Initial Impressions from Japan November 2010

In November 2010 I had a two week vacation in Japan and here are some quickly selected images from the trip.

The plan was to see things between Osaka and Fukuoka using Japan’s impressive train network that is an attraction itself…

…to take photos and to see autumn colors that I almost completely missed in Finland…

…and to enjoy the excellent Japanese food that is so much more than just sushi.

So let’s have a peek at a country where an illiterate foreigner sees so little compared to those who known the culture (I’m not one of them).

During the mornings of sumo tournaments there are mainly foreign tourists watching the less experienced wrestlers because…

…the crowds come in the evenings when the best sumotoris are in the dohyō.

Japan definitely looks different. Not all houses are as big as this one from Hikone and only some of them follow the traditional style.

Many cities have an impressive castle that is too often a concrete replica of the original. In Hiroshima they have a better reason to have a replica than in some other cities.

Atomic Bomb Dome is still standing despite being directly below the location where the bomb was detonated. At times it feels that there are too many school groups in the Peace Park  but then you think that this is a place that should be visited by all school classes in the world.

Kintai bridge in Iwakuni, originally from 1673 designed to be flood-proof, was destroyed by a typhoon in 1950. There isn’t much old left in Japan for various reasons.

The floating torii gate in Miyajima is one of the most photographed things in Japan. During a high tide you can sail through it.

Almost a thousand torii gates lead to Taikodani Inari shrine in Tsuwano. Sometimes it’s better not to ask what a text in a photo means.

During certain dates you can travel to the previously very remote Tsuwano with this old train from well-connected Yamaguchi.

In the middle of modern Kurashiki there is a nice but small canal area that is surrounded by old warehouses.

This is what I imagined philosopher’s path in Kyoto to be like. The photo hides the large crowds that were also there.

But now you must stop for a while before seeing the next photo.

Cyclists drive among the pedestrians on the crowded streets surprisingly fast. This is not crowded.

Although everybody seems to be doing something with their mobile phone…

…you don’t see many people talking to it. And it’s even rarer to actually hear someone talking to a mobile. It’s considered impolite to disturb others.

In many Japanese parks it’s the people that are more interesting than the park. Like here at Ohori-koen in Fukuoka. Many hobbies are brought to outdoors and people are not afraid to show that they are still taking their baby steps in things like flute playing or juggling.

In front of the Osaka castle they were playing bicycle polo or whatever this sport is called.

You may wonder where are the big cities and neon lights? I prefer the Japan that is smaller and simpler although I must admit that many places are much livelier and more attractive after dark.