Japan Day 3
The Cherry Blossom Festivals
This was the main reason we came here at this time of year. Stand-by travel over spring break, especially out of Florida, can be a challenge. But it worked out.
They had a weird weather winter and spring. Normally, the trees would all have been in full bloom this time of year but they were actually at the beginning of the bloom. It looked pretty full to me but this was my first time. And it's not like we were going to come back in a week or two.
They take their Cherry Blossom Festivals pretty seriously over there. They stake out the best spots, under the trees, sometimes leaving someone there to claim the spot the night before. We saw people sleeping in sleeping bags, holding the prime spot, just to eat a lunch (in another couple of hours) under a certain tree. Like I said, they take it very seriously.
We got there a little early. Because, you guessed it, we woke up early. Actually, we slept in till 4 am this day. That "time zone" thing was a real bear.
The lanterns along the path are lit at night. If we had any energy in the evenings, we would have come back to see it. Like that's going to happen. We could hardly stay awake past 6 or 7 pm.
The trees were beautiful, though.
The obligatory self shot in front of the cherry trees.
By the food vendors. I'd like to say I'd only eat the crap here on a dare but Jen didn't dare me and we ate there anyway. No Pain, No Gain.
This guy was pouring water into dirt. Then he mixed it up to make oriental mud. We didn't eat here.
The Japanese consider it very rude to eat standing up so every stall had a place for you to sit down and eat at. With chop sticks. I couldn't find a spork to save my life.
Huge grilled Squid. Nope, we didn't eat here, either.
I thought this was a really nice shrine till I got closer and realized it had only one floor. The rest is a huge hanging poster hung on a building. Not sure what the deal was and there was no way I could communicate with anyone there to find out. Some mysteries will be with me to the grave.
A Sumo wresting pavilion.
This is an eternal flame to commemorate the the victims of Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the hands of the evil round eye pigs from the west.
These people put fish on everything. Even this guy, after frying up the noodles and vegetables into a very good looking meal, spread the red and yellow stuff you see on the left of the pic all over the food. It turns out that is dried krill (you may know it better as "Sea Monkeys". You know, the stuff you buy from an ad in the back of a comic book). He just had to ruin it.
An automated "doughnut shaped like a bear" machine.
To the left of Jen is one of the poor shlubs that had to wait all night to scope out a good spot under the tree. I guess customs are a bit different over there.
Looking down on the food strip mall stands.
But the sights were beautiful.
The book in my pocket was invaluable to the trip. It was a tourist book of "Walking Tours" in Tokyo. It also was instrumental in identifying us as tourists, and as such, in need of help and scorn. That's not really true. The people there were amazingly friendly and helpful. The next time I see a Japanese tourist that looks lost or in need of help, I'm going to to out of my way to help them.
People just out enjoying the trees.
More trees.
Yep, Jen had the camera again.
"Jen, please put the camera down. Your going to wear it out."
"Is the low battery light on yet". Unfortunately, not.
"Jen!!!"
"Enough already. Oh wait. What a pretty swan. And no, I don't want to rent one."
"Jen, enough".
I actually took this one. I thought the Cherry Tree with the Willow was pretty.
This is what I bought. A really tasty gyro. Man, it was good. Or at least the two bites of it that I got. Jen finished it because she bought the thing below.
This is what she wanted. It turns out she thought it tasted like crap so I ended up eating it (and for the record, it did taste like crap) while she ate my really tasty gyro.
She didn't learn with the first thing she got. She also had to have one of these Japanese pizzas (without any pizza ingredients). Yep, it tasted like crap. What a surprise.
But the flowers were nice. Couldn't eat them, though.
Japanese Hobo Street People. The one constant in the world.
The park entrance.
I was going to get a Samurai sword but I don't think they would have let us on the plane with it.
This was in the Anime district of Tokyo. They take their comic book cartoons about as seriously as they take their Shrines. This is supposed to be the biggest Anime store in the world. We only made it up to the eighth floor before I started to whine "Can we go now? Can we please go now?" Now she knows how it feels.
Serious Cartoons.
Yes, a whole district of the city (or at least a couple of blocks) devoted to Manga.
Our hotel room.
Our last dinner in Japan.
Our last breakfast in Japan.
They put catsup on their McMuffins. I wouldn't have thought of doing that.
For the 12 hour flight home, we ended up in Business Class. At least it wasn't cattle class, in the back.