This is a view from the windows of our hotel in Tokyo, Cerulean Tower (floor 27 or so).
This is a view from the windows of our Tokyo hotel, Cerulean Tower.
"Tickets" issues for entry to the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo. These plastic tickets are supposed to be relinquished upon exiting the gardens. Little of the buildings actually remains (apparently most were bombed our during WWII)
Swords in the window of some shop in Asakusa district of Tokyo.
Kids celebrating their birthdays in the Senso-ji temple, Asakusa district of Tokyo.
Gustav in front of Senso-ji temple in Tokyo.
Our hotel, the Cerulean Tower, from Shibuya subway station
Yet another view from our hotel window.
Yet another view from our hotel window in Tokyo.
Shinjuku, with the view of Hilton Hotel that appeared in Lost in Translation in the back.
Harry Potter-san
Funny sign at Asakusa railway station in Tokyo
Dragon fountain in Nikko, Japan. This is about 2 hours on the train north of Tokyo.
Gustav and Galina in Shoyo-en, the Strolling Garden, in the Rin-no-ji Temple compound in Nikko. To quote from our little book: "It is designed in a typical style of the Edo period and named by Issai Sato, a great Confucian scholar, in allusion to the Prince Abbot of the temple who strolled in this sacred area of nature."
Nipponese Maples in Full Color
Shoyo-en in Nikko.
Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. Shinkyusha (Sacred Stable) in Nikko.
Dragons, dragons, all these dragons. Yomeimon Gate in Nikko.
The famous sleeping cat. From the book: "The engraving of a sleeping cat just below the lintel of a corridor leading to the main temple is said to be a work of Hidari Jingoro (Left-handed). Carvings on the lintel representing auspicious flowers and birds are masterpieces of scultpure due to their novelty of idea and freedom in technique."
Trees on the way to the tomb of Tokugawa Iyeyasu.
In front of the tomb of Tokugawa Iyeyasu in Nikko.
Samurai archer on watch at the Yomeimon Gate (Sunset Gate) in Nikko.
Prayer notes.
Niten-mon (Kaminari-mon) gate at Nikko Mausoleum Rin-no-ji Tiyuin. "The name of Niten-mon, Two Heavens Gate) is derived from the two heavenly patron gods enshrined inside the both wings. In the rear wings Wind God and Thunder God are placed; they protect people from evil."
A god from the right front side of Niten-mon gate.
A god from the left front side of Niten-mon gate.
God of Thunder from the back side of Niten-mon Gate.
Nikko.
A view from around Lake Chuzenji in Nikko.
Lake Chuzenji, Nikko.
Sinjuku at night, Tokyo.
Tokyo International Forum.
Shinkansen at Tokyo Train Station
View of Himeji Castle from Ōtemachi-dōri
Hishi no Mon: Water Chestnut Gate, Himeji Castle.
A view of Himeji-jō
The main keep of Himeji-jō
Inside the Himeji Castle.
Roofing tiles in Himeji-jo. The images at the end of the tiles allegedly belong to whichever feudal lord sponsored that part of the wall.
Himeji Castle.
Fish ornament, Himeji-jo.
View at the top levels of Himeji-jo.
Himeji-jo.
Little girls going to a temple to celebrate.
Himeji-jo at night. As you can tell from the number of pictures we took of the castle, it was one of the most impressive things we've seen in Japan.
Himeji-jo at night.
Small-scale model of the Himeji Castle in the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History.
A girl in a kimono in front of Heian Shrine.
Heian Shrine, Heian-jingu. From our Lonely Planet book: "Build in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto. The buildings are colourful replicas, reduced to two-thirds of the size of the Kyoto Gosho of the Heina period."
Heian Shrine.
Little girl in kimono in front of Heian Shrine.
The top of one of the buildings in the Heian Shrine complex in Kyoto.
Funny sign in the garden of Heian Shrine.
Japanese maples.
Lanterns at night at the Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto. It is apparently considered to be the guardian shrine of the nearby Gion (the geisha district).
No caption required. Kyoto.
Some building around Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
Around Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.
Japanese maples in the hills of Kyoto (Higashiyama-ku) were we run off to escape the throngs of tourists at Kiyomizu Temple.
Higashiyama-ko.
Area around Nanzenji temple in Kyoto.
Not far from Nanzenji Temple, there is an aqueduct of which a few hundred meters are walkable. This is a weird and rather rickety cleaning apparatus we saw next at it.
Fish in the pond either around Ginkakuji Temple or in Hakusasonso Garden in Kyoto.
This is probably the Hojo Garden in the Nanzenji Temple.
Ladies viewing a garden.
Ginkakuji Temple garden.
The Golden Pavilion, Rokuon-ji Temple in Kyoto.
The garden of the Golden Pavilion.
Kyoto Train Station.
A monk and a deer in Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan.
The Daibutsu-den Hall of Todai-ji Temple, one of the most impressive buildings we saw in Japan. It is the largest wooden building in the world. Present structure dates 1709, and is two-thirds of its original size.
The Daibutsu-den Hall in Nara. The largest wooden building in the world.
Daibutsu (Great Buddha) in the Todai-ji Temple is one of the largest bronze sculptures in the world. It is 15 meters tall. The original version is believed to have been created as a charm against smallpox.
Funny sign inside Daibutsu-den hall.
Hands of the Great Buddha in Daibutsu-den hall.
Daibutsu-den hall in Nara.
Somewhere around Kasuga-taisha in Nara.
Probably Kasuga-taisha in Nara.
Little dragon fountain in Nara.
Isuien Garden in Nara.
Gustav in Isuien Garden in Nara.
Gustav in front of Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
More pictures from our hotel window in Tokyo.
