Japan: Preview Part 2

If you missed it on the blog yesterday, click the picture for a preview of my awesome trip to Japan! Above, dancing in the fall of the cherry blossoms.

Thanks again for watching the slide show! Above, one of the things people warned me about before my trip to Tokyo was that the parks would be crowded at all times of daylight hours. So imagine my supreme happiness when I discovered that Arisugawa park, in the Nishi Azabu neighborhood where I was staying, was not crowded at all on weekdays. That’s not unlike how things are in Central Park during the school year.

Wow! Japan is a tree-lover’s heaven! Many trees in and around Tokyo have these awesome plaques that tell you what kind of tree it is! They aren’t all labeled in kanji, Latin and English, like this one is, but most do at least carry the Latin names, making it easy for us to find out what tree it is. The particular tree shown above, a Japanese zelkova, is the species of tree that is planted in front of Borough Hall in Metuchen.

This tree was blossoming in Japan at the same time as the dogwoods, and I thought it was a dogwood at the time, but look at how swirly the blossoms are. It resembles a dogwood, but I wonder if it’s a particular variety that I’m unfamiliar with. In any case, it sure is beautiful. (I was not always diligent about photographing the tree plaques!)

What a beautiful arbor. It’s even more special considering the thoughtful man sitting inside with a well-placed umbrella. Bradley wants me to have a large print of this one made to put on our mantel.

This Japanese red maple made my heart skip a beat. I was so excited to see a REAL Japanese red maple, one of my all-time favorite tree varieties. I really was so lucky to be in Japan just after the very beginning of the spring leaf-out. Japanese red maples are usually their prettiest in early spring and late fall. Here’s hoping I get to go back to explore Japan in the fall some time in the future. With all those glorious (labeled) trees, it would be a thrilling show! (Thrilling for lovers of fall color, that is.)

I love how the city of Tokyo incorporates Japanese gardens in the middle of the city. This one is in Roppongi Hills next to the headquarters of TV Asahi. In the background: Tokyo Tower.

I love this beautiful flower picture. I don’t know what kind of flower that is though. Anybody know?

That’s the boy of my host family watching the big screen at TV Asahi headquarters in Roppongi Hills. I couldn’t understand a word of it, but whatever that is on the screen, it looks scary!

I took this picture of the girl while we were waiting for a table at Fujimama’s in the Harajuku neighborhood. As I understand it, there are two Fujimama’s in the world. I’ve now been to the one in Tokyo. Next stop: Hawaii!

That’s Beth and the girl making their way across the street in Harajuku. This street is much like 5th Avenue in New York — lots of trendy shops and you don’t have to sit very long before you see a couple of tall thin beautiful American girls on their way to some modeling gig.

Street vendor selling hammocks on the street. I guess the best way to sell something is to show it!

She has just been married at the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. Isn’t she beautiful? Wow!

This couple has also just been married at the Meiji Shrine. I have a whole blog post coming soon on this picture. It was interesting how many people it took to get everything just right for the photograph, and I probably only saw a tiny fraction of the whole prep time. I also got a few sideways glances from the official photographers trying to make out what kind of camera I was shooting with. It’s a Japanese camera! Does that help?

In the preview slide show there is a picture of the wall of prayer tablets at the Meiji Shrine. This picture shows a close up of the prayer the girl wrote. It says at the bottom, “I wish that my friend Julie has a safe flight home.” Awww, that was so sweet!

This beautiful image is a result of being purely lucky with the right light at the right time to capture those girls praying in unison. I love the composition of how they are standing as well, with the girl who is most in focus being the tallest and in the center.

The entrances to the shrine is marked with a torii gate, the design of the torii symbolizes the boundary between the secular everyday world and the religious never-ending world. (I think I got that right.)

This large cemetery in Tokyo has a stone road in the center. If such a road existed in the states, it would probably be assumed to be a walking path. But watch out here — the taxis zoom down this road like it’s a freeway. (I have another picture in my files of me riding inside a taxi down this road doing just that — zooming.) I think I could go to Tokyo for a 2-week visit and do nothing but explore the many interesting cemeteries.

One of the things my host family loves to do is to go out with friends. I was so appreciative of the opportunity to try so many new foods, and even more appreciative that my Japanese-speaking friends ordered for me, avoiding the things they knew I wouldn’t like (fish).

The poster on the wall in this Chinese restaurant guarantees that their food will not poison you.

I really don’t know what that guy is doing. Too funny! Tokyo is bidding for the 2016 Olympics. There are Olympic signs all over the city. I can attest to the fact that Tokyo is a great city with many nice and helpful people despite the language barrier.

Jeter! That’s my host family’s dog. He’s such a sweet dog — I got many adorable pictures of him.

I had no problem finding beautiful flowers to photograph.

Lucky shot! This pigeon, I suppose, didn’t realize we were headed for the same spot on that bridge above the pond.

I still don’t understand what the dangly white things are for, but they’re everywhere, and the coats on the statues — I don’t know about that one either. Ahhh, I need to go BACK!

More images coming soon! Thanks for visiting the blog and thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! If you missed yesterday’s Japan blog post, click here!