Back from Japan (still jet-lagged)... Some photos...

Pickle · Post by **Pickle** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:44 am

A few photos are from our previous (last year) winter trip to Japan. Sorry, no food porn. We had absolutely fabulous meals there, but it never even occurred to me to take photos. Since it's where I grew up, my mind doesn't quite function in the same way as it does when I'm visiting somewhere else.

Laid-back Kochi (southwestern Japan) -----

Okay... where I grew up is not St. John, but it's got the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It's not exactly a resort. We have some beaches we can swim in but not nearly the numbers of beaches St. John offers. Many areas here get strong currents and are not considered safe for swimming.

A little shack that sells drinks at a lookout point, where you get nice views of Tosa Bay:

Local beach: You can find nice rocks and stones in several different colors here. They were brought to the ocean from the mountains by a river in the Jurassic Period and eventually washed up on the beach.

Husband

(This is not my photo)

Another local beach: This afternoon we had a tsunami warning, but the actual height of the waves was estimated at 7 inches. We didn't notice any difference in the waves. It was a calm sunny winter day on the beach.

Lone camper... looked awfully peaceful.

Castle built in the 1600's:

Taking a walk around where my mother lives:

Hardly any water there now, but when a typhoon hits, this river could overflow.

Flu-infested Tokyo -----

Unlike Kochi, Tokyo was overwhelmed by influenza and many of our friends there were suffering from it. Seeing quite a few folks wearing big white masks on the streets made me feel unprotected and nervous. Even during peak months of the flu season in NYC, I never get that paranoid.

A fake Empire State Building peeking out above Shinjuku Station. The area around the Empire State Building is called Times Square (sorry, no photo of the area). There is a Krispy Kreme near Times Square and the line for the doughnut shop was rather shocking. Not as unreal as it was a year before, though - at that time, folks were standing in line in the cold for way over an hour for a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It must be the only Krispy Kreme in Japan.

I guess the proprietor doesn't care for Jazz of the 70's ~ 90's. (Doesn't he look like Charlie Haden?)

?????

Our friend, Bruce, has confessed that he had left his markings there. Too bad they didn't sell very well.

Back to NYC. Now I'm looking forward to baseball season. And soon after the season starts, we will be back on St. John! A-year long wait will finally be over!!!

Pia · Post by **Pia** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:50 am

Beautiful pictures - thanks for sharing

Pia

Wakey · Post by **Wakey** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:09 am

awesome!

Eric in NJ · Post by **Eric in NJ** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:10 am

I think that's a picture of Pianist Bill Evans. Nice shots.

susan & herb · Post by **susan & herb** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:34 am

Great pictures.
We don't often get to see the areas outside of Tokyo so your pictures are interesting.

linne · Post by **linne** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:28 am

Very beautiful pics. Oh,there is so many places in the world I want to see, Japan too.

Linne

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:30 am

great photos... thanks for sharing!

Maggy · Post by **Maggy** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:20 am

Really interesting, thanks for sharing. Those are great photos.

My Japan experience is just 10 hours in Narita, on our way to New Zealand. But I have a few collegues that are really fond of Japan and go there very often.

DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 11:24 am

DELETED

Pickle · Post by **Pickle** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 6:26 pm

Eric in NJ wrote:I think that's a picture of Pianist Bill Evans. Nice shots.

You are right! I'm so off... I though it would be curious if the proprietor had actually picked Charlie Haden. Thanks, Eric.

Maggy,
I would love to visit New Zealand but it's even further away from here than to Japan! I don't know if I can make it without being a wreck. I should've gone there when I was still living in Japan.

Tracy in WI · Post by **Tracy in WI** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 6:35 pm

Thanks so much for sharing your photos. I spent a year living in Japan right out of college and really enjoyed my time there. I am only 5'2" and I was pretty tall! Lots of good memories and the Japanese people were very warm and hospitable.

Thanks!

Tracy

Eric in NJ · Post by **Eric in NJ** » Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:34 pm

Pickle wrote:
Eric in NJ wrote:I think that's a picture of Pianist Bill Evans. Nice shots.
You are right! I'm so off... I though it would be curious if the proprietor had actually picked Charlie Haden. Thanks, Eric.

Maggy,
I would love to visit New Zealand but it's even further away from here than to Japan! I don't know if I can make it without being a wreck. I should've gone there when I was still living in Japan.

No problem I'm a big Bill Evans fan that's all.

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:43 pm

Thanks for your great pictures, Pickle! I could spend DAYS on that beach with all the colored rocks! Do you know what kind of bugs those are on that tree branch?

I really liked seeing "non tourist" pictures. You showed me parts of Japan I've never seen before!

Pickle · Post by **Pickle** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:13 am

California Girl,
Those are shells of cicadas found in my mother's garden. They reminded me of bright summers in Kochi. I haven't experienced summers there for over 15 years. I miss it, actually - enjoying the ocean, the rivers, the mountains, and all sorts of creatures of the earth! On the other hand, I get to visit St. John during late spring and early summer, which is not a bad deal for me at all

.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:24 am

Wonderful pictures, Pickle.

usvi-on-line

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Back from Japan (still jet-lagged)... Some photos...

Back from Japan (still jet-lagged)... Some photos...