Blooming blossoms

"A couple navigates through Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008."

The first official day of spring began on March 20 and the days have been getting warmer, longer and rainier since.

I don't know if it's the rising temperatures, my recent flight booking or recent trip to Outback Steak House (and seeing the awesome blossom on the menu), but it all has me wishing, waiting for my return to Japan this June.

If you're sitting there thinking, what does this monochrome photo mean and what does it have to do with this post and Japan?

Well, Japan is know for their sakura, or cherry blossom. It's their unofficial national flower and this area is known to showcase them every year.

Unfortunately for me, when I was in Japan in January, I didn't get to see any blossoms in one of the countries most crowded and popular cherry blossom spots: Ueno Park.

The park, one of Tokyo's largest, features more than 1000 trees along the National Museum and around Shinobazu Pond. I can only imagine how colorful and gorgeous it really is during its peak.

Ueno Park is one of my favorite parts of Tokyo. It was also the first time I tried Takoyaki, or fried octopus. I had no idea what it was when I ate it, other than it had tako (octopus) in it.

According to Wikipedia, it's a popular Japanese dumpling made of: batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, konnyaku and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver, mayonnaise, and fish shavings.

Mmm.

I had bought them at a street vendor, but I recently saw a restaurant in Osaka where you can make them yourself on my new favorite travel show, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Well, it's obvious my post has shipwrecked and my appetite has taken over. What can I say? The food is literally to die for in Japan.

Anyways, cherry blossoms have been celebrated for many centuries in Japanese culture. But luckily for us Americans, more prominently those that live in or around Washington D.C., they have cherry blossoms, too. And from Japan.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. annually commemorates the 1912 gift to the city of Washington of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. The gift was given with hopes to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan.

Now I have never known that until this earlier year and I've been to the nation's capital many times. Intrigued, I hope to get down there next weekend for the 48th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese street festival.

The Web site says they have everything from sushi to sake. Two words I can actually write in traditional Japanese. And two things I love to eat and drink.

Hopefully it will hold me off until my trip. Only 72 more days.

One last side note, I finally saw "No Country for Oldmen." One word: Awesome.

To read about my last trip, type in Japan in the search bar or follow this link and scroll down.

Japan adventure over

"Visitors pass through Hozomon, the main gate at the Sensoji Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Japan on Jan.1, 2008."

Over 13,000 miles traveled by air. About 35 hours walked. Approximately 20 hours rode in a train or right hand drive car. Dozens of assorted sushi devoured. At least 16 cups of ocha, or green tea, drank. More white rice consumed than I air probably breathed. Stayed up for 24 hours twice. Made a bunch of new friends. Had one incredible experience: Japan.

My nine day solo adventure in Japan was what I always dreamed of and glad I made the decision to go.

Tokyo is vibrant city littered with color and movement. Everything is fast, too.

People: eat fast, walk fast, drive fast and speak fast (for an amateur Japanese speaker).

Its home to insane crisscrossing intersections with so many people, that it makes Times Square during Christmas look like campus on a Friday during summer.

Speaking of people, they: overfilled elevators, crowded trains and crammed the sidewalks. But again, this is Tokyo, the most populated metropolis in the world.

Although it may be jam-packed and hotel rooms are likewise crowded with you in them alone, Japan is host to some of the kindest people on earth. Not only are the people generous, but it’s the safest country in the world. The folk in Japan make an American, like myself; see how rude we truly are.

I took over 10,000 images, many snapshots of places I walked by or visited. I know I missed many of my favorites when posting previously this week, but those posted stood out.

Americans don't have "enough time" for anyone except themselves and always put off a negative attitude. Japanese people are passionate in everything they do. From helping a foreigner with directions, sweeping a sidewalk or inventing some of the newest technologies.

Equipped with a Nikon D300 with a wide angle lens, a map, compass and a strong urge to learn more about the country I made my way through most of Tokyo, and it was unbelievable.

My journey through and around Tokyo was something I'll never forget. My time was peaceful, stressful, rewarding, captivating and motivating. I was in my own world, understanding very little Japanese, only hearing my inner thoughts as I navigated down the sidewalks and roads.

I got lost, time and time again. I witnessed new things, people and places I've only read about in books and on the Internet and was fascinated by them all.

I took pictures that meant something to me and hopefully to others.

I met many people who I can call a friend and whom I hope to contact when visiting Japan again.

Japan was an awesome learning experience. I cannot wait to go back.

If I can instill one thing, I strongly urge anyone, is to take a trip out of the country alone. You will not only learn about the country you travel, but about yourself and what is really important. Break away from your everyday habits and schedule and accustom yourself in a culture completely foreign.

As I work on my thousands of images, you can find them updated daily HERE. (Note:colors may appear subdued, not my fault.)

Now only if I could go to bed. I need to kick this 14 hour time difference I grew accustom to.

Detail of Japan

"A young boy protects his snacks from being eaten by seagulls in Yamashita Park in Yokohama, Japan on Jan. 3, 2008."

I waited exactly one month before I allowed my taste buds soak up the delicious flavors of sushi following my return from Japan. I should have waited longer though because I have never been so uninterested in sushi here in the United States as I was last Friday.

While enjoying indigenous foods is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a foreign county, I miss so much more about the land of the rising sun than the rice...and my meals. I have reverse culture shock.

One month ago, I returned from a two-week venture throughout mainly Honshu, Japan - my second time in the country. I traveled from Tokyo to Fukuoka, Fukuoka to Hiroshima, Hiroshima to Hemeji, Hemeji to Osaka, Osaka to Kyoto, and then finally back to Tokyo again.

