Aomori Nebuta Festival
The annual Nebuta Festival in Aomori is one of the premier
festivals in Japan. We moved to Misawa, Japan a few days before the
2001 festival. It was our first festival in Northern Japan and it makes
the others pale by comparison. The floats are made of paper-mache and
lit from the inside. There are multiple evening parades of these brilliantly
lit floats. They are all human powered as seen in the next image.
Nebuta Float on Wheels
Temple in Towada City
Lake Towada
This alpine lake is only a two hour drive from our home. It's reminds
me a lot of Lake Tahoe in California.
The Great Buddha
This is one of the main attractions in Kamakura which
can be reached on a daytrip from Tokyo.
Harajuku Babes
Interesting characters can be found wandering through the Harajuku section
of Tokyo... especially on Sundays!
Bicycle Parking
This underground bicycle parking lot was found in Sendai.
Sun Mall Ichibancho
Many of the shopping 'malls' in Japan are actually shopping streets that
have been covered to protect them from the elements.
Matshushima Caves
Caves line this approach to the Zuiganji Temple.
Cherry Blossom
Misawa City Temple
Oirase Gorge
Shinjuku, Tokyo
Shinjuku is a bustling district. Shinjuku train station
is one of the busiest in Japan. It serves two million travelers transiting
through the station every day!
Akihabara
Electronic stores of all sizes can be found in Tokyo's
famous Akihabara district. This shop in an alley near the train station
is only about 2x2 meters. The proprietor has to crawl under the counter
to his tight spaces. The store is full of numerous components for any
electronic project.
Mobile Phones!
There's a wide variety of mobile phones. Some feature integrated digital
cameras. Some even provide two way picture phone service.
Sony Building
The Sony building in Tokyo provides a fascinating tour of Sony's latest
and greatest products. This picture shows a demonstration of the AirBoard.
It provides wireless TV viewing and Internet access!
Shinjuku at Night
Shibuya at Night
Suggested Japan Travel Guides
(Order Through Amazon Books - Click on the book name)
Insight
Pocket Guide Tokyo
The Insight Pocket Guide series of books is my favorite for short
stays at any destination. The book highlights the must see destinations
in full day and half day itineraries. This includes detailed maps
and suggested walking routes. This guide is a must have especially
for a short visit.
Eyewitness guides provide great detail on sights
and history. It's a great reference especially with it's fantastic
three dimensional cutaway views of sites and monuments to point
out all the details. It makes finding things much easier than merely
having a bunch of words and a map.
As with most Lonely Planet guides, this Japan edition
are invaluable resources for planning your journey. They offer you
the most up-to-date information about where to go and where to avoid,
how to get there and get around, where to stay at a reasonable rate.
The guides provide everything you'll need to know for a rewarding
visit.
This is the only guide I've found that provides details for traveling
in Northern Japan. Most other guides concentrate only on the major
cities.
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