Japan Trip March 2008 Photos

Click on each thumbnail photo for a larger image and explanatory text! Status 8/08: Done with Toride and Mito ... working on Nagano texts....

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General Culture: Daily Life, Old and New

Japanese daily life culture, old and new. Photos of scenes and objects representing or similar to traditional culture ... as well as new, modern culture. Includes the rare ichigenkin musical instrument, traditional games, home interiors, traditional hotel interiors, traditional foods, etc. Watch my video of an ichigenkin (WMV format).

General Culture: Anime

I did not focus on anime, but you really can't escape it, especially not in Akiba (Akihabara). Check out the HUGE Gundam plastic model selection at an Akiba store... "Gunpla" (Gundam Plastic Models) ... and the huge Re-ment display!

General Culture: Ubiquitous English

Find the English in each photo! English is EVERYWHERE nowadays. Sometimes I thought I was still in California. But it's often spelled wrong. My uncle quipped that he was amazed when he visited the US, because all the English was spelled right ("Ah ha, I must not be in Japan; all the English is spelled correctly!").

The Japanese Love Affair with Plants

The Japanese REALLY love plants. I hadn't noticed til this time around, and then I started noticing them everywhere even in downtown Tokyo, on cramped window rails, in empty lots, in front of stores, alongside the street. The garden centers have tiny plants of a size you don't normally find very often in the US.

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