Japan

I spent about 3 weeks in Japan in September 2009. I mostly visited some of the best-known Japanese cities, but I also managed to get out into the countryside for some stunning views of Mount Fuji.

These photos are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

Tokyo

Tokyo made for quite an introduction to Japan. Sometimes it was amazingly crowded - yes, I was on one of those subway trains where they were pushing people on one morning, and I encountered the bustle of Shinjiku Station and the surrounding area - but it was also possible to find a peaceful corner of a park to relax in. In one view, I could take in historical gardens and architecture along with modern skyscrapers. Japanese politeness and traditional customs were on display everywhere - it goes without saying the people exhibited it, but some of the ticket vending machines even had a little animation of somebody bowing. However, even on the fringe of the red light district I could get an impression of what went on in there. In the subway, the pace was frantic, but by the bay area there were places to amble along gently by the sea. It seemed to me as if Tokyo was a city where everything could be found - even a copy of the statue of liberty - and I enjoyed the contrasts.

One entrance to Ueno Park	In Ueno Park	Temple in Ueno Park
Temple in Ueno Park	Temple in Ueno Park	A street in Ameyoko Arcade
Pachinko hall	Statue in Ueno Park	View from Ueno Park
View from Ueno Park	Monument in Ueno Park	Ueno Park
Lake in Ueno Park	Pagoda in Ueon Park	Pagoda in Ueon Park
In Ueon Park	Approaching the Imperial Palace area	City-center buildings
Fountain park near the Imperial Palace	Fountain park near the Imperial Palace	Fountain park near the Imperial Palace
Fountain park near the Imperial Palace	Fountain park near the Imperial Palace	Fountain park near the Imperial Palace
Fountain park near the Imperial Palace	One of the gaurd houses on the Imperial Palace moat	The Imperial Palace moat
Old and new architecture, side by side	One of the gaurd houses on the Imperial Palace moat	The Imperial Palace moat
Tree hanging over the Imperial Palace moat	A whole collection of sky scrapers	The Imperial Palace moat
Imperial Palace gate	Imperial Palace seen over a bridge (this is as close as you can get normally)	Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace seen over a bridge	Imperial Palace seen over a bridge	Imperial Palace seen over a bridge
Imperial Palace moat	Samurai Statue near Imperial Palace	Samurai Statue near Imperial Palace
City center sky scapers	Approaching the Imperial Palace east gardens	Approaching the Imperial Palace east gardens
Approaching the Imperial Palace east gardens	Building in Imperial Palace East Garden	Building in Imperial Palace East Garden
Building in Imperial Palace East Garden	Fujimi-yagura (Mt Fuji View Tower) in East Garden	Remains of Edo-period Castle
Remains of Edo-period Castle	View from remains of Edo-period Castle	Remains of Edo-period Castle
Tea house in the Imperial Palace East Gardens	In the Imperial Palace East Gardens	In the Imperial Palace East Gardens
In the Imperial Palace East Gardens	In the Imperial Palace East Gardens	In the Imperial Palace East Gardens
In the Imperial Palace East Gardens	In the Imperial Palace East Gardens	View from the Kitanomaru gardens
Nihon Budakon	Statue on the approach to the Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre gate
Another statue on the approach to the Yasukuni Shinre	Another Yasukuni Shinre gate	Yasukuni Shinre gate
Entrance door to the Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre entrance	Yasukuni Shinre entrace
Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre
Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre grounds
Yasukuni Shinre grounds	Cannon at the Yasukuni Shinre	Model boat at the Yasukuni Shinre
Statue at the Yasukuni Shinre	Yasukuni Shinre garden	Yasukuni Shinre gate
Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	Night view from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night
The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night
The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night	The area around Shinjiku by night
Huge lattern at Thunder Gate, on the approach to the Senso Temple	Senso temple shopping sreet	Senso temple shopping sreet
Senso Temple gate	At Senso Temple	Senso Temple gate with pagoda
Senso Temple pagoda	Senso Temple gate	Senso Temple gate
Lattern hanging in Senso Temple gate	Senso Temple gate	One of the protectors of Senso Temple
Part of a Senso Temple lattern	Unknown object at Senso Temple	Senso Temple Pagoda
Curious clock	One of the many other gates to Senso Temple	Lion statue at Senso Temple
At Senso Temple	At Senso Temple	Another shrine at Senso Temple
Incense burner outisde a shrine at Senso Temple	Inside a shrine at Senso Temple	A shrine at Senso Temple
A shrine at Senso Temple	Incense burner outside a shrine at Senso Temple	Incense burner outside a shrine at Senso Temple
Statue near to Senso Temple	Inside Senso Temple	Inside Senso Temple
Inside Senso Temple	Inside Senso Temple	Shrine at Senso Temple
Statue at Senso Temple	Inside of a shrine at Senso Temple	Inside of a shrine at Senso Temple
Statue at Senso Temple	At Senso Temple	Senso Temple gate and pagoda
Senso Temple pagoda	Lantern at Senso Temple	Cloth with kanji at Senso Temple
A beer company building. Apparently, they paid the architects in beer...	Sumida River	Sumida River
View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building	View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building		Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices building
In the bay area	Bridge in the bay area	A ferris wheel is reflected by a glass building
Fountain on approach to the bay area promenade	Cranes by the sea, seen from the bay area	The bay area, with rainbow bridge in the distance
The bay area, with rainbow bridge in the distance	Random huge robot	The walking trail by the sea
Tokyo's copy of the statue of liberty	Buildings in the bay area	The sun lights up the sea
Buildings in the bay area	Buildings in the bay area	Rainbow Bridge
The sun starts to set over the bay	The sun starts to set over the bay	Clock, with rainbow bridge in the background
Fisherman	Fisherman	Sunset at Tokyo bay
Sunset at Tokyo bay	Sunset at Tokyo bay	Curious architecture...lots of stairs...
Random huge gold pricky thingy (never figured out what this was for)	Sunset at Tokyo bay	Sunset at Tokyo bay
Inside a Tokyo appartment building near Ueno, where I was hosted by some friends	View over Tokyo	View over Tokyo
View over Tokyo	View over Tokyo	View over Tokyo
View over Tokyo	View over Tokyo

