Kate at Dulles Airport, ready for the trip
Somewhere over the Pacific.
Almost there!
Magic toilet - Press the wrong button and you're in for a surprise!
The subway in Tokyo
Shinjuku, our first night in Japan
Shinjuku, our first night in Japan, with Ken and his girlfriend
Our first vending machine drinks.
JAL Hotel (Yotsuya-sanchome)
JAL Hotel (Yotsuya-sanchome) - I watched some seriously crazy Japanese TV while at this desk.
JAL Hotel (Yotsuya-sanchome) - Seriously, one of the best showers I've ever had.
JAL Hotel (Yotsuya-sanchome) - We never touched these dials during our entire stay there. That was an experience I could handle missing.
View from our hotel room (Yotsuya-sanchome)
Yotsuya-sanchome, where our hotel was located
Evangelion billboard
Nifty escalators in Akihabara
Akihabara
Capsule machines in Akihabara
Fixing the telephone lines in Akihabara
Yes, we ate at McDonald's in Akihabara. Shut up. We were hungry and it was the first place we saw.
Taito Station (a video game parlor) in Akihabara
Cranes games in Taito Station (a video game parlor) in Akihabara
An interesting trading card video game in Taito Station (a video game parlor) in Akihabara
Panty vending machines in Akihabara
Japanese Dr Pepper - Soda tasted somewhat different in Japan. Very tasty stuff. I'm not sure if it was because they use real sugar or what since I couldn't read any of the ingredients listed on the back of the can.
A weirdly Japanese-looking Colonel Sanders in Akihabara.
COLONEL FRICKIN' SANDERS!
Evidently the Japanese are convinced that in America, we eat KFC on Christmas.
Internet cafe in Akihabara. Oh noes - it's all in Japanese!
Kate browsing more capsule machines in Akihabara - Kate found it necessary to look at every single capsule machine we came across. I admit that they were rather cool.
Random iron on the sidewalk in Akihabara.
Taiyaki vendors in Akihabara. (So tasty!)
Kate, just before devouring the delicious taiyaki (Akihabara).
Little-wheeled bike in Akihabara - Bicycles are a very important mode of transportation for the locals in Japan. Many of them are quite small and collapsible.
Our goodies from Akihabara.
Teto from Nausicaa
Death Note and Kamen Rider figurines, plus Evangelion hexaclips
K-on goodies: business card holder and soundtrack
Evangelion trading cards/wafer cookies and capsule machine toy
Kamen Rider figurine - it lights up!
Death Note figurines (Light and Rem) - These are Nendroid figures from Good Smile. I was nice and let Kate have the Rem figure. Light now lives on my desk in the studio.
Dude chilling at the train station.
L'arc~en~ciel shilling for Pepsi to promote their new album.
Inexplicable billboard with a zebra-man selling...ballpoint pens?
Water tower in Meguro
Meguro
Billboard in Meguro
Vending machine in Meguro
Kate in Meguro
This was in front of a restaurant in Meguro
Shrine in Meguro
Flower in Meguro
Parasite Museum in Meguro
Engrish in Meguro - Damn straight! I sure can eat all my vegetable!
Spanganese?
Bill's capsule machine toys
Recycle bins in Meguro - they're big into recycling, to the point where it's often really difficult when you need a regular old trash can
Itty bitty construction equipment in Meguro
Meiji Shrine, Harajuku
Kate journals in Harajuku
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Shibuya
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Shibuya - there was a handball tournament going on
One of many cute buses in Shibuya
Shinjuku
Bizarre sculpture in Shinjuku
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Feral kitty in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Old man with feral kitties in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Feral kitty in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - look at the tongue!
Jungle crow in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - While I'm sure these guys drive the locals crazy with their vast numbers, I thought they were cool.
Jungle crow in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Inexplicable device in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Kate in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Bill at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Do not pick the animals!
Somebody lost their doggy. :(
Scary-looking club in Shinjuku
Our delicious lunch at a hole-in-the-wall ramen bar
Ginza
Sony Building in Ginza
Moomins! Too bad we couldn't figure out where in the world they were.
Warning signs at Yotsuya-sanchome train station.
On the way to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Jungle crow in Mitaka
Nifty old car in Mitaka
Mitaka
Ghibli Museum, Mitaka - Coolest...Place...EVER!
Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
People photographing their dolls at the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Random people taking photos of their dolls at the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Yuzo Yamamoto Memorial Museum, Mitaka
Yuzo Yamamato Memorial Museum, Mitaka
Some random guy as a cute maid in Akihabara
Bill makes a cute maid in Akihabara - I was told it was my turn after laughing at the guy in the previous picture.
