Steve in Japan

On a late night inspiration, we headed out to try to find the former sight of the Rashomon gate which was the place for the Akira Kurosawa 1960 film. The instructions: West of Route 1 Behind a Non-descript Store.

The result:

Rashomon (West of Route 1 Behind a Non-descript Store)

And here's some photo's at night taken on the way:

Kyoto at Night

Houryuu-ji

2008-08-13T15:37:00.002+09:00

Houryuu-ji

Todai-ji

2008-08-13T13:06:00.002+09:00

Todai-ji

Nara

2008-08-13T12:42:00.001+09:00

Nara

Nijo-jo

2008-08-13T10:51:00.002+09:00

Nijo-jo

Hanamikoji-dori

2008-08-12T17:54:00.002+09:00

Hanamikoji-dori and Kyoto at Night

Kodai-ji

2008-08-12T17:34:00.002+09:00

Yasaka Shrine

Gion

Koda-ji

Sanjuusangendou

2008-08-12T16:09:00.002+09:00

Sanjuusangendou

Ryoan-ji

2008-08-12T11:09:00.002+09:00

Ryoan-ji

Nijo-jo (Closed on Tuesdays in July, August and December)

Kinkaku-ji

2008-08-12T09:50:00.003+09:00

Kinkaku-ji

Ginkaku-ji

2008-08-11T16:44:00.002+09:00

Ginkaku-ji

Kiyomizu-dera

2008-08-11T15:04:00.002+09:00

Kiyomizu-dera

Fushimi Inari Shrine

2008-08-11T10:18:00.002+09:00

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kyoto

2008-08-11T08:39:00.002+09:00

Shinkansen

Kyoto

Kamakura Daibutsu Revisited

2008-08-10T15:09:00.003+09:00

Kamakura Revisited

Zeniarai Benzaiten

Asakusa

2008-08-10T10:01:00.002+09:00

Asakusa Revisited

Meiji-jingu

Plus Vitamin C!

2008-07-04T12:02:00.000+09:00

I told everyone it's healthy!

Kamakura Daibutsu

2008-04-07T09:28:00.002+09:00

'The Buddha at Kamakura'

O ye who tread the Narrow Way
By Tophet-flare to Judgment Day,
Be gentle when the 'heathen' pray
To Buddha at Kamakura!

To him the Way, the Law, apart,
Whom Maya held beneath her heart,
Ananda's Lord, the Bodhisat,
The Buddha of Kamakura.

For though he neither burns nor sees,
Nor hears ye thank your Deities,
Ye have not sinned with such as these,
His children at Kamakura.

Yet spare us still the Western joke
When joss-sticks turn to scented smoke
The little sins of little folk
That worship at Kamakura --

The grey-robed, gay-sashed butterflies
That flit beneath the Master's eyes.
He is beyond the Mysteries
But loves them at Kamakura.

And whoso will, from Pride released,
Contemning neither creed nor priest,
May feel the Soul of all the East
About him at Kamakura.

Yea, every tale Ananda heard,
Of birth as fish or beast or bird,
While yet in lives the Master stirred,
The warm wind brings Kamakura.

Till drowsy eyelids seem to see
A-flower 'neath her golden htee
The Shwe-Dagon flare easterly
From Burmah to Kamakura,

And down the loaded air there comes
The thunder of Thibetan drums,
And droned -- "Om mane padme hums" --
A world's-width from Kamakura.

Yet Brahmans rule Benares still,
Buddh-Gaya's ruins pit the hill,
And beef-fed zealots threaten ill
To Buddha and Kamakura.

A tourist-show, a legend told,
A rusting bulk of bronze and gold,
So much, and scarce so much, ye hold
The meaning of Kamakura?

But when the morning prayer is prayed,
Think, ere ye pass to strife and trade,
Is God in human image made
No nearer than Kamakura?

-- Rudyard Kipling

Kamakura Daibutsu

There was something very surrealistic about being there. Looking at the statue as if it wasn't really a part of the world around it.

Kanamara Matsuri and Kamakura

2008-04-07T09:21:00.003+09:00

Here's a few pictures from the Kanamara festival, a fertility festival held in Kawasaki on the first Sunday of April. Some interesting pictures and, of course, it's not safe for work, if your work takes offense to giant phallus's.

Kanamara Matsuri

After the festival, I headed with another teacher from the school in the west side of Shinjuku to Kamakura. Here are some pictures of shrines along the way.

Kamakura Shrine

More Pictures!

2008-03-31T12:37:00.001+09:00

Birthday Party 2008

Follow up Drinking...TRAINING!

Sakuradai's Sakuras

The bloomin flowers are bloomin

2008-03-27T17:21:00.001+09:00

It's spring, and in Japan that means the Sakura trees bloom. This is the tree in front of my apartment.

Follow-up for Eddie

2008-03-11T23:35:00.001+09:00

Here's my apartment on Google Maps. The problem before wasn't that google didn't show it, just that I didn't understand Japanese addresses so when I entered it it didn't give me a response.

View Larger Map

My Classroom

2008-02-21T16:32:00.002+09:00

This is a picture from my classroom in Shinjuku. I'm right next to the ALTA building, a famous landmark and meeting point.

*As a note, this post was also a test to see what happened when I tried to take a picture and post it from my phone. I'll probably photoblog more things when I'm out and around, keep it a little more interesting. I always have my phone with me. ^.^/

Pics!

2008-02-18T01:43:00.002+09:00

Here's the promised update for all the pics that have backed up!

Last Day of Training

Meiji Shrine

Asakusa

Finally have internet!!

2008-02-16T22:25:00.002+09:00

Japan has a lot of telecommunication regulations which require foreigners to have registration cards before they can get a cell phone and request internet, so after waiting two weeks for the card and 10 days for the internet I'm back online! I'll have new pictures up soon including Asakusa.

Working away

2008-01-18T01:26:00.000+09:00

No new pictures today, I'm busy with training. Tomorrow's my last day of training, and I've found out where my apartment is, kind-of... I have the address, but I can't get the address to appear in Google. I know I'll be near Sakuradai Station (桜台駅). Here's a link to the station on the map.

Google Maps Link

Hikawa Shrine

2008-01-13T18:43:00.000+09:00

Before we get back into our training tomorrow, we decided to go out and see the shrine nearby. Today was apparently a special day on the Shinto calender so there was a large crowd and a lot of booths.

Hikawa Shrine

Night out in Omiya

2008-01-13T09:08:00.000+09:00

Had the first day of training yesterday, was interesting how much information was covered and how much there's still left. After training, I went out with some of the other teachers that are staying here in the Omiya Seminar house. Pics and vids below! Today I'm off to visit the Musashi-Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine today.

Night out at Omiya

Welcome

2008-01-04T08:25:00.000+09:00

Hello everyone! I've been looking since I sent out the facebook link for an alternative to post a blog, pictures and videos. I think this will work out a little better and you can leave comments and look at everything here without an account.

Dinner after last Japanese class