This time I was joined by Kate, and again, my local friends I made last trip, who helped us make sense of this country I love.

As we hopped from plane to plane, train to train and hotel to hotel we found ourselves in a mix of new and old. Many places where one could easily imagine themselves in a different time - future or past.

From standing on the streets of Hiroshima that was subjected to nuclear warfare in 1945 and feeling nothing but despair, to sitting in a crammed sushi restaurant feeling pure joy as I ate the freshest fish in the world, to being swallowed by crowds of people in a crisscrossing crosswalk in one of the world's most populous metropolitans feeling as small as a piece of sand; there really isn't much more to say than Japan is simply fascinating in so many different ways.

Many say it's a long journey on a fast train. I felt as if it was fast journey on fast train. Each time I go, I stay a little longer only wishing that I could have stayed a couple more days.

While I am still finding difficult to completely understand their culture, from their gestures and ways of life, I still have the same perceptions as I did last time.

Japan is host to some of the kindest people on earth. Not only are they generous, but it’s the safest country in the world. Japanese make an American, like myself; see how rude we truly are and how perfect their culture is.

OK, so they aren't really perfect, but if I had to sum up the country in one word it would be perfection; and maybe that's why I love it there.

I strive for perfectionism everyday, but I know I’ll never be perfect, nor is anything or anybody.

Yet that isn't to say I am going to quit. That's why we practice what we love - with ultimate goal of reaching perfection. Enough about me, I guarantee anyone who has been to Japan will say the county is full of detail.

Everything Japanese do involves passion. They are incredible people doing incredible things, mainly dealing with technology and electronics. As an outsider, I find this passion and attention to detail to be a strong correlation with their self-discipline.

While it can be totally chaotic in their major cities (and everyone is drunk in Tokyo), their morals and ethics of life should be a lesson for everyone to follow. That can easily be backed up by one of the lowest crime rates on the planet. They are taught not to disrespect their family in any way.

One of my favorite things last time was getting lost in Tokyo. The mixture of lights and sounds, smell of cigarettes and this other distinct scent I simply cannot describe, perfect placement of vending machines on each corner, unbelievable crowded commutes, and worlds within worlds all made me never want to leave.

However, this trip I found myself engulfing myself in the rich history of the county's past. Don't get me wrong, I was again fascinated by Tokyo. I mean fashion trendsetters in Tokyo make women in New York City look like 13-year-olds trying to wear makeup for the first time. And I love that. That new different wave of youth and energy. Yet there is just something so pure about the old ways of Japan.

It goes back to the attention to detail and the quiet temples and gardens that are so sureal. The primitive ways of life that are still practiced with no worries or cares. I enjoyed this way more.

While I still did not see and shoot everything I wanted to this trip, including sumo wrestling, the Tsukji Fish Market or eating sushi ryokan style, I miss it. I miss it all.

I've come not only to enjoy my times in Japan, but to respect their ways of life. I feel so nostalgic just writing all this. I miss the food, the people, the entire culture. I cannot wait to go back one day and see even more that I have not seen. I cannot thank my friends enough for all they did. You all are extraordinary people.

But traveling does this to me. It opens up my eyes to the reality of live. While it may not change all of my perceptions, habits, and maybe even values, it does change the way you view life. Americans have this overriding desire and notion to be powerful and perfect. When you step outside of that way of life and see things differently, it's a refreshing recharge to life that cannot be viewed any other way than with travel.

Anyways, enough words, right? Here are some of my favorite frames from my trip. And I threw some others in there as well. It's the Internet, I have unlimited ones and zeros. Enjoy.

Help Japan

"Children play a game in front of Himeji Castle in Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008. This flatland-mountain Japanese castle was originally constructed in 1346."

I have a deep respect for Japan, know many wonderful people there and have traveled the country a pair of times.

I don't usually do things like this, but I figured since I am currently not shooting because of recent spinal surgery, the very least I can do is to help those in need following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

I'm offering a selection of images, in which all profits from the sale of the images will go toward relief efforts in Japan.

You can help donate by directly visiting my PhotoShelter page and clicking the "Help Japan" gallery or by e-mailing me directly. Please note, I can only sign those prints that order by e-mailing me, as my PhotoShelter page orders are fulfilled by an off site printer.

Thanks for your support.

In Japan - Kamakura and Yokohama

"Children splash and play in the clear waters of Shichirigahama where onlookers can spot Mt. Fuji in a far distance near Kamakura, Japan, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009."

Saturday was one of those days that make me realize that I love Japan. I said it last year, and I'll say it again, if the rest of my week would be boring, I'd be OK with that knowing today was such a great day.

Although it started early, we managed to get to Shinjuku Station on time to catch our 8:00 a.m. JR train to Yokohama where we'd meet up with friend Vivo san.

From there we moved to Kamakura to see some temples and shrines and basically walk around. We saw the ginormous Amida Buddha and other fascinating places. The Buddha at the Kotokuin Temple we saw was the second largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.

On our way back to the JR station, we passed the ocean and could see some surfers in the distance. Vivo san decided to get off so we could check out the beach and I was pumped for that.

Then as we closed in on the sand and waves in Shichirigahama, to our right sat Mt. Fuji in a far distance. It caught me off guard to see it, let alone in sight of a beach. This was a great sight, not to mention kids playing in the clear waters made my environment more surreal.

