Japan Trip March 2008 Photos


ALL photos copyright 2008 Eri Izawa. All rights reserved.

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).

IMG_0724-Toride-homes IMG_0741-Toride-homes-plants IMG_0742-Toride-homes-plants IMG_0745-Toride-homes-plants IMG_0750-Toride-homes-cars IMG_0778-Toride-shop-size IMG_0822-Toride-homes IMG_0851-Mito-homes IMG_0858-Mito-homes IMG_0876-Mito-homes IMG_0950-Toride-homes-food IMG_0963-Toride-homes-food
IMG_0967-Toride-homes-plants IMG_1012-Toride-streets IMG_1020-Toride-homes-food IMG_1029-Toride-homes-food IMG_1030-Toride-homes-rement IMG_1050-Japan-reststop-toilets IMG_1221-Nagano-photo-memories-yesteryear IMG_1226-Nagano-photo-memories-yesteryear IMG_1244-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-homes IMG_1245-Nagano-hotel-homes IMG_1246-Nagano-hotel-homes IMG_1254-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-homes
IMG_1259-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-clothing IMG_1305-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-homes IMG_1361-Nagano-Shibu-ichigenkin-music IMG_1365-Nagano-Shibu-ichigenkin-music IMG_1400-Nagano-Shibu-ichigenkin-music IMG_1494-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-yesteryear IMG_1495-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-yesteryear IMG_1519-Nagano-Shibu-homes-hotel IMG_1520-Nagano-Shibu-homes-hotel-yesteryear IMG_1522-Nagano-Shibu-hotel-food IMG_1590-Nagano-Shibu-hotel IMG_1599-Nagano-Shibu-yesteryear
IMG_1601-Nagano-Shibu-yesteryear IMG_1618-Nagano-Shibu-yesteryear IMG_1621-Nagano-Shibu-yesteryear IMG_1628-Nagano-Shibu-olde IMG_1635-Nagano-hina-transport IMG_1701-Tokyo-homes-food-tea IMG_1756-Tokyo-Akihabara-streets-historic-music IMG_2217-Nara-New-Wakasa-Hotel IMG_2218-Nara-New-Wakasa-Hotel IMG_2219-Nara-New-Wakasa-Hotel IMG_2223-Nara-New-Wakasa-Hotel-food IMG_2386-Nara-New-Wakasa-hotel-food
IMG_2392-Nara-New-Wakasa-toilet IMG_2393-Nara-New-Wakasa-hotel IMG_2630-Nara-Kasuga-Taisha-garden IMG_2688-Nara-hotel-toilet IMG_2740-Kyoto-Tenryuuji IMG_2974-Tokyo-bookstore-old IMG_2975-Tokyo-bookstore-new IMG_3113-Tokyo-Tsukiji-shops-food IMG_3166-Tokyo-shops-ancient-streets IMG_3296-Tokyo-homes-food IMG_3329-Tokyo-homes-food


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!

IMG_0968-Toride-streets-cute IMG_1004-Toride-shops-hanbaiki IMG_1630-Nagano-Shibu-comics IMG_1736-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_1737-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_1739-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_1740-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_1741-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_1743-Tokyo-Akihabara-gundam-shops IMG_2975-Tokyo-bookstore-new IMG_3037-Tokyo-Akihabara IMG_3038-Tokyo-Akihabara IMG_3039-Tokyo-Akihabara


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!").

IMG_0754-Toride-english IMG_0766-Toride-plants-shop IMG_0773-Toride-shop IMG_0784-Toride-shop-english IMG_0804-Toride-english IMG_0812-Toride-train-tech-english IMG_0836-Mito-streets-english IMG_0978-Toride-streets-english IMG_1007-Toride-shops-unix IMG_1103-Japan-nature IMG_1182-Japan-reststop-food-shops IMG_1189-Japan-reststop-english
IMG_1191-Nagano-english-Shibu-hotel IMG_1670-Japan-shops-train-food IMG_1722-Tokyo-Akihabara-tech-shops IMG_1744-Tokyo-Akihabara-shops IMG_1756-Tokyo-Akihabara-streets-historic-music IMG_1778-Tokyo-pachinko IMG_1795-Tokyo-hanbaiki IMG_1811-Tokyo-streets-construction IMG_1812-Tokyo-streets-map IMG_1814-Tokyo-streets IMG_1829-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-eek IMG_1926-Tokyo-food-shops-transport
IMG_2117-Nara-Houryuuji IMG_2442-Nara-Shoso IMG_2539-Nara-Todaiji-vicinity-deer IMG_2638-Nara-Kasuga-Taisha IMG_2646-Nara-Koufukuji IMG_2690-Kyoto-hotel IMG_2772-Kyoto-Daisenin IMG_2798-Kyoto-Gosho IMG_2962-Tokyo-traditional-streets-plants IMG_2963-Tokyo-streets IMG_2975-Tokyo-bookstore-new IMG_2978-Tokyo-SalvationArmy
IMG_2979-Tokyo-grocerystore-crew IMG_2993-Tokyo-streets-pachinko IMG_3035-Tokyo-Akihabara-streets IMG_3039-Tokyo-Akihabara IMG_3045-Tokyo-Akihabara-streets IMG_3046-Tokyo-Akihabara-streets-tech IMG_3161-Tokyo-Tsukiji-vicinity-McD IMG_3165-Tokyo-Tsukiji-vicinity-transport-trains IMG_3183-Tokyo-Shinjuku IMG_3228-Tokyo-Shinjuku


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.

IMG_0741-Toride-homes-plants IMG_0742-Toride-homes-plants IMG_0766-Toride-plants-shop IMG_0768-Toride-plants-shop IMG_0892-Mito-hotel-garden-plants IMG_0967-Toride-homes-plants IMG_1034-Toride-tv-flowers IMG_1137-Japan-plants IMG_1448-Nagano-Shibu-streets-plants IMG_1483-Nagano-Shibu-streets-plants IMG_1487-Nagano-Shibu-streets-plants IMG_1825-Tokyo-streets-color-construction-plants
IMG_1844-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_1845-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_1849-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_1850-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_1852-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_1853-Tokyo-Mitsukoshi-shops-plants IMG_2930-Kyoto-eki-transport-trains-flowers IMG_2962-Tokyo-traditional-streets-plants IMG_2986-Tokyo-streets-plants IMG_2992-Tokyo-streets-night-plants IMG_3005-Tokyo-streets-night-plants IMG_3052-Tokyo-plants
IMG_3067-Tokyo-streets-color-plants IMG_3106-Tokyo-Tsukiji-shops-food-hanbaiki-plants IMG_3207-Tokyo-Shinjuku-plants IMG_3343-Tokyo-streets-plants


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Copyright 2008 Eri Izawa. You may contact me at rei [at] alum[dot]mit[dot]edu for use of these.