Bizarre crowd of people all playing Nintendo DS in Akihabara
A series of tubes in Akihabara
Promotion for a new video game in Akihabara
An absurdly long hallway in Shinjuku Sanchome Station
Hanazono Shrine, Shinjuku
Gigantic moving crab in Shinjuku
Christon Cafe, Shinjuku
More strangeness at Shinjuku-sanchome Station
Lunch at Lotteria
Tama Center is Hello Kitty's Town!
Warner Brothers theater at Tama Center
Fat pigeons in Tama Center
Tama Center is Hello Kitty's Town! - These Taito Station arcades were pretty much everywhere.
Toys walking around the Taito Station in Tama Center
Statue in Tama Center
Koi in Tama Center
Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Hello Kitty at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Kate dancing with the plushies at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Kate reverts to five years old at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Hello Kitty candy machine at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Boatride at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Restroom signs at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Scary men's room at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Scary men's room at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center - How the hell was I supposed to use the toilet with this guy lurking behind me?
Talking parrot at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Capsule machines at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Hello Kitty Castle at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Using some kind of facial recognition algorithm, whenever you looked straight at the camera, an animated Sanrio hat showed up on your head. (Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center)
Kate with the only character that didn't have a line (Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center)
Creepy animatronics at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Ice cream machine at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Costume rental at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Even the janitorial equipment is cute at Sanrio Puroland
Fairyland restroom at Sanrio Puroland, Tama Center
Hashimoto
On the train
Hashimoto Station
Bullet train to Osaka
Osaka
Bento box on the train to Osaka. (Which later gave Kate food poisoning.)
Breakfast on the train to Osaka
Bill with a sumo wrestler, Osaka
Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
No Smorking at the Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka - Probably the 2nd best Engrish that we saw on the trip. It's a close 2nd to 'Irish Cow Bomb'.
Mall near Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Capsule machines in the mall near Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Lit-up penguins at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
The view out the window from Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Otters at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Capybara! (Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka)
GIANT BABY PENGUIN OF DOOM (Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka)
Moray eel at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Spider crabs at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Sunfish at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Jellyfish at Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
Good luck poo in Osaka
Creepy drumming clown dude. Apparently a beloved Osaka landmark.
Takoyaki in Osaka
Rachel with Takoyaki in Osaka - Kind of looks like she's about to stab someone, doesn't it?
Capsule hotel, Osaka
Arcade version of Mario Kart, Osaka
Engrish in Osaka
Random eagle in the sidewalk in Osaka
Creepy drumming clown, evidently a beloved Osaka landmark
Bill in Akihabara
Cigarette vending machine in Meguro
Sylvanian Families
Kitty and homeless man sharing body heat in Osaka - If you look closely, you'll also notice a dog sleeping behind him.
Predator made out of bicycle parts, Osaka
Super Potato, Osaka
Stairs of Yu-gi-oh cards at Super Potato in Osaka
Engrish at Starbucks in Osaka - You think that you wouldn't find this sort of thing at a chain like Starbucks but there it is.
That's a lot of manga. (Book Off in Osaka)
Shrine in Osaka
Kitty and homeless man sharing body heat in Osaka
Steve with wiener sushi in Osaka - Steve made me eat this. It wasn't terrible but I'm not sure I'd call it sushi.
Bill, Steve, and Rachel in Osaka
"Irish cow bomb" (Osaka) - Best Engrish of the trip!
Steve and Noriko in Osaka
Bill, Steve, and Noriko in Osaka - Yes. I had a beer in an Irish pub...in Osaka. I didn't order the Irish Cow Bomb, though.
Capsule hotel, Osaka - Despite there being a place for a TV, there wasn't one there. I'm guessing they removed them at some point since there are nice community TVs in various locations in the hotel.
Capsule hotel, Osaka - Most of these instructions were completely unnecessary since neither the TV or the radio worked.
Osakajokoen Station
Osaka Castle
The view from the top of Osaka Castle
Kate at the top of Osaka Castle
Japan Rail
Kate as a geisha at Osaka Castle
Ramen at Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle - That's one big stone! There were a number of these suckers around the castle.
Capsule hotel in Osaka - This was an experience. That's for sure. Would I repeat it? Only if I had no other choice. The baths there, though, were awesome!
Capsule hotel in Osaka
Kate with her train ticket back to Tokyo
Kate's capsule machine toys
Tokyo-Narita Airport