From there we headed back to Yokohama where we grabbed lunch and my first real taste of Japanese yakitori (grilled meats and chicken) or in American terms - shish kabobs

Whomever invented grilled chicken skin yakitori should win an award. Truly amazing. On the other hand, the one skewer of guts (which had the texture of a rubber hose) should not. Nonetheless, it was tasty to some degree.

After that, we roamed Yokohama inducing Yamashita Park and the highest skyscraper in all of Japan - Yokohama Landmark Tower. It stands near 1,000-feet tall and is host to the world's second fastest elevator.

Following our long day walking around, we met up with Ootsu san and went to see another friend I made last trip, Yamagata san. At his home, his wife and him held a nabe party in our honor.

She lives in Hokkaido and had some fresh fish sent down for the new year, so she made a stew of these combined together along with a large portion of sushi. One word. Delicious.

This home cooked Japanese meal blew away every "real" Japanese food I've had yet. I've never been so satisfied with a meal.

I cannot thank them enough for allowing me into their home, cooking us a wonderful meal and making this return trip to Japan so enjoyable. I had a blast at their home and never wanted to leave.

We will be in Tokyo for the next three days before making our way back home. I really don't want to come home.

Enroute to Japan

"Bass and vocalist K.O. of Peelander-Z bellows lyrics in front of a crowd at the Otto Bar in Baltimore, Md., Saturday, Dec.20, 2008."

Well the 24-hour return trip to Japan has begun as I sit in the airport in Houston awaiting my connection to Narita-Tokyo.

As some may know, I was in Japan earlier this year and had planned on making a trip back this summer. But due to falling ill and then having an internship, the travel was put on a short hiatus.

But that is past now and travel through the main island and Honshu should be great.

I thought I'd update and share some pictures from Peelander-Z from Baltimore last weekend.

I must warn you though, these were after ingesting a few cocktails and were taken merely because I had camera on me to begin with.

Roth had heard they were in town when his buddy was participating in an art battle at the same venue.

Peelander-Z was a perfect show before heading back to the land of the sun. While they sing in English, they are a Japanese Action Comic Punk Band originally formed in 1998, and came into action when in New York City.

While they weren't the same "Peelander-Z" as some say they normally are (crazy costumes, antics) they still pumped me up and had my ears ringing for a couple days. I even downloaded a couple of their albums for the flight. In addition, I got a kick when I saw their label was called "Eat Rice Records."

Well, another short post as I am about to board the oh-so-exciting 14-hour flight to Japan. I'll try to update as soon as possible when I get there and update every chance I get.

Since I did not have a chance to do a favorite photos of the year be sure to check out the archives on the side bar from 2008 and if you're curious, search for Japan in the top right to see my posts from January 2008.

And if anything, see how much I crammed into my luggage.

Sayonara.

In Japan - Kyoto

"Dressed in a traditional kimono, furisode and okobo a young women training to become a geisha poses for a portrait near the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2008."

Ever since my last trip to Japan, I always wanted to visit what one call one of the best preserved cities in Japan - Kyoto.

On New Years Eve, I finally got the chance to get there with some help from Vivo san, a friend I met last January.

We met him around 9:30 a.m. at Kyoto Station which is about a 25 minute train ride from Shin-Osaka station by JR Shinkansen line.

I wasn't feel that great in the morning because of my own mistake. One thing I've learned about different cultures is that no matter how much you hate something, you must act like you like it (or at the very least try it) because you do not want to offend them.

Well, I thought cracking a raw egg with soy sauce into a extremely hot bowl of rice for breakfast would be a good idea. That was until I realized the egg doesn't really cook in the rice as I expected. I could only take a couple bites and knew it would give me a rough morning.

Anyways, that didn't last long once I got walking around and some more food in my stomach. Especially after slurping up some zenzai or a sweet red bean soup with rice dumplings.

Throughout the day, Vivo san helped guide us around Kyoto so we could see a bunch of temples and shrines, including: the Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkakuji (also known as the golden pavilion) and Ryōan-ji, which is famous for its rock garden.

As we trekked around Kyoto by bus, taxi and tiny, one-car trains I realized we couldn't have done this all without a fixer/translator/friend. I am so glad we got to have his company, too. We'll meet up with him one more time before we head back home.

Of all the things we saw, seeing a young geisha in training and the golden pavilion were the most impressive.

While the photo of the young geisha is straight forward, it's just an icon of Japan that I could not pass up asking her to stand for a portrait.

To close the night, we had some sushi (believe it or not, only the second time I've had it here) in Kyoto Station before coming back to the hotel to pass out. I didn't even get to see any sort of celebrations because I was sleeping by 9 p.m.

Thursday I'll be in Osaka alone, with hopefully something to do. Since it's now 2009, a lot of things are closed, especially the first day of the year.

Happy New Year to all those in the United States!

Japan: Day five

"A motorist passes Scai the Bathhouse located in the traditional downtown Yanaka district south of Nippori, Japan, Saturday, Jan.5, 2008."

I bought the best traveling tool Saturday morning for 100 yen. A compass.

Knowing I would be again walking around for seven hours or more, I thought a simple such a compass would help my navigation in case I decided to get totally lost. It paid off, too.

The subway in Tokyo is very difficult. It's all in Japanese, until you get on, and I don't have an English map. So I've decided to avoid it altogether. Also, with plans of traveling back to Japan by the end of the year for a longer stay, I've also decided to stay on the JR Yamanote line. Basically it's a huge circle with about 30 stops in Tokyo.

This limits me from seeing other parts of Japan, but I've been fortunate to have guides take me out of Tokyo.

