Kobe more often.

Awaji Island

This is another older picture...it was taken last summer on Awaji Island, near Kobe.

Even more plum blossoms...

This was probably the best Osaka Castle + plum blossom shot that I took :)


Ahh...I remember that day. The weather was so nice!
It's gotten a lot colder...

Also from Takarazuka...

I was quite taken with this metal gazebo-dome-type-structure...but I can't decide whether or not the light spoils the effect...


Taken near the theatre I posted a picture of on Monday.

Train Station

Hankyuu Umeda train station in Osaka. It's always crowded, usually worse than this...this was taken Monday night.


There's a bookstore in the background, too!

Takarazuka

Went to Takarazuka today. Ever heard of the Takarazuka Revue? This is their theatre/complex. It's HUGE.


Anyway, since I was there, I thought I'd post a picture :)

Shinsaibashi!

I forgot my camera today...so you get a cell phone picture :p



This is Shinsaibashi, the cool hang-out/shopping area for young people in Osaka. Crowded!

Also - happy daylight saving time for those in the USA!

Welcome!

Technically it's Saturday. So I'm posting Saturday's picture now.


This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. It's from a hiking trail on Mt. Koya, a famous temple area, located an hour or two north of Osaka.

Building!

This is a random large building in Namba. I don't know what it is. My guess is some sort of theatre...?


Yay random buildings!

Osaka Castle Food?

In Japan, where there is an outdoor event, there will be food stalls!


This one appears to be selling onion konnyaku? Or maybe onions AND konnyaku? I'm not exactly sure. Although I remember seeing something onion-shaped the day I was there...in the picture, all I can see is the meat-on-a-stick from the front stall :p

Geekiness revealed!

Mwahaha!

I know it's not a great photo, quality-wise...but it makes me smile. I love all the cute little figures they have here.
How many characters can you recognize? (^_~)

More plum blossoms...

So I'm still milking my weekend at Osaka Castle for pictures. (Why not - I still have the sunburn :p)


This is the (least crowded part of the) main plum tree field from above. So many trees! The crowds are mostly to the left, out of view.

Bonus!

So after talking about the plum blossoms yesterday, I figure I should actually show some.


Pretty, ne? I've left this one nice and big, since I feel like it could make a good desktop background. Maybe...it's kind of busy, with all the little flowers. Either way, feel free :p

Also - special bonus picture!
As a vegetarian, I have a hard time finding various foods in Japan. Some of them are things you wouldn't expect...like ramen. I ate ramen fairly regularly back in the states, but in Japan, it is *always* made with some sort of meat stock. Then last week, I found a vegetarian pack! I made it tonight - with lots of yummy veggies and tofu! - and I was so excited that I took a picture:


It was delicious :)

Now I just have to find an actual restaurant that serves veggie ramen. And maybe even gyoza!

Osaka Castle

Went to Osaka Castle today! The plum trees are blooming, so the hanami (flower-viewing) crowds were out in full force!


In this picture, you can see not only Osaka Castle, but plum trees in bloom (or almost in bloom...the ones here are still rather sparse - maybe they're actually cherry trees), as well as a shiisa lion statue.

Graduation

Teachers get graduation presents too!

Last week was graduation at my school. I didn't get to take pictures of the actual ceremony, so here's the next best thing...


After the ceremony, all the teachers had a present on their desks! The PTA showed their appreciation with a fancy Japanese dessert - steamed sweet bread filled with sweet bean paste. Pretty tasty, actually :)

It's Friday!

I have another picture from Yokohama today...

This is the Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Yokohama. There's a viewing area at the top, where you can supposedly see Mount Fuji on a clear day. I didn't get a chance to go up to the top, though...but I did see Fuji-san from the train!

Bikes!

Another older picture today...this is the student parking lot behind my school. Bikes!

I'm back!

It's late, so I'll make this quick. Here are pictures from my trip! I'll post five - one for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and today; and one extra! :)



This is Mount Fuji, as seen from the window of the shinkansen (aka the bullet train)...along with a nice selection of industrial buildings.






Yokohama is home to the largest Chinatown in Japan. I went there on Monday night.










Also in Chinatown - kitties! I think I took almost as many pictures of cats as I did of Chinatown.








This is the famous Yokohama waterfront area. The building on the left is actually a hotel attached to the conference center where the seminars I was attending was held.
(Added bonus: though you can't see it, the clock on the ferris wheel says 9:21 - translated to months and days, that's my birthday! ...I stood in the cold for several minutes to get that...)



The plum trees are blooming! I took this picture on the way home from school today.





That's all for now!