Yokohama

Just half an hour out of Tokyo, this city seems to merge in to it. I visited it for a couple of hours on a rather gray afternoon and took a trip to the top of the tallest building in Japan to get a view over it.

Landmark Tower, Japan's tallest building	Art near Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	Sculpture in the observation area of the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
Hikawa Maru boat seen from above	View from the Landmark Tower	View from the Landmark Tower
Landmark Tower	Art outside the Landmark Tower	Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel
Looking towards Yokohama Cosmo World	Hikawa Maru boat	Hikawa Maru boat

Kawaguchi-ko

Lake Kawaguchi is part of the five lakes region near Mount Fuji, and where I came hoping to get fine views of the famous mountain. I was incredibly lucky: I arrived to pouring rain, left to thick cloud, but the one full day I had there was just perfect. I woke up way too early, noticed the sky was clear, tried to sleep until a sensible time, finally gave up and headed outside. I was up earlier than the first cable car up to the viewing point ran, so first I walked around the lakeside a little way, and saw a slightly hazy reflection of Mount Fuji in the smooth water. The view from the viewing point was pretty good, though there was a little cloud around the peak. In the afternoon, I decided to walk all the way around the lake - almost 13 kilometers. For at least half of the walk, I had views of Fuji - and even better, the clouds near the top of it completely went away for a while! After the walk, I went to the point around the lake I'd walked in the morning, and watched the sun setting. It was a beautiful day's walking, and man was I glad to take my poor feet to the onsen that evening and give them a good soaking.

Kyoto

Kyoto is said to be Japan's capital of culture, and in many ways it does indeed fulfill a bunch of expectations I had about what I might see in Japan. I'd read that Kyoto had a lot to see, but even then I'd not really appreciated just how much; it was one of the places I spent longest in, and yet I could have spent just as long again there still. Unlike some cities that have a lot to see, though, Kyoto was not really a city for wandering around and enjoying. Yes, the temples and the shrines were beautiful and often quite genuinely historical, so there was a lot of great stuff to see and do. But the journeys between them - which I guess many people don't do on foot - were often far less inspiring. The beauty was there, but in spots that took a little seeking out. I'm happy I spent a while there, and would happily go back too, but to me it felt very much like a collection of great sights rather a coherent beautiful whole.