Nonetheless, I've seen most, if not all, of the main train stops in Tokyo, so the past two days I've been getting off at the smaller towns and just walking.

Saturday I went to Nippori and Ikebukuro. To be perfectly honest I loved Nippori more than the more crowded areas. There was not many people or cars.

I didn't have a map of Nirppori, so I took the south exit and just walked. I found so many temples and shrines, and have no clue which ones. I walked in places I felt I probably shouldn't, and walked by nothing twice.

Other than shrines and temples, I got a glimpse in a area with a smaller town vibe. Many times I was stared at as if they never saw an American before.

On my way back to the station, I decided to make another detour. I heard some loud noise of shuffling people. It seemed to me as if was some sort of street festival. It gave me a chance to grab a quick snack, too. I am not sure what I ate, but for 200 yen it was really good.

After eating, I became extremely hungry. So I hoped on the JR to Ikebukuro with a goal of finding a tempura restaurant.

Without much trouble, I found one. And without much trouble, I ordered something. I wasn't sure what it was going to be, but it turned out to be the best lunch I've ever had.

Basically it was shrimp, two vegetables, white fish and scallop tempura over a rice bowl. The woman next to me was impressed with my chopstick skills and gave me a thumbs up. She probably thought that if I couldn't order, I couldn't eat. She was wrong. It also came with miso soup. I must say, I was never a fan of miso soup in the United States, but it's insanely good here. It's not just water and onion like home.

After eating, I roamed Ikebukuro some more. I found another eight floor camera shop. My compass failed me in there as I again got lost for 10 minutes trying to find the deguchi or exit.

Becoming tired, I decided to come back to the hotel and rest before searching for dinner. But as I made my way back I noticed a beautiful sunset. I dashed for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building with hopes of getting a nice city scape photo with the sunset. I took a different route and over shot the buildind by five blocks. The sun was setting fast, so I started running. Yeah, you probably know what happen next. It was closed. So much for that.

Well, another successful, fun and adventurous day in Japan. My plans will be the same tomorrow as I will just roam more small towns of Tokyo.

On the train

"A passenger holds on as the Chuo subway line moves in Osaka, Japan on Jan. 1, 2009."

A client was looking for some cliche type images of Japan.

As I searched for images that screamed Asia and Japan, I stumbled across this image I liked from Osaka.

At the time this was shot, I had been extremely lost trying to find the huge aquarium. It was found, but getting back to my hotel was going to be a challenge.

Everyone I know, even friends that live in Japan, always talked about the subway systems being complicated and confusing.

But without a problem I made it back safely to my hotel using mainly the subway. After that, the subway became easier to navigate than the main trains.

I totally miss Japan. The food, the people...

Japan - The food

"Pictured is a sampling of my meals in Japan throughout various parts of Honshu and Kyushu in December 2008 and January 2009."

No matter where one goes in the world, one of the best ways to get immersed into the culture is to eat indigenous food.

While in Japan, I had zero American food, although that can be a discrepancy if you count my Mr.Doughnut chocolate doughnut and McDonald's sandwich I had an hour before flying back to the United States.

Little did I know, Mr.Doughnut was once an American staple for purchasing the breakfast pastry. I had believed the franchise only operated in Asia and mainly Japan. Oops.

And as for McDonald's, well, I hate airline food, so it seemed like a good idea to eat a McChicken sandwich in Narita's terminal an hour before my 24-hour journey back to Baltimore. Granted, it was literally the last meal I had before leaving the country.

Anyways, I made it a point to try and remember to photograph every single thing I ate while in Japan. While I didn't quite remember every time, above is a sampling of what I did pig out to.

During my last trip, I was scared to take pictures of my food. I never have done here in the United States and when I did pull out my camera I felt if all eyes were on me, as if they were saying, "Look at that crazy American!"

But I got over that quickly this trip. In addition, I realized that one sushi bar I went to in Shinjuku, near my hotel in Tokyo, which I again visited, had the same chef working. I wondered if he remembered me. Ha.

During my first week, I only had sushi the very first night I was there and that wasn't such a good idea as being dehydrated and having no sleep for over 30-hours left me feeling miserable the first night there. Despite that, sushi again became a staple food choice. I even had it for breakfest, lunch and dinner one day.

I ate a lot of what one would call "traditional" Japanese foods. Many I had tried last time, too.

Some of the pictured includes: sushi (rotating bars and non), soba, zenzai (a sweet porridge made of azuki beans) and much like it is manju (which is sweet bean paste in a pastery), pork cutlet aka tonkatsu, thick wheat-flour noodles aka udon, moche, real ramen, yakitori or grilled skewers, and many others.

Now let me mention my favorite meals. Obviously, I love sushi and it's not the same in the states, but this trip I seemed to be loving the hotate or what we call scallop, especially with lots of wasabi. Mmm, I love wasabi.

My absolute three favorite meals held a close ranking. First was the nabe party, which is a hot pot full of all sorts of shell fish and was homemade by my friend Yamagata san's wife. I was told it was made with some of the freshest fish from her hometown in Hokkaido.

Second goes to my all time favorite Japanese street food of takoyaki. These are popular circular matters of batter, which house: octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, konnyaku, green onion, and then is topped with a sweet sauce, seaweed, mayonnaise, and fish shavings. I finally got them from their origin of birth: Osaka.

Third place goes to the Japanese pizza or as they call it, okonomiyaki. This was the first time I had one. These are a pan-fried batter cakes with various ingredients. In easier terms, it's a huge pancake made mostly of fried egg, cabbage, tons of fish, and bacon, then then topped with mayonnaise and sweet sauce. It's all cooked in front of you like an American hibachi grill. Delicious.

