Miki d'Japan

Weekend in Japan-sounds a bit crazy, but I did it. With "a little" (in fact substantial) help of my friends, I did it... And it was magnificent. Keiko of Chiba, Kaori&Gergo of Japan/Budapest, and Svjetlana of Dublin/Teslic gave the magic Power to the event :-).
Logistics in Taiwan provided by Meiyunn and Monlysa, who found and organised the cheaper tickets for me 2 days before the flight... magic, I say! [btw. for those who are interested to know what's 'cheaper': 370 eur return flight. The line HKong-Taipei-Tokyo, it takes about 3 hrs from Taipei by B-747].
As I had really only weekend +flights, I saw 'only' Tokyo, but then, it is certainly not 'only'.
But, let's start with ilustrations, I again made some almost 300 pics...
Here is one of my 1st views of Japan, Kyushu island from the air. It is from some 12500m.

One nice cloud, making its hair...although my 1st association was much less romantic.

In Japan, as in Taiwan, wires are abundant, one of biggest differences to petty europe in the streets:

But, then you see monorail

and some views of Tokyo

and know you are in some other world.

No comments are needed, I think:

Here a view to the Tokyo harbour:

Quite futuristic, ah? It is TV building...

But we were bored and went to New York... ;-)

It was quite crowdy, some events in and around the TV house, some stars were to appear and there were lots of programmes for kids. Different to Taiwan, in Japan children seem to be more visible, maybe a bit more kids-friendly environment-but, then, with this level of infrastructure, it is in generel humans-friendly. Only the small apartments would be a real obstacle for any European to even think about kids. Hokkaido seems to be a good solution :-).

A bit more of futuristic feeling-this is a turistic boat on the pier below the TV house-Svjetlana posted the right question: 'It goes underwater?'

Pier:

(Im)possible communication network of Tokyo-there lives 13mln people in something what we could, maybe, call The City. And if we add some nearby surrounding we have 33mln. Umhhh. Still trying to compare to anything known?

Here my only association was Hagia Sophia from Istanbul

[Alan Ford: Neki sretnici zive kraj vode...]

[a kraj vode zive i neki manje sretni...]

It seems it is possible to make the living place in a tent in Tokyo, good idea for cheap accomodation in Japan when you go backpacking :-). Btw. no dirty beggars in these tents, although live (literally) under the bridge, they are neat and clean as japanese houses.
This combination of the Asahi beer company is to represent glass of beer and a bit out of it...

OK, you are waiting for something traditional, yes? Temples (buddhistic) are different then these in Taiwan, from the very entrance, compare with my Taiwanese posts.

Meeting out of the bounds of expected, with Svjetlana we maybe meet one day on Mars, as we started (Frankfurt, Kolan, Tokyo, ...?):

Keiko, simply a gem!

We went to eat to some nice place...I understood how it is possible that these people consider (Chinese also) fish CHEEKS one of the most tasty foods: if the fish is big enough, it is lots of meat there...

Gergo, a Budapestan Japanese, is to stay here in Japan, hehe, I will be happy to visit Kaori and him one day in Hokkaido, where they'll live happily, surrounded with a bunch of few merry kids. I wish them all the best!

Mario, do not watch!-we went to the electronics market in Ahikabara sunday morning with Svjetlana. No comments, you know what I would say! In some 2 years maybe you'll be happy enough to see what I saw yesterday! Prices, however, are not so much lower than in Taiwan. Only that in Tokyo everywhere you can find 2GB USB flash disk and in Taiwan it is not yet so common. Laptops are in the same price as in Taiwan. Photo equipment is abundant, but prices are not too much different from these in Taiwan or Europe photo-markets.

Would he accept few cpu's instead of money, what do you think?

The main difference Taiwan/Japan is that here temples and shrines are more like museums, when in Taiwan they are always ALIVE.

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But here we also found really religious experiences. This family ordered a pray in their name...

One more friend :-)

Some of the temples/shrines (the 1st are buddhistic, and the 2nd shintoistic) are really old

This fish is poissonous, but tasty...blowfish. Only chefs with special permission can prepare it. It is so Japanese to make it a sculpture near the shrine.

Interesting head-covered figure

and here more of them, Mediators, says Keiko, but they themselves have the Power to act, also

A dream? Keiko wanted me to go to row these swans on the lake, but as you can imagine I was not willing to be SO much turistic.

As we said, Tokyo is dense populated place. So, even golfers have to exercise in two floors

Cars are also piled up:

Tokyo by night, incredible crowd in Shibuya, the most crowded meeting place in the world: they say here is set the world record in the number of mobile phone connections at the same time, anything strange, mass was incredible.

Some nice views: Kimono in Shibuya is not at all anachronistic.

There are some things around which seem more strange:

Girls in Japan are so jummmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!

On the train to Narita, green fields of Tokyo, this you would not expect less than hour out of the centre :-)

Suburbia, between Chiba and Narita. Btw. JR(=Japan Railways) line train to here from the centrum will cost you some 1200 yen (exchange rate was 100eur=13100yen).

Beer magazin in Narita, old classical style of the house here out of Tokyo, said Keiko (her family is from Chiba)

The biggest temple I saw there, Naritasan. Worth visit, for sure! It is on the way to the Narita airport, so you can it when departing!

Interior of one of the temples:

Classical pagoda:

A bit less classical pagoda (as still new, but in 300 years it will also be 'classical'):

Cute, ah?

There is also the park/forest near Naritasan, this temple is 'forgotten' there:

Just nearby is this waterfall, I would be curious if it is natural or...? I could not decide.

Crowdy place, even for the water-turtles in this pond:

Not only the religious content, but also the gardens and houses in Narita are beautiful!

Time to go back, I had some magnificent sights from the plane, I will share them with you.
The coast off Tokyo-Yokohama harbour [Keiko corrects: it is the Kuju-kuri coast of "Chiba"!->thanks Keiko!]

And some others:

Fujiyama, the highest mountain in Japan:

It is a volcano, remember? In this pic the crater is visible.

The definite proof I am an alien: pics during the landing of my UFO ;-)

Just by chance (and even now my hair goes up) I was passing Hiroshima in this 'play' of sun and clouds. Peace to them all.

Strange is to feel: " I came home" and it is about Taiwan...yes, one of my homes is certainly here!