A small street near the ryokan I stayed at	Kyoto Tower by night	One gate of Higashi Hongan Temple
Higashi Hongan Temple	Sculpture at Higashi Hongan Temple	Higashi Hongan Temple moat
Higashi Hongan Temple moat with Kyoto Tower in the distance	Higashi Hongan Temple moat	Kamo river
Statue at Sanjusangen Temple	Gallery on the edge of Sanjusangen Temple	Gallery on the edge of Sanjusangen Temple
Sanjusangen Temple	Shrine at Sanjusangen Temple	Shrine at Sanjusangen Temple
Shrine at Sanjusangen Temple	Shrine at Sanjusangen Temple	Shrine at Sanjusangen Temple
View over the Sanjusangen Temple pond	Some of the thousands of children visiting Sanjusangen Temple	A Sanjusangen Temple gate
A Sanjusangen Temple gate	Bell pagoda at Sanjusangen Temple	Bell pagoda at Sanjusangen Temple
Sanjusangen Temple	Sanjusangen Temple	View over the Sanjusangen Temple pond
View over the Sanjusangen Temple pond	Sculpture at Kiyomizu-dera	Buildings at Kiyomizu-dera
Buildings at Kiyomizu-dera	Entrace to main temple area of Kiyomizu-dera	Entrace to main temple area of Kiyomizu-dera
Protector at Kiyomizu-dera	Kiyomizu-dera temple	Kiyomizu-dera temple
In the grounds of the Kiyomizu-dera temple	People worshiop at various shrines in the Kiyomizu-dera temple	Shrine at Kiyomizu-dera temple
Part of a shrine at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Lantern at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Sculpture at Kiyomizu-dera temple
Shrine at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Lanterns at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Shrine at Kiyomizu-dera temple
Shrine at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Kiyomizu-dera temple	Kiyomizu-dera temple
Kiyomizu-dera temple	Path into the gardens of Kiyomizu-dera temple	View in the gardens of Kiyomizu-dera temple
Children queue for washing	Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Gate at Kiyomizu-dera temple
Steps outside Kiyomizu-dera temple	Front of Kiyomizu-dera temple	Kiyomizu-dera temple gate
Building at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Kiyomizu-dera temple bell pagoda	Front of Kiyomizu-dera temple
Kiyomizu-dera temple gate	Kiyomizu-dera temple bell pagoda	View from Kiyomizu-dera temple
View from Kiyomizu-dera temple	View from Kiyomizu-dera temple	View from Kiyomizu-dera temple
Building at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Building at Kiyomizu-dera temple	Building at Kiyomizu-dera temple
Small temple spotted while walking around Kyoto	Unknown, but large pagoda	Unknown, but large pagoda
Unknown, but large pagoda	Ryozen Kannon Statue	Ryozen Kannon Statue and shrine
Ryozen Kannon Statue and shrine	Shrine at the Ryozen Kannon Statue	Ryozen Kannon Statue
Room inside the Ryozen Kannon Statue	Room inside the Ryozen Kannon Statue	Room inside the Ryozen Kannon Statue
Room inside the Ryozen Kannon Statue	In the Ryozen Kannon Statue grounds	Ryozen Kannon Statue
Ryozen Kannon Statue and shrine	Ryozen Kannon Statue and shrine	Ryozen Kannon Statue and shrine
Kodaiji Temple	Yasaka-Jinja Shrine gate	Yasaka-Jinja Shrine
Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	Lanterns at the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	Yasaka-Jinja Shrine
Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	Looking through a gate to the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine
Yasaka-Jinja Shrine gate	Yasaka-Jinja Shrine gate	In the grounds of the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine
In the grounds of the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	In the grounds of the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine	Gate to Chion-in Temple
Chion-in Temple	Chion-in Temple	Incense burner at Chion-in Temple
Chion-in Temple	Graveyard at Chion-in Temple	Graveyard at Chion-in Temple
Graveyard at Chion-in Temple	Graveyard at Chion-in Temple	Chion-in Temple
Maruyama Park	Maruyama Park	Weeping cherry tree in Maruyama Park
Gate of the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Another gate of the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Fox sculpture at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Fushimi-Inari shrine	Fushimi-Inari shrine	Fushimi-Inari shrine gate
At the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine
Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Writing on torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine
Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine
Fushimi-Inari shrine building	Woman washes at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine
Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Shrine at Fushimi-Inari
Pond in the grounds of the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	Small torii and foxes at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	View from Fushimi-Inari shrine
Small torii and foxes at Fushimi-Inari shrine	Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	Small torii at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Small torii at Fushimi-Inari shrine	Small torii at Fushimi-Inari shrine	Small torii at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	Torii at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Gate leading to a shrine at Fushimi-Inari
Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	In the grounds of Fushimi-Inari shrine	Small torii and foxes at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Small torii and foxes at Fushimi-Inari shrine	Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	Torii at Fushimi-Inari shrine
Shrine at Fushimi-Inari	View from Fushimi-Inari shrine	View from Fushimi-Inari shrine
Fox statue at Fushimi-Inari shrine	Inside a shrine at Fushimi-Inari	Inside a shrine at Fushimi-Inari
Statue at the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Fushimi-Inari shrine	Fushimi-Inari shrine
Gate of the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Gate of the Fushimi-Inari shrine	Inside Kyoto railway station
Moat around Nijo Castle	Nijo Castle buildings	Nijo Castle buildings
Nijo Castle buildings	Nijo Castle buildings	Nijo Castle buildings and pond
Nijo Castle buildings and pond	Nijo Castle gate	Nijo Castle buildings
Nijo Castle buildings	View over some of the Nijo Castle grounds	View over some of the Nijo Castle grounds
Moat at Nijo Castle	Bridge over a moat at Nijo Castle	Moat at Nijo Castle
Building at Nijo Castle	Moat at Nijo Castle	Moat at Nijo Castle
Tea house in the grounds of Nijo Castle	Tea house in the grounds of Nijo Castle	Nijo Castle buildings
Nijo Castle buildings	Nijo Castle buildings	Nijo Castle gate
Moat around Nijo Castle

