Japan! My journey home.

[Loupey]

More eats...


Image 1) Typical dessert and coffee shop which can be found every few dozen paces it seems
Image 2) An electronic fireworks display at Hanabe restaurant in Tokyo.
Image 3) Unique fare at a Miyazaki dinner buffet
Image 4) The largest restaurant I have ever seen. A breakfast buffet includes a map showing the locations of the various food choices and drink stations. Hapuna Restaurant in the lobby of the Prince Hotel Shinagawa
Image 5) the waiting line for the buffet above. During the weekend, the waiting line had been three times longer and the hostess had to start two new lines in the middle of the lobby.

[Loupey]

As with other large cities around the world, Japan’s cities don’t seem to sleep. Perhaps it’s because the sun sets at around 7 pm (it rises a little before 4 am local time). A steady stream of businessmen and women pour out of the train stations. Restaurant owners and store workers jostle to attract attention of everyone passing by. Narrow alleys fill with people eating and drinking, musicians play here and over there, a giant TV mounted on the side of a building plays commercials and sports clips overhead, the rumble of an overhead train grows and then fades away. Each night, every night.


Image 1) A businessman emerges from beneath a train overpass (Tokyo)
Image 2) A trio of happy musicians near “the gathering place” for businessmen and women in front of the train station (Tokyo)
Image 3) Musicians of Kyoto
Image 4) An elderly couple takes in the sights and sounds of the Gion district (Kyoto)
Image 5) An elevated network of covered walkways connecting malls and offices to the train station (Tokyo)

[Loupey]

I'll leave you all for tonight with a scene that made me laugh (alone, in the dark, and in the middle of an intersection ).

Shot in Tokyo. The crosswalks at this intersection were painted in every conceivable direction and I thought it might have been easier to just paint a big white square instead - allowing the people to walk anywhere within.


Some more images/stories tomorrow. Good night.

[Loupey]

Everywhere I looked I saw the powerful effect that the two vastly different cultures had on the people.

Although somewhat blunt at times, the convergence seems acceptable and peaceful to the citizens.


Image 1) A traditional-style restaurant along side Mister Donut (outdoor mall, Sendai)
Image 2) I wonder what they're all thinking
Image 3) The allure to the past is strong to even the younger generation
Image 4) Different cultures reflected in a bridal store
Image 5) Wedding reception party at the Prince Hotel Shinagawa