My final week in Tokyo was a work week. I would sleep in, maybe go out in the late afternoon, and then work into the night so I could be online at the same time as the Workinman home office. Here is just a bunch of random pictures of the places I went andRead more
Breakfast at the hostel Back to Lake Kawaguchi With better weather, we head back to the lake to get better photos. Click for full size Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park Situated near Mt Fuji, the park opened in 1968 and has since modernized with facial recognitionRead more
To Fuji We travel by train towards Tokyo then divert by bus to head up the mountains to Kawaguchiko. The whole journey takes over 5 hours. The town is named for Lake Kawaguchi, one of the 5 lakes surrounding Mt Fuji. While this lake is surrounded by lodges and other tourist attractions, we are visitingRead more
Kuromon Ichiba Market Located in the Chuo Ward of Osaka, Kuromon Market stretched about 2,000 feet and features roughly 150 shops that feature hot food, fruits and veggies, spices, gifts, and a lot of fish. Kuromon (which means “Black Gate”) started as a fish market around 1822. Man shops will cookRead more
The following day we went to the the Shinsekai district of Osaka, to what is commonly known as Tsutenkaku, named for the prominent tower that was once the centerpiece of a pre-world war I amusement park. The area is now a entertainment district, with a zoo to the east and “Spa World” to the south, andRead more
After a long day in Arashiyama we set out to find a good meal. Since I have been eating mostly katsu since I arrived, I decided to eat katsu again. A heaping portion. It was the best I’ve had thus far. We then just walked around. Some places packed with people, others not.Read more
We decided we didn’t get enough of Arashiyama, especially the hillside. A quick snack was a beef flavored hashbrown. Seiko had this soy soup thing. I had Cherry Blossom flavored ice cream We visited the bamboo grove. Jōjakkōji Temple 常寂光寺 This temple was constructed in 1596 and is wellRead more
Shinkansen We took the high speed train from Tokyo to Kyoto. I was a pleasant ride, very smooth. I like these rides the best because I can listen to eat a bento box, listen to music, and watch the scenery. My bento: Beef, pork, eggs Her’s: fishy sampler. Kyoto Arashiyama 20 minutes west of theRead more
The Ghibli museum is located in Inokashira Park on the west side of Tokyo. It is not an amusement park and it’s not really catered to kids. It’s a museum about the traditional animation process. A lot of it is dedicated to history and color. It’s set in a gorgeous European style building (the interiorRead more
Kichijyoji is a neighborhood on the west side of Tokyo, It’s a pretty commercial area. Crispy fried chicken curry for lunch Harmonica Alley Once a post-war flea market, this narrow network of alleys located across from the train stationRead more
It was a chilly rainy day and the crowds were unimpeded at this park, expecting lines to an hour or so in some places. Despite the weather, I rally enjoyed DisneySea. It was large, with attractions unheard of on this side of the planet, and filled with scenic variety…with a food selection to match. TheRead more
The title sums it all up. We went to Tokyo Disneyland, which is located on Tokyo Bay. It was Easter season. I found the park to be pretty much the same as the Magic Kingdom in the US. Almost too much the same. I last visited the MK in 2003 andRead more
With my partner sick, I went out on my own for the day. I just walked around and took the train to the shops in neighboring Kokubunji. Kokubunji There’s not much to this place. Wikipedia tells me this : “Kokubunji is the home of the Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, which contains one of theRead more
We take the train to Kokubunji on the west side of Tokyo to visit the Architectural Museum, a preservation of historic urban structures from the region. Founded in 1993, the complex houses buildings and artifacts generally from the Edo period (1868-1912) and beyond. There is a Musashino Folklore Museum within that does have some older artifactsRead more
Nerd Central After landing and getting settled in Tokyo the previous evening, we head over to a familiar place, Akihabara, where I stayed for a week in 2015. Other than the billboards and the merchandise, things haven’t changed much. Capsule Toys everywhere! And these robot guides are pretty common. I think this video wasRead more
I had a green JR rail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel on trains, including the shinkansen (high speed) trains. I took one to Osaka to meet up with another penpal. Osaka is about an hour way by high speed rail. The ride is comfortable, smooth, and blazing fast. The scenery just flows by. IfRead more
In the morning I did a small amount of shopping in Akihabara I checked out a few Halloween shops This shop is stacked with busty girl PVC figurines. These Monster Hunter figures seemed to be popular. I met up with a pen pal at a restaurant at Akihabara Station. Edameme beans.Read more
I decided to go to Shinjuku today, but to kill time before the train I stopped in into an Akihabara bookstore to check it out. first time seeing anything Star War related in Japan. the Shop had quite a bit, I guess because of the new movie. Not out of the ordinary to have generalRead more
Woke up at a decent hour each day due to some construction outside the window. After the war Akihabara became a center for resale of military surplus, specifically electronics parts. To this day it’s the go-to place to buy electronics. While the pop culture establishments and department stores dominate, you can still find a lotRead more
Having always read about Japan, corresponding with several pen pals that live there, and reading about it since I was a child, when I had the opportunity to go, I took the chance. Originally planning to travel with an old high school friend, I hastily booked the flight, only to find out that I wouldRead more