Honorable mention goes to the REAL hibachi grill dinner that was cooked over hot coals in an "as-authentic-and-Japanese-as-you-can-get" restaurant.

OK, so this is getting rather lengthy. Let me wrap this post up.

I loved just about everything I ate, but did have some issues. Since I don't drink caffeine anymore (its almost been a year) I celebrated with joy when I found Sprite in a vending machine and in turn drank a lot of beer and water. I ate tons of rice cakes for breakfast. I tried eating raw egg in steamed rice and almost got sick 20 minutes later. Alas, I didn't get to try blow fish, again.

And finally, if you didn't know, rotating sushi bars allow you watch sushi go by as you chose what you want (it can often be call merry-go-round-sushi). When you're done a waitress counts your plates and you pay the bill. Well, I should have thought of it, but I witnessed the first electronic sushi plate counter. Classic!

Stay tuned for a return to some assignments I missed posting from last year, a new year of assignments and maybe one or two more posts on my trip.

In Japan - Himeji

"Children play a game in front of Himeji Castle in Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008."

I am up way past my bedtime, and while I want to put my thoughts into another great day in southern Honshu, Japan, this is going to be a brief post.

Arriving in Osaka earlier this morning, I headed to see the famous Himeji Castle by JR train.

Unfortunately it was closed, so I couldn't go inside. Go figure, Monday and Tuesday were the only two days it was closed for unknown reasons. From what I understand it’s used a lot in samurai movies, so I am willing to bet that’s what it is. OK, maybe not.

It was still a breathtaking sight. I took way too many pictures of this static, white fortress from close and afar.

Following that, we headed for a pork cutlet lunch in the train station before speeding nearly 200 mph back to Osaka by the amazing JR train.

These bullet trains got their nickname perfectly. I’ve never traveled this fast (on land) before in anything, and I am known to have a lead foot when running late on the highways.

Since we are traveling up the country, the week pass is a perfect way to travel.

Anyways, to finish the night we went to Umeda Sky Building, a large infrastructure that overlooks all of Osaka and more. It was a perfect time to get up there as the sun set slowly behind the mountains.

And finally, any night in Japan wouldn’t be complete without a introduction to a new food. While we started the day off with a traditional Japanese breakfast, one could say we also finished off with a classic Japanese breakfast. Well, sorta.

The food of choice was a okonomiyaki, otherwise known as a Japanese pizza. It included all my favorites: bacon, scallop, shrimp, flour, mayonnaise, a thick, sweet brown sauce, mustard, and some other delicious ingredients. They mix all of these together and fry it up right in front of you and then top with the sauces.

I was so full, but it was one of my favorite dinners thus far into the trip. Mmm.

Well, heading to Kyoto again today to see some more of this great country.

Jet lag

"My 2005 Subaru Impreza sits in the middle of the road in Whiteford, Md. as the sun rises Thursday morning. Jet lag from my trip to Japan has left me with irregular sleep habits the past two days."

There is nothing really fun about coming home from a foreign country and still being 14 hours ahead of time because of jet lag.

The past two days I have gone to bed after 8 a.m. and gotten up around 4 p.m. Respectively, that is the same as going to bed at 10 p.m. and waking up at 6 a.m. in Japan. But for now, it means I stay up through the entire night into morning.

I get to see the news twice, view all the late night talk shows, watch ridiculous boring television programming from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. and basically be bored out of my mind as everyone else on the east coast sleeps.

There is one upside to the equation. Catching the sunrise Thursday morning.

Obviously not sleeping, I thought I’d pick up Kate and take her to work since I had not really seen her for two weeks. It was early, but I had been wide awake since 5 p.m. and I can't remember the last time I caught a glimpse to the sun actually rising.

Sure, I've watched the sun dip below the horizon hundreds of times in my life, but I can't recall the last time I watched morning turn to day. It was stunning. Makes me wish I was a morning person and had the opportunity to see the magnificent amber sky every day.

As I waited for Kate outside, I decided to take a picture of the Subaru. I bought the car a little over a year ago and love it, especially around this time of year. Why this time of year? Because it is an all-wheel drive car and navigating it around in the snow is a breeze. Not to heavy like an SUV and not front wheel drive like my old Honda.

I also hadn't driven in roughly two weeks. I had grown used to hoping on a train or in someone else’s car in Japan.

As for tonight, I am forcing myself to try and get to bed early. Yeah, it's past midnight as I type this. I don't know what I'll do, but this jet lag needs to stop.

The odd thing is, was when I got to Japan, I was so excited that I paid no attention to how long I had traveled without sleep to get there. I also paid no attention to the time difference.

Figures when I get back, I have two unpleasant days of unrest.

I miss trains, rice and green tea. Oh, yeah. Sushi, tempura and other traditional Japanese foods, too.

In Japan - Last day

"Passengers hold on as the Japan Railway Group Yamanote Line train speeds by at Harajuku Station, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009."

Coming home is never easy. Tuesday is my last day here in Japan following a two week stint and I am finding it hard to start packing up my things before I head out for my last day of running around Tokyo this morning.

Going to keep it short as I want to get out and shoot some more today, so here is a brief of what we did. Most of the big things we did.

Yesterday was not much different than my past day in Tokyo, other than I spent a little too much money on food. For a minute I thought I was living the Osaka life.

We started the day back in Harajuku to visit the Japan Broadcasting Corporation or NHK Museum of Broadcasting.