Kyoto Railway Museum

I like trains, so I couldn't resist a visit to this railway museum, near the center of Kyoto.

Inside an old railway carriage	Turntable and engine sheds	Old steam locomotive, after hauling a special nostalgia train
Old steam locomotive, after hauling a special nostalgia train	Old steam locomotive on the turntable	Old steam locomotive on the turntable
Locomotive at the museum	Old steam locomotive on the turntable	Locomotive at the museum
Locomotive at the museum	Inside the cabin	Inside the cabin
Locomotive at the museum	Old steam locomotive on the turntable	Locomotive at the museum
Two locomotives in the engine shed	Looking over locomotives in the engine shed	Inside the cabin
Close up of number plates	Close up of number plates	Decoration and number plates
Logo close-up	Tool for track maintenance	The outside of the museum

Osaka

I'd planned to day-trip to Osaka from Kyoto, but I ended up feeling that the things Kyoto had to offer were of more interest to me, so in the end I evening-tripped instead. I'd heard a certain tower offered good night views, but when I got there I couldn't find any signs of it being open, and the leaflets were vague about when it might be open too, so instead I headed for the bay area and took a ride in the world's largest ferris wheel. The views were indeed impressive, though a moving wheel plus night time photography (where you have to keep the camera very still!) didn't go together so well! After that, I headed for the center, which was a really lively spot, with no shortage of bright lights. I enjoyed the spectacle and the hustle and bustle of it for a while, before heading back to Kyoto.

Umeda Sky Building at sunset	Umeda Sky Building at sunset	Umeda Sky Building
View from Umeda Sky Building	View from Umeda Sky Building	View from Umeda Sky Building
Umeda Sky Building	Giant Ferris Wheel - apparently, the world's largest	View from Giant Ferris Wheel
View from Giant Ferris Wheel	View from Giant Ferris Wheel	View from Giant Ferris Wheel
View from Giant Ferris Wheel	Giant Ferris Wheel	Outside the aquarium
View of the bay area at night	Giant Ferris Wheel	The Dotonbori Canal by night
Huge lanterns in Minami area	The Dotonbori Canal by night	Bright lights of the Minami area
The Dotonbori Canal by night	The Dotonbori Canal by night	Bright lights of the Minami area
Bright lights of the Minami area	A street in the Minami area	A street in the Minami area
Building on the side of the The Dotonbori Canal	A street in the Minami area

