The "Pictures From Japan" series will be my first attempt at photo blogging. I have around 150 pictures from the Land Of The Rising Sun, and they're all pretty badass. I'm gonna make this a five-part series, with one installment each day for five days. The posts will be, obviously, image intensive. I'll attempt to go beyond what the typical photo blog does, and give insightful commentary for as many pictures as I can bring myself to. It's like I'm cutting myself to the quick because I so passionately desire to create value for you. That's what the Bible was talking about when it said the famous lines, "Jesus wept". That was actually a hidden reference to the lengths I'm gonna go to to make sure you get your money's worth with this photoblog series.
Now let's get to today's photos!!! You can get a high-resolution version of any picture by clicking on it.
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Let's start in Detroit Airport, where they have this cool tunnel thing. Detroit was a waypoint on my way to Japan. The light actually changes colors, shifting all through the rainbow. I know it's cheating to throw in a picture from the states, but this way you get the feeling you're going on the trip with me. Notice how the "light at the end of the tunnel" signals an imminent spiritual transformation.
For good luck during the trip to Japan, let's drop some coins at the foot of this samurai statue. In the ancient Edo period, Japanese men were so short that they spent all their time standing on giant pedestals just to compensate for it.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Japan! Nihon he yokoso! Pictured: The Official Logo of Japan. The business suit represents the unflagging work ethic of the Japanese people. That's combined with a leisurely posture reminding us the many temples and shrines that make Japan famous. The eyeglasses symbolize Japan's advanced technology. The removed shoes are symbolic of the subtle rituals of Japanese etiquette. We hope you will enjoy your stay!
A burst of sunlight amid the gloom of the beaches of Tokyo. Overhead, some Japanese vultures ("karasu") circle, waiting for the stupid foreigners to collapse and die.
In Tokyo, you'll quickly notice the "Japanese Hivemind". Step on a train, and everyone will be clicking away on their cell phones. It may appear like they're sending harmless text messages, but the truth is they're communicating with the Mother Brain, pictured above. In 2012, according to Mayan prophecy, the Mother Brain will rain vengeance upon the world for Japan's defeat in World War II.
A turtle swims in a pond in Yoyogi Park. This turtle was the model for the turtles in the famous "Super Mario" game franchise.
Speaking of which, the original Mario 1 is still popular in Japan. Here we see a young Japanese man playing it in the street. An activity known as "Street Mario".
Hello. I am the Glowing Face Man. I will be guiding you.
Thirsty? This interesting piece of artwork, from a garden in Shinagawa, is even cooler than the picture makes it look. The sphere on the top there, is actually rolling. I don't even know how it works. It must be magic, or as the Japanese say, mahou. In case you can't tell, water is constantly flowing over the sphere and down into the little trench at the bottom.
Giant monitors on the sides of skyscrapers light up downtown Tokyo with advertisements. Japan is the most consumerist nation in the world. Not shown: the ten thousand busy Japanese people going about their daily routines below this image. Now let's go take a rest at our youth hostel for today, the Palette Takashimadaira...
This is Takahashi-san, the owner of the youth hostel. We all just call him Mr. T. Since there are fireworks in this district tonight, he is throwing a BBQ for all the guests. In this picture, he's singing Johnny Cash. With a very broken Engrish accent. Glory times.
Japan: Come for the crazy random sparkly things, stay for the food. My memory of this evening is a little hazy because I was doing my best to invest in the future of the Asahi beer corporation. Maybe I should just copy what Mr. T wrote in the email sending out this picture.
"I send the photograph of the memory of happy summer.
Thank you for coming for a palette
I hope that you come to Japan again."
The Japanese take their fireworks seriously. Formally, the nation is banned from having a standing army, as part of the disarming agreement after World War II. So instead the military budget goes into fireworks. Woe to any nation that invades Japan, they will be annihilated in a colorful, shiny, shimmering blaze of glory.
And now for some fireworks of our own. In Takashimadaira, you can buy fireworks at the Seven Eleven.
Scientific proof that life is good.
"How much did you drink at the party?" you may ask. Well, here I am the next morning, posing in front of all the empty kegs.