It was really cheap and feature more hiragana and kanji Japanese characters than we could really understand, but it did host a bunch of cool videos, history and photographs.

The best part was a three-dimensional video that viewers didn't need any sort of special glasses. It was truly amazing.

From there we walked up famous shopping area of Omotesando Dori before grabbing our first meal - expensive pork cutlet.

After stuffing ourselves, we headed over to Nippori to do a long walking tour. We stumbled across a large, creepy, yet interesting grave yard and a small street market.

After a couple hours there, night had fallen and we wanted one last look of Tokyo from an observatory, this time at night. So we headed back to Shinjuku to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building which allows visitors to get a glimpse of the city for free.

Finally, we found the restaurant we had been looking for all week in Tokyo - a "real" hibachi grill. I am so glad we found it, too.

From the minute we walked in I knew we made the right decision. Zero English, no pictures for ordering. A very traditional, old restaurant, it housed only five grills and it was anything but like we are used to in the States.

Each grill was properly that. Five pieces of golden, red hot coals in a bed of ashes with a ancient looking mesh wiring over top.

We managed to order a couple beers and an order of a $50 set meal. We weren't sure how much food this would get us, so we only went with one.

One by one, our chef (a elder Japanese woman dressed in a kimono) laid down each portion of the meal: Japanese sweet azuki beans, tofu, yakitori, sashimi, vegetables, shrimp, and my favorite, scallops cooked right in their shells with sake.

While very little food for two people, and very expensive, we still enjoyed the experience. I think the waitresses enjoyed our company and even called us "rich" multiple times. Ha!

Finally, as we made our way back to the hotel we both realized we needed more food, so we swung into a rotating sushi bar for one last meal. Couldn't have finished the night off better than that.

Well, as I said, I am rushing to type this post and really want to get out on the town one last time. I still cannot believe I'll be back home tomorrow. It's gone by too fast.

In Japan - Travel day

"Various types of sushi rotates in front of customers at a restaurant near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Jan. 2, 2009."

The Japan travels continue and when I say it was a travel day, what I should really say is that it was a sushi day.

Let me first preface by saying I've been shooting a ton each day (roughly 4 GB a day or more) and I am really having a hard time editing down to what I'll post for the day.

I have many images that I love so far, some that tell the day in one picture better than others and others that are merely "snap-shots" that will help me remember the place I have been.

In addition, I want to post my best of the day, but at the same time I am waiting to put some up until a later time. So just be prepared to see more images later, just not now.

We'll spend our last week in Tokyo before heading back to the United States, but had to get there first. Thus we took the JR Shinkasen north Friday morning.

After checking out of our awesome hotel in Shin Osaka, we jumped on the train and luckily had no problems getting a non-reserved seat on what we thought would be a busy travel day into Tokyo.

During the three-hour train ride we first were amazed that it was snowing heavily roughly 20 minutes from Kyoto station. We started seeing snow atop small mountains, then as we got closer were in a complete snow storm.

About an hour later, we were again in blue sky, sunny weather and staring at Mt. Fuji. Last trip I got an up and close view of Japan's largest mountain, this time all I got was a passing view.

By the time we got to Tokyo station and switched to the Yamanote line to take us over to Shinjuku, and then make the nearly 10 minute walk through the streets, we were back at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel.

At this point we were exhausted from sitting around all morning, so we checked in and then got some quick sushi near the station with hopes of a real hibachi dinner.

We then roamed Tokyo until 8 p.m., including Shibuya, which is famous for its mad scramble, dash intersection where I have heard that 400 people cross every time the light changes.

I am not sure if that's the case, but I got a chance to see it from above this time and was just as impressed as last time I saw it from a bird's eye view.

Well, we never found out restaurant, so when it gets late and you have to wake up early the next day in Tokyo, what do you eat? Sushi. Yep, twice in a row and just as lovely as the first time today. I'll be making a post on everything we ate

I am pretty beat right now, fighting to keep my eyes open. Tomorrow we will meet back up with Vivo san and then head to a nabe party at night. I am super excited!

In Japan - Hiroshima

"An employee of the JR Shinkansen train company stands inside their store at Hiroshima station, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008."

The journey continues and so does the horrific jeg lag. While I am again adjusting to the 14-hour time difference, it's still nearly impossible to keep my eyes open, no matter how exciting things are, past 8 p.m. local time here in southern Japan.

As I make my way up the main island of Honshu (from Kyushu, the third-largest island of Japan, yesterday) I first made a one-day stop in Hiroshima.

I left Fukuoka this morning and took the Shinkansen JR train to my hotel, which is a traditional tatami floor room and pretty amazing to say the least. But since I only sleep in it, it's not worth embellishing at this point in the trip.

The main reason for staying in Hiroshima was to visit what most call and rank as one of the top three scenic places in Japan - Miyajima.

About 30 minutes from Hiroshima, Miyajima is an island located at the terminal of Miyajimaguchi. Since it's surrounded by water, you have to take a ferry to get there.

It's a little, old village that had free roaming deer (no Lymes Disease thankfully) and a vast history dating back to 806 AD.

It was really, really fascinating. The floating torii (or big orange gate) of the shrine, is Miyajima's best known symbol. It is also host to the World's Largest Spatula or rice scraper, which I was totally joking about being the biggest spoon and just read in my visitors guide that it is.

For lunch I had devoured a pork cutlet odon (rice bowl) with a raw egg over rice.