Nara

While Nara didn't have so many stunning sights as Kyoto, it made it up by being just more consistently a nice place. In fact, I spent my first couple of hours there wandering around some parks, taking in the odd interesting bit of architecture and feeding the deer that are wandering all over that area of the city. Nara was - probably as a result of it being a much more minor city - a place to slow down and relax, which made me somewhat sad I'd only decided to have one night there. My wallet was happy though, since Nara also had the most expensive hotel I stayed in during my entire trip - but it was SO worth it (the service was truly amazing and very traditional Japanese style, and there was an open-air onsen on the roof with views to the city's main landmark, the five story pagoda...I think this one goes on my list of my favorite hotels anywhere ever).

Nara deer	Nara deer	Nara deer
Deer food seller surprisingly popular with deer	A deer warning road sign	Sheesh, last time I saw Sonic was when I was 10...
New wing of the Nara National Museum	Nara National Museum	Kofuku East Temple
Kofuku East Temple and Five Story Pagoda	My lovely ryokan room	Five Story Pagoda seen from my room
Nara shopping areas by night	Lots of balloons outside a gaming arcade	Five Story Pagoda by night
Kofuku East Temple by night	View from my ryokan room	Five Story Pagoda
Building near Kofuku Temple	Kofuku East Temple	Kofuku Temple
East Temple and Five Story Pagoda	Building near Kofuku Temple	Building near Kofuku Temple
Wooden writings at Kofuku Temple	Kofuku East Temple	Sarusawa Pond
Sagi-ike Pond	Sagi-ike Pond	Sagi-ike Pond
Bridge to Ukimido on Sagi-ike Pond	Ukimido on Sagi-ike Pond	Ukimido on Sagi-ike Pond
Ukimido on Sagi-ike Pond	Sagi-ike Pond	Deer
Deer		Todai Temple gate
Deer on the approach to Todai Temple	Todai Temple seen accross the pond	Todai Temple seen accross the pond
Todai Temple seen accross the pond	Todai Temple gate	Todai Temple
Protector at Todai Temple	Todai Temple	Todai Temple
Incense burner outside Todai Temple	Buddha in Todai Temple	Buddha in Todai Temple
Buddha in Todai Temple	Buddha in Todai Temple	Buddha in Todai Temple
Buddha in Todai Temple	Sculpture inside of Todai Temple	Garen behind Todai Temple
Sculptures inside of Todai Temple	Sculpture inside of Todai Temple	Buddha in Todai Temple
Sculpture outside of Todai Temple	Todai Temple	Five Story Pagoda

Hiroshima

Despite its legacy of being the first city to have the atomic bomb used against it, today's Hiroshima struck me as a rather pleasant place. Of course, the atomic bomb dome still stands as a memory of the horror that visited this city, along with a pleasant, but by reason of its existence very sad, peace memorial park. I spent some time capturing the a-bomb dome in various types of light (evening, night, day). Away from all of that, I visited the re-constructed city castle (the original wasn't in a great state before the a-bomb, but what was left was destroyed after it). Even though it's a reconstruction, it was nice to look at, and held an interesting museum.