In this picture, I train sword skills with a level 39 warrior paladin. Soon my thac0 will go up by 15 points.
The Tunnel to Hell. Dedicated to all my urban explorer friends out there. This is at the end of one of the platforms at some subway station in Tokyo.
If you go over the speed limit in Japan, you'll get killed in the face.
These giant gates, called "torii", are visible all over Japan. This one welcomes visitors to Yoyogi Park. I've seen torii of all shapes and sizes. There are even torii on the top of Mt. Fuji.
A giant courtyard, and at the other side, the giant temple of Yoyogi park. A friend sat down in the courtyard and we got yelled at by security, apparently you're not supposed to sit here. Guess my friend is gonna reincarnate as a slug.
Newlyweds in Yoyogi park. It's said that if you see the Glowing Face Man right after your wedding, you will live to see your 250th wedding anniversary, and you'll have five hundred babies.
The giant whale statue in Ueno park. In Japan, whale is a delicacy. A friend of mine bought a bunch at a grocery store. Itadakimasu!
Yes, Buddhist temples do fall apart sometimes and need repairs. Actually, that's very appropriate for Buddhism, a discipline which emphasizes mortality and whose motto is, "This too shall pass".
Speaking of Buddhist mottos, this warped mirror serves as a healthy reminder of the temporary nature of form and body, and the inevitability of change.
A shot from a seat in the Cosmo Clock, the largest ferris wheel on the planet, which is in Yokohama. We'll be seeing this ferris wheel make a lot more appearances in part 2 of this series.
Another youth hostel get together, this one at the Khaosan Tokyo Annex in Asakusa. This crowd has representatives from every continent.
This photo speaks for itself.
ENGRISH
In the first, third, and fifth installments of this series, I'll feature three nice examples of Engrish, the wonderful dialect of English spoken in Japan. Today's example is from a washing machine in the Bayside Youth Hostel in Yokohama.
Speaking of Yokohama, grab your Suica train pass card, in the next installment of Pictures From Japan, we're heading to Yokohama! See you then!!
Now let's get to today's photos!!! You can get a high-resolution version of any picture by clicking on it.
-------------------------------------------------
Let's start in Detroit Airport, where they have this cool tunnel thing. Detroit was a waypoint on my way to Japan. The light actually changes colors, shifting all through the rainbow. I know it's cheating to throw in a picture from the states, but this way you get the feeling you're going on the trip with me. Notice how the "light at the end of the tunnel" signals an imminent spiritual transformation.
For good luck during the trip to Japan, let's drop some coins at the foot of this samurai statue. In the ancient Edo period, Japanese men were so short that they spent all their time standing on giant pedestals just to compensate for it.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Japan! Nihon he yokoso! Pictured: The Official Logo of Japan. The business suit represents the unflagging work ethic of the Japanese people. That's combined with a leisurely posture reminding us the many temples and shrines that make Japan famous. The eyeglasses symbolize Japan's advanced technology. The removed shoes are symbolic of the subtle rituals of Japanese etiquette. We hope you will enjoy your stay!
A burst of sunlight amid the gloom of the beaches of Tokyo. Overhead, some Japanese vultures ("karasu") circle, waiting for the stupid foreigners to collapse and die.
In Tokyo, you'll quickly notice the "Japanese Hivemind". Step on a train, and everyone will be clicking away on their cell phones. It may appear like they're sending harmless text messages, but the truth is they're communicating with the Mother Brain, pictured above. In 2012, according to Mayan prophecy, the Mother Brain will rain vengeance upon the world for Japan's defeat in World War II.
A turtle swims in a pond in Yoyogi Park. This turtle was the model for the turtles in the famous "Super Mario" game franchise.
Speaking of which, the original Mario 1 is still popular in Japan. Here we see a young Japanese man playing it in the street. An activity known as "Street Mario".
Hello. I am the Glowing Face Man. I will be guiding you.
Thirsty? This interesting piece of artwork, from a garden in Shinagawa, is even cooler than the picture makes it look. The sphere on the top there, is actually rolling. I don't even know how it works. It must be magic, or as the Japanese say, mahou. In case you can't tell, water is constantly flowing over the sphere and down into the little trench at the bottom.