Well, I could ramble on forever about this place. It was down right awesome and worth the trip. But the other reason for staying in Hiroshima was, well, to see Hiroshima.

Obviously the story with this city is the fact that is was the first city in history subjected to nuclear warfare when it was bombed by the United States of America during World War II.

With that, we visited the Atomic Bomb Dome. It gave me a feeling like the 9/11 memorial in New York City. Quiet and somber.

It was an odd feeling standing there as just about the only American around and knowing that nearly 350,000 Japanese lost their lives when this city was basically obliterated by a bomb. It's crazy to think it's been rebuilt, to..

Well, I can't take typing anymore at this table which is maybe a foot high.

Other than my back and legs hurting, after walking from 10 a.m., I am exhausted.

Tomorrow I'll pack my backpack and head to Kyoto and then to Osaka for a couple of days.

I'll try and post tomorrow (I already missed a day). Hopefully I'll have a chance to. Stay tuned.

No Nihongo

"A traveler pulls along her suitcase as she makes her way toward her terminal at Baltimore Washington International Airport early Wednesday morning."

Sometimes life is chalked full of hard decisions and I made one of the toughest I can remember this week.

For the past month I really have not been myself. My health and I have been on this see-saw type relationship and its been bothersome in my life. It actually has been going on longer, but the last month has been very rough.

I visited a couple doctors, specialist and got some medications, but nothing was completely solving my stomach-centered problems. Only holding off the symptoms for a couple days at a time if that.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning, the morning we leave for Japan. All night and all morning I was feeling pretty much the lowest of lows. I was hoping that it was just a small flair up and by the time I got to Japan it would pass.

At the airport, I was still feeling ill and thought I'd still shoot some photos, video and take our first flight to Houston hoping it would escape my mind and for it to all pass. However, at that point I was miserable for four hours on the flight.

When we got off the leapfrog flight, I had to make a hard decision to try and make a 13-hour flight into Tokyo or postpone the trip and think about my health.

I knew at the time I could not do a 13-hour flight and I really didn't want to risk being sick for two-weeks in a foreign county.

After long thought, we called off the trip and decided to get me back home. It was a horrible, sad, ill feeling day.

Since arriving back in Baltimore, for the past three days I've been in and out of the hospital going through various tests that were not so pleasant; I guess the good thing is I don't remember half of them due to the anesthetics.

The good news is that there are no serious problems and hopefully (I am really hoping) that I should be feeling better soon. From what I understand, had it been taken care of months before when it was just starting, I'd be in much better condition. But I allowed it to get to far off and now in the position I am in.

Thanks to wonderful Kate for helping me out the past couple days and totally understanding.

We got nearly all of our money back for the flight, JR passes and will make it to Japan in the future. But it's not getting the money back, it's hopefully getting me to feel better and back to who I am.

Sorry for any inconvenience I've caused to my readers looking forward to Japan pictures. I am upset we could not go back and see my friends and document our travels to new places, too.

Posting will be slow as I make my way back to feeling better again. Thanks for understanding.

Back to Baltimore

"An airplane soars over Shin-Osaka Station in Japan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008."

The 24-hour travel from Japan back home to Baltimore has begun. I just rolled out of bed Wednesday morning and I am beginning to gather my suitcase and cameras for the long haul home.

My two week journey throughout Kyushu and Honshu in Japan has been amazing and has once again opened my eyes to: new things, new people, new places, and new ideas.

I cannot thank my friends whom live here in Japan for all that they did to help me travel around this great country - whether they acted as a translator, driver or simply a friend. They made my travels much easier and a lot more fun.

While I've only posted a handful of photos, I've shot more than 20 gigabytes worth of images, and about three-hours of high definition video footage. So I'll be sure to post a lot more once I get settled back in the U.S., catch up on life and more importantly, sleep.

Until then, be sure to browse through my posts from the past two weeks if you haven't already since I'll probably not be posting for a couple days once back home. Please note that I'm sure the posts are misspelled and make little-to-no-sense (especially the first couple days here). Rest assure, I'll go back and fix the errors and post up some new stuff sooner rather than later.

Finally, thanks for all those that sent e-mails during my travels, too. See you all back in Baltimore. It's been a great trip.

Japan: Day seven

"Many people cross the street in front of Shinagawa station in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, Jan.7, 2008."

My last full day in Japan is over. All that is left of my trip is a the long haul back the the United States.

I am keeping this post very short and to the point, as it's past 11 p.m. and I have to be up very early to start my 16 hour or more pilgrimage back home. But I will have a full recap on my day and entire trip. Also, hopefully dozens more photos to share.

Started Monday shooting some images in the hotel lobby since I've been eying up them since my first day. After an hour of strolling around, I finally made it atop the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. No line. Great view.

After grabbing breakfast in the bottom of Shinjuku Station, I took the next train to Shinagawa, since I didn't get to see much of it Sunday.

Later, I then traveled back to Shinjuku to gaze the streets that surround my hotel before meeting my last guide.

My last guide showed me some used camera shops, many which housed just about every lens and camera ever created by the big names in photography such as Nikon, Canon and Leica.

We then went to his friend's sweet shop, other wise known as a dessert restaurant. I got the royal treatment, not only getting to taste many different traditional Japanese desserts, but also getting to help create some of the masterpieces. Of all the dishes I devoured, none included sugar. Only the finest, purest ingredients natural to Japan, such as rice.

I also bumped into some of my other earlier guides, as they are all friends and apart of a photography group. They meet there often to share tips and photos. Since many of them shoot film, it made me realize how much I miss having a nice print in my hands. It also made me want a stereo camera, as many of them are stereo camera fanatics.