Looking along the Motoyasu-gawa	Biuildings along the Motoyasu-gawa	Biuildings along the Motoyasu-gawa
Fountain outside the peace memorial park in the evening	Fountain outside the peace memorial park in the evening	Peace monument
Peace monument	Reflection of the a-bomb building in the river	The a-bomb building
The a-bomb building	The a-bomb building and other newer buildings near to it	The a-bomb building
Statues by the river	Statue by the river	Re-built bridge that was the target of the a-bomb (actually, the original survived the bombing, and lasted another 30 years)
A-bomb building up close	A-bomb dome up close	A-bomb building up close
A-bomb dome as the night sets in	A-bomb building as the sun sets	A-bomb building as the sun sets
A-bomb building lit up at night	A-bomb building lit up at night	A-bomb building lit up at night
A-bomb building lit up at night	The Motoyasu-gawa looking towards the a-bomb building by night	Motoyasu-gawa in the other direction by night
Hotel cat provided cuteness for all guests	Along the Motoyasu-gawa	The peace museum
The peace museum	Statue outside the peace memorial park	Fountain outside the peace memorial park
Fountain outside the peace memorial park by	Approach to the peace momument	Pepole at the Peace memorial park
Peace memorial park monument	Peace memorial park monument	Peace memorial park monument
Flame that will not be extinguished until all nuclear weapons are destroyed	In the peace park	In the peace park
Statue in the peace park	Peace memorial hall walkway	Main room of the peace memorial hall
Mosaic of city after the a-bom struck, made of hundreds of thousands of tiles representing those who died	Main room of the peace memorial hall	Main room of the peace memorial hall
Screens that change over time, showing some of those killed by the a-bomb	Fountain remembering the victim's cries for water	Monument representing the time of the bombing
Monument representing the time of the bombing	Along the Motoyasu-gawa	The a-bom building
Children's peace monument	Children's peace monument	Some of the thousands of paper cranes folded, inspired by a young girl who got Lukemia thanks to the a-bomb
Boat on the Motoyasu-gawa passes the a-bomb building	Statue near the a-bomb building	The a-bomb building
The a-bomb building	The a-bomb building	One of the many Hiroshima trams
Buildings near the old baseball stadium	Statue in Chuo park	Statue in Chuo park
Horoshima-jo seen over the moat	Horoshima-jo seen over the moat	Horoshima-jo seen over the moat
Statue and garden in front of Hiroshima-jo	Statue and garden in front of Hiroshima-jo	Moat bridge
Moat bridge	Castle walls reflected in the moat	Castle walls reflected in the moat
Moat bridge	Gokoku Shrine	Monument at Gokoku Shrine
Gokoku Shrine	Statue at Gokoku Shrine	Gokoku Shrine
Foundations of what was once a historial military office; the a-bomb destroyed it	Hiroshima-jo (destroyed by a-bomb and re-built)	Hiroshima-jo
Hiroshima-jo	Hiroshima-jo	View from Hiroshima-jo
View from Hiroshima-jo	View from Hiroshima-jo	View from Hiroshima-jo
Hiroshima-jo	Gate to Gokoku Shrine	Hiroshima-jo moat

Fukuoka

The weather took a turn for the worse towards the end of my time in Japan, which meant I only got to see this city without cloud and rain for a few hours on my final afternoon there. All was most certainly not lost, though: I spent much of my rainy first day in this city inside its excellent Asian Art museum, which was home to a lot of really good modern art created in Asia. I also enjoyed slurping some very tasty ramen, which the city is known for, and for good reason - they were delicious (and, unusually, a great place to go and eat alone - everyone sits in their own little booth and fills out a form specifying the exact details of how they'd like their ramen!).

Buildings in central Fukuoka	Western-style building in central Fukuoka	Non-functioning fountain in a small park
Naka River	Naka River	Naka River
Naka River	Naka River	Naka River by night
Western style building lit up at night	One of the many outdoor ramen stands	Fukuoka port
Fukuoka international ferry terminal	Fukuoka international ferry terminal	Fukuoka Port Tower
River running through western Fukuoka	Marina with ferris wheel in the distance	Marina with ferris wheel in the distance
Marina	One of the islands off the coast of Fukuoka	Islands off the coast of Fukuoka
Looking out over the bay	Looking out over the bay	Island off the coast of Fukuoka
Ferris wheel	Marina	Marina
Marina	Marina	Marina
Marina and ferris wheel	Marina	Marina and ferris wheels
Naka River by night	Naka River by night	Naka River by night
Naka River by night	Naka River by night

Nagasaki

Nagasaki struck me as a beautiful city with a very gray moment in its history - the day the second and last atomic bomb to be used in warfare to this date was dropped on it. It was also a very gray day that I visited - between arriving and leaving, the best weather I experienced was light rain (the rest of the time it was rather heavier rain). Thus I spent much of it inside the touching atomic bomb museum, which brought me close to tears with the true stories of destruction - not only of property but more importantly of lives. Of course, many were killed, but for many who survived the initial blast - for hours, days, weeks, months or years - it was often a grisly survival that for many must have felt like a kind of living hell. Nagasaki has risen today from the ashes, and while the weather wasn't such in this trip that I could really enjoy the risen Nagasaki to the full, I certainly hope to have an opportunity for that in the future.

