Tims Trip to: Japan 2004

1
Tims Trip toJapan2004

• ????????????2004??

2
??????????? ??????????? ??????????????????????????
????
Detroit airport has this really cool cable train
and I had some spare time so I rode it around for
a while. Take that, moving sidewalk!
3
614 miles to go! 1 hour and 15 minutes! Were
so close I can smell the sushi! Unfortunately, I
think the baby next to me smelled the sushi too,
and cried most of the flight.
?????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ????
?????????????????????
4
The first picture taken in Japan, we were driving
home from the airport. Its a beautiful sunset.
Or sunrise I dont think I knew at the time
???????????????????????????????????????? ?????????
?????????
5
Shuji, Tomiko, Hiromi, Yuki and myself after a
delicious Japanese Sukiyaki dinner getting ready
for Welcome back! cake.
?????????????????????????????? ???????????????????
??????????????????
6
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
??
Ah, meet Poonta. A cute little dog, but I think
he licked my legs for the full two weeks.
7
???????????????????????????????
Shujis steel company built the Rainbow Bridge
over Tokyo Bay.
Said Bay, from an outpost in the middle of the
Bay between a bridge and a tunnel. Plus Yuki,
Hiromi and myself. And not the best weather for
black clothes.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
??????????
8
????? ! ?????? !
Shiohigari Digging for clams in the mud flats.
They opened the gates to the flats about 2
minutes before I took this picture and it was
already flooded with hundreds of people. We came
home with 11kg of clams for dinner! Plus a few
stray crabs and shrimp that were fun to chase.
9
The next day, with Hiromi and Daisuke, we went to
Harajuku to do some shopping. Its kind of
intimidating when you walk into any store there
because everyone in the store bombards you with
the phrase Irashyaimase!! (welcome) at the same
time.
???????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????????
10
Along with multitudes of bands that lined this
park in Shibuya, these guys were dancing to a
boom box, and from what I can tell, doing their
best impersonations of good old American greasers!
???????????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????????????
11
We ate real Ramen at a Ramen restaurant in
Shibuya, and it was quite a bit different than
the 10 cent packets of Ramen that I ate for 5
years in college. After that, we went to Roppongi
Hills, another ritzier shopping area complete
with tranquil garden and pond.
????????????????? ????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????????????
12
Ahh, sheets of rain, perfect weather for surfing!
??????????????????????!
13
?????????????????????????? ???????????????????????
? ?????????????????????????
Well we didnt bring the camera on the beach, but
we did some serious wave-riding. Masas pretty
good and I even got up a few times and caught
some narley surf!
14
Surfing was followed by much needed sleep.
?????????????????????
We stopped on the side of the road for about an
hour and slept in the car. Surfings a lot of
work! This is a picture taken from the side of
the road
?????????????????????????????????????? ???????????
???????????
15
This day I was exploring Tokyo by myself, looking
for the Jindaiji Temple, and feeling slightly
artistic. Feeling, not actually being
artistic.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????
? This one I had to take only so that I could
look at it on the way back to make sure I didnt
get lost.
? ???????????????????????????????????????
16
My memory didnt serve me too well, and I never
found the temple that day, so I took a picture of
this. I thought it kind of looked like a temple.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
?
17
This is considered a two-way street??
?????????!!
18
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
??????????????
This is on our way to China-town in Yokohama,
Chyukagai.Yuki and Hiromi standing in front of
a gazebo, for lack of a better word for it.
19
China-town is a really cool place. We ate dinner
at a fancy Chinese restaurant with Tomikos
father (Masas grandfather). There was a
traditional Chinese band playing while we ate
even!
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????
20
???????????????????????????????????????????????? ?
?????????????????
The whole lobby of the restaurant was carved out
of mahogany I think. The chairs, the walls, the
tables. It was incredible. After that we
returned to Tomikos fathers which is nearby, in
Yokohama.
21
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????
This was my second attempt at finding the
Jindaiji Temple. This isnt it however. I think
this is a gravestone. But its cool, its got a
little oven, a stone lantern, incense burning pit
and a cup of tea!
22
?????????????????
Ah, Jindaiji, at last! This is one of the main
buildings on the grounds.
23
Always check the map first!
??????????
Then you have to wash your hands
??????????
before going in!
??!
24
(No Transcript)
25
Yes they have 7-eleven in Tokyo. I went to the
one on the right on the way home. And a little
while later I went to the one below in a totally
different direction. I thought it was kind of
strange that all the same people worked at that
store too. And when I left all of the
surroundings were the same and it was just
remarkable. So yeah it was the same store, I
just didnt know it
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
????????? ?????????????????????????
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
I think I found my newest career path.
????????????????
29
???????????????????????????? ?????????????????????
??????
This is the Yokozuna (big guy) Asashoryu doing
a ceremonial type of demonstration, I didnt
really understand it. But he had won 36 matches
in a row, and this was the first one he lost.
30
(No Transcript)
31
This was a cool festival at a place called
Asakusa. There were people everywhere all
carrying these shrines on their shoulders and
chanting.
These guys are workin hard!
????????????????????
?????????????
32
??????????????????????????????????????????? ????
Shrine after shrine kept on coming down the road.
And these guys carried those things around from
230 to around 700 at night. Non-stop. There
was an unbelievable amount of people there, and
33
???????????????!
They had chocolate covered bananas!
34
(No Transcript)
35
?????????????????????????????????????
We went grocery shopping on the way home. Do
they know the heads are still on?
36
The next day we had a dinner party that was
supposed to be a BBQ, but it was raining. So I
got to see everyone I had met from the first time
I went over, it was a lot of fun. We ate well I
dont remember, but there was a lot of different
stuff and it was all good!
???????????!
37
????????? ?????
38
????????????????????????????
We surfed in Yokohama and afterwards, enjoyed the
peace and quiet of the tsurugaoka hachiman temple
39
?????????????? ?????????????????????????????
We went to a sushi bar and had some delicious
treats including what you see to the right.
Yeah, crawfish head and body. It wasnt half
bad, a bit crunchy, but awful tasty.
40
???????????????????????????????????????
Masa let his chicken run off again
41
?????????????!
????????????????????
Masa gets in his Subaru every morning to go sell
Subarus. He has to dress up and doesnt get
commission.
He loves his job!
42
And as all good things come to an end it was
finally time for me to leave.
????????????????????????!
43
??????????????????????????????
We headed to the airport and stopped to visit
Hirome and Daisuke at their house to say goodbye.
44
After goodbyes at the airport I got on the plane
and had my in-flight meal consisting of stuff in
a plastic thing, stuff in a plastic bag, and
stuff in a plastic cup.
????????????? ???????????????????????????????
45
And it was delicious!
?????????
46
????? ?????????
See you later! Ill be back!