Finished my night filling my stomach with my last Japanese meal dinner. I am getting sushi one last time in the morning before my flight.

Well, as I said in the beginning of this post, it's late, I am exhausted, I need to pack and I need to be up early.

Look back for a bunch of images and full recap of Monday and my entire trip.

If my posting is slow, be sure to check out more images here.

Japan: Day six

"A vendor in Ameyoko calls out prices of fresh fish, including octopus, to passerby on Sunday, Jan.6."

My time here in Japan in winding down quickly. It's a sad state of affairs. On Monday I have one last guided tour of Japan (I am not sure where) and I fly back to the United States on Tuesday.

As for Sunday, it was my last day on my own...well sorta.

I started out retracing some steps with hope to try and remake an image I had earlier made in Nippori. However, it seemed as if everyone had slept in. There was no one around and I failed my mission of creating a better image than the first.

After wasting 45 minutes, I went back to Ueno. I felt the need to see some areas in greater detail, including Ueno park.

Little did I know, the place tried to remake the image at was literally 10 minutes from the edge of Ueno park. I had walked 25 minutes back to Nippori station for nothing.

All the walking earlier in the morning had me starved, so I grabbed something for a street vendor near Ueno station. I have no idea what it was, but I ate five fried dough balls. Each had a octopus tentacle and some other things in it. It was really, really good. And for 400 yen, I was full.

Finishing my rounds in Ueno, I realized one of my guides had circled Shinagawa on one of my maps. For what reason is unknown.

Nonetheless, I walked around an didn't find anything. That was until Mamoru called and told me to meet him in Ginza. As he called, I stumbled upon a couple nice looking shrines. Maybe in the morning I'll revisit them.

When I got to Ginza, I told Mamoru about my tempura lunch that I loved. I guess I had eaten at a tempura restaurant equivalent to a McDonald's because he took me a upscale place. I would have never found it, as it was in the top floor, that's nine floors, in a department store.

It was so delicious. By far the best meal I've had since being here. It blew my previous tempura meal away, ten fold.

After eating he took me to see the Nissan GT-R in person. I got to sit in one and play around with all the controls. Such a beautiful vehicle.

To finish my day, he took me to the Tokyo Tower. This over looks the entire city from Roppongi. It was extremely interesting. We didn't go all the way to the top of the Eiffel tower replica because of the long lines. But we did catch the sunset while overlooking Tokyo.

Well, posting early tonight. About to catch dinner and call it night. I am sad I only have one day left.

Also, I've started to add some (some is less than two percent of my images) to my Flickr page.

Japan: Day four

"Many Japanese residents use trains and subways for traveling and often rest on them, such as this man does as the Hibiya line subway speeds past Akihabara station, Friday, Jan.4, 2008"

Wow. My feet hurt. But I can sum Friday in five words: cars, sushi, walking, lost and trains.

Being my first day alone, I walked for almost eight hours without rest, except on trains or subways and lunch. I Saw many cars I wish I owned, ate sushi twice and got lost more than I would have liked.

I'd tried to sleep in a little since I didn't need to meet anyone in the early morning. I guess I didn't try hard enough, because I woke up at my typical time of 6:15 a.m.

To start my day I walked to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, which offers one of many lookout points in Tokyo. However, it didn't open until 9:30 a.m. and I was about 45 minutes early. I decided to ditch the idea until Sunday or Monday.

Instead, I walked to the JR train station and took a short ride to Harajuku. This was the same area I visited earlier this week when at the Meiji Shrine, but didn't see the rest of the area. It was crowded with a lot of boutique shops and teenagers. Many shops where just opening, so I did nothing more than people watch and get lost trekking around.

I found, what I think was a shinto shrine, and saw a bunch of neat little cars in this region.

Around 10:30 a.m. I went nine train stations south to Yurakucho. Since there is no station for Ginza, so I had to walk there. Before hiking south into Ginza I walked north to the Imperial Palace, home to Japan's Imperial family. It's closed everyday of the year except January 1st, so I only caught a glimpse from the gardens that surround it. (Mom, this is where I was when you called).

By 12:30 p.m. I needed food. I decided on sushi in Ginza.

As my day continued, I roamed around Ginza and Tokyo station. Tokyo station is congested and very, very confusing. I was lost for a good 30 minutes in the station. I didn't find much once I did though.

I ended my day walking in Shibya and Akihabara. In Akihabara there are tons of electronic stores. If you can think of an electronic device you want, this place has it. From stores in streets to six level camera stores that take one 15 minutes to find an exit. I don't think some were legal. But I had fun looking at these businesses.

Since I knew this would be my last town of the day I decided to walk 45 minutes one way. I didn't find much. I just saw a bunch of my favorite Japanese cars, including the brand-spanking new Skyline GT-R. I happened to walk up to it on my way back. A man walked by and said in broken English "monster car."

I returned to my hotel at 6:00 p.m. and rested before walking around in Shinjuku at 8:00 p.m. before grabbing more sushi and calling it a night.

I am starting to think I am Japanese. Of all the places I've been since my arrival, I've seen maybe five non-Japanese people. I am in my own little world, as I only know very little Japanese. It's very weird, yet peaceful.

Not sure where I'll go tomorrow. Probably some more of the little towns on the JR line.

note: I've just realized that many of my Japan posts have wrong days and dates and many typos. I lost a day traveling and it's a 14 hour difference from Baltimore, Md. Please excuse my faults. I'll try and correct what I can.