I recently returned from the land of Godzilla (a business trip to Japan). A Japanese dinosaur museum was setting up a special exhibit and borrowed numerous fossils from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. I was sent along for technical support and fossil specimen handling. So I worked during the day in the museum and in the evenings our Japanese hosts took us out to different restaurants to try out the food. I really enjoyed the variety of Japanese cuisine along with their great culture. It was an awesome vacation… I mean business trip (Good thing Laura did not catch that slip).
One of the hotels I stayed in had a public bath available to men. I stayed at the hotel for a few nights and towards the end I decided to give it a whirl. It was a very educational experience. I took pictures at a different time when no one was there. I did not want to get beat up and it would have been a bit weird to ask one of the guys there to take a picture for me. You place your clothes in one of the baskets along the wall and then you enter the bath room and you sit on a little stool, wash (left) and then enter the water and soak (right). The third picture is of a typical bicycle parking lot. So many people ride bikes that there are large parking lots dedicated to only bicycles and very few people lock their bikes.
One morning while I was sightseeing in Fukui I came across this accident. Two small cars collided with each other at an intersection and a fire engine and crew were there. No one was hurt. The last picture is of Amy and I at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. We sat on barstools while all kinds of sushi and other eatables moved along the conveyor belt at eye level. We would choose what we wanted and place it in front of us. At the end you counted up the number of plates you ate and paid. Our host had been here before but had never seen a waffle on the line before so I tried it out.
This was an awesome temple complex that we visited. The setting was up at the base of the mountains where the largest cedar trees I have ever seen make up a grove around the various structures. It is here where monks are trained so no pictures of them were allowed and we were required to remove our shoes and talk in whispers. The gardens and architecture made for an incredible experience. I even got to ring the bell.
Here is one quarry where dinosaurs are collected in Japan. This is literally a quarry where rock is removed with jackhammers and heavy equipment. The Japanese love dinosaurs and nothing stops them from collecting. Also, on one of our sightseeing trips we came across a rickshaw and I had to get a picture with the guide and cart. Pizza delivery anyone. This cracked me up.
Who said one child bike seat was ever enough. The last two images are of another temple sight way up in the mountains above Kyoto. You can see a fountain where people are pouring the holy water over there hands and into the pool. Also, a great view of the city can be seen along with part of the Temple.
Japanese women in traditional dress pose along one of many souvenir streets. Finally, I managed to take this shot of the city of Osaka during takeoff on my way back to the United States.