Marker at the point above which the a-bomb exploded	Marker at the point above which the a-bomb exploded	Paper cranes in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park
Section of the destroyed Urakami Cathedral	Section of the destroyed Urakami Cathedral	Inside the Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Inside the Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims	Inside the Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims	Inside the Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
These books contain the names of all known victims	Outside of the Peace Memorial Hall	Outside of the Peace Memorial Hall
Statue near the Atomic Bomb Museum	Atomic Bomb Museum	Atomic Bomb Museum
View over Nagasaki	View over Nagasaki	Children's Memorial
Memorial near the Atomic Bomb Museum	Statue in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park	Statue in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park
Statue in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park	Statue in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park	Gravestone in the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park
Fountain in the Nagasaki Peace Park	Sculptures in the Nagasaki Peace Park	Sculpture in the Nagasaki Peace Park
Sculpture in the Nagasaki Peace Park	Nagasaki Peace Statue	Nagasaki Peace Statue
Memorial in the Nagasaki Peace Park	Nagasaki Peace Statue	Random, colorful building spotted near

Leaving Japan By Sea

I left Japan at a much more leisurely pace, heading over the sea on a boat to South Korea. Here are a few photos from the window of the Beetle as I left Fukuoka - and Japan - behind.

Looking back on Fukuoka Port	Looking back on Fukuoka Port	Looking back on Fukuoka Port
A small island	One of the larger islands near Fukuoka	One of the larger islands near Fukuoka
One of the larger islands near Fukuoka

Old railway carriage outside railway station	Fuji railway trains	Kawaguchi-ko railway station
Lake Kawaguchi in the morning	Lake Kawaguchi in the morning	Sculpture by Lake Kawaguchi
Lake Kawaguchi in the morning	Lake Kawaguchi in the morning	Mount Fuji partially visible on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi
Hotels on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	On the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	On the shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	Bridge over Lake Kawaguchi
Lake Kawaguchi	Steps up to a lookout over Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	View of Lake Kawaguchi from cable car	View of Mount Fuji from observation point
View over Kawaguchi-ko area	View over Kawaguchi-ko area	Shrine on Mount Fuji observation hill
Shrine on Mount Fuji observation hill	Mount Fuji seen from observation point	Mount Fuji seen from observation point
View over Kawaguchi-ko area	Mount Fuji seen from observation point	Mount Fuji seen from observation point
At the Mount Fuji observation point	At the Mount Fuji observation point	Flowers and Lake Kawaguchi
Flowers and Lake Kawaguchi	Bridge over Lake Kawaguchi	Bridge over Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji seen from a garden walking down from the observation point	Mount Fuji	Flowers
Flowers and Mount Fuji	Flowers and Mount Fuji	Flowers
Flowers	Small temple near Kawaguchi-ko	In the grounds of a small temple near Kawaguchi-ko
Small temple near Kawaguchi-ko	View from small temple near Kawaguchi-ko	In the grounds of a small temple near Kawaguchi-ko
Bridge over Lake Kawaguchi	Part of the path around Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji seen accross Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji seen accross Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji seen through flowers	View from the bridge over Lake Kawaguchi
View from the bridge over of Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji seen from the bridge accross Lake Kawaguchi	View from the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View from the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Shrine on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Gardens on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View of Mount Fuji from the west shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Mount Fuji, flowers and Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji, flowers and Lake Kawaguchi	Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Stone model of Mount Fuji, with the mountain itself in the background	Stone model of Mount Fuji, with the mountain itself in the background
Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Botanical garden on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Looking towards an island on Lake Kawaguchi
View from the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Water sports the southwest of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View from the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi
Entrace to a temple on the southwest shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Island on Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi
View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	View from the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi	Bridge over Lake Kawaguchi
The sun reflected in Lake Kawaguchi	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at dusk	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at dusk
Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at dusk	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset
Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset
Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset
Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Mount Fuji seen over Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Lake Kawaguchi at sunset
Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	Lake Kawaguchi at sunset	At Kawaguchi-ko station
Fuji train	Another Fuji train