Giant monitors on the sides of skyscrapers light up downtown Tokyo with advertisements. Japan is the most consumerist nation in the world. Not shown: the ten thousand busy Japanese people going about their daily routines below this image. Now let's go take a rest at our youth hostel for today, the Palette Takashimadaira...
This is Takahashi-san, the owner of the youth hostel. We all just call him Mr. T. Since there are fireworks in this district tonight, he is throwing a BBQ for all the guests. In this picture, he's singing Johnny Cash. With a very broken Engrish accent. Glory times.
Japan: Come for the crazy random sparkly things, stay for the food. My memory of this evening is a little hazy because I was doing my best to invest in the future of the Asahi beer corporation. Maybe I should just copy what Mr. T wrote in the email sending out this picture."I send the photograph of the memory of happy summer.
Thank you for coming for a palette
I hope that you come to Japan again."
The Japanese take their fireworks seriously. Formally, the nation is banned from having a standing army, as part of the disarming agreement after World War II. So instead the military budget goes into fireworks. Woe to any nation that invades Japan, they will be annihilated in a colorful, shiny, shimmering blaze of glory.
And now for some fireworks of our own. In Takashimadaira, you can buy fireworks at the Seven Eleven.
Scientific proof that life is good.
"How much did you drink at the party?" you may ask. Well, here I am the next morning, posing in front of all the empty kegs.
In this picture, I train sword skills with a level 39 warrior paladin. Soon my thac0 will go up by 15 points.
The Tunnel to Hell. Dedicated to all my urban explorer friends out there. This is at the end of one of the platforms at some subway station in Tokyo.
If you go over the speed limit in Japan, you'll get killed in the face.
These giant gates, called "torii", are visible all over Japan. This one welcomes visitors to Yoyogi Park. I've seen torii of all shapes and sizes. There are even torii on the top of Mt. Fuji.
A giant courtyard, and at the other side, the giant temple of Yoyogi park. A friend sat down in the courtyard and we got yelled at by security, apparently you're not supposed to sit here. Guess my friend is gonna reincarnate as a slug.
Newlyweds in Yoyogi park. It's said that if you see the Glowing Face Man right after your wedding, you will live to see your 250th wedding anniversary, and you'll have five hundred babies.
The giant whale statue in Ueno park. In Japan, whale is a delicacy. A friend of mine bought a bunch at a grocery store. Itadakimasu!
Yes, Buddhist temples do fall apart sometimes and need repairs. Actually, that's very appropriate for Buddhism, a discipline which emphasizes mortality and whose motto is, "This too shall pass".
Speaking of Buddhist mottos, this warped mirror serves as a healthy reminder of the temporary nature of form and body, and the inevitability of change.
A shot from a seat in the Cosmo Clock, the largest ferris wheel on the planet, which is in Yokohama. We'll be seeing this ferris wheel make a lot more appearances in part 2 of this series.
Another youth hostel get together, this one at the Khaosan Tokyo Annex in Asakusa. This crowd has representatives from every continent.
This photo speaks for itself.ENGRISH
In the first, third, and fifth installments of this series, I'll feature three nice examples of Engrish, the wonderful dialect of English spoken in Japan. Today's example is from a washing machine in the Bayside Youth Hostel in Yokohama.
Speaking of Yokohama, grab your Suica train pass card, in the next installment of Pictures From Japan, we're heading to Yokohama! See you then!!This article is part 1 of a 5-part series. Here's the entire series:
Pictures From Japan - Part 1
Pictures From Japan - Part 2
Pictures From Japan - Part 3
Pictures From Japan - Part 4
Pictures From Japan - Part 5
Here are some other articles I've written in my endless quest to add value to your life:
What I Gained While Travelling
Meeting The Geisha
Book Review: James Heisig's "Remembering The Kanji"
Pictures From Japan - Part 1
Pictures From Japan - Part 2
Pictures From Japan - Part 3
Pictures From Japan - Part 4
Pictures From Japan - Part 5
Here are some other articles I've written in my endless quest to add value to your life:
What I Gained While Travelling
Meeting The Geisha
Book Review: James Heisig's "Remembering The Kanji"
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