Slideshow – Maps – Picture Albums – Summary
Slideshow of the main attractions
Slideshow of 76 pictures of my trip:
Picasaweb Album
Maps of the main attractions
Complete Picture Albums
Here are my picture albums from Japan in 2008. Each picture had descriptions to understand what is shown.
The first three are about the cities I visited.
The fourth contains pictures of objects I brought back from my trip.
The last one contains pictures of Pompom, our trip mascot !!!
Here is the Pompom story:
We were climbing (you must always climb to visit places in Kyoto) to the Kiyomizu-dera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera
The road is packed of souvenir shops,
and a small kid points to a small statue saying: “Pom Pom ! Pom Pom !”
His mother tells him something like “Yes yes”
And the kid continues “Pom Pom ! Pom Pom !”
This scene made me laugh, and discover these statues.I learned yesterday that they were in fact a Tanuki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanuki
The kid must have called it Pom Pom because of the Pom Poko film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pom_PokoThere were plenty in many places we went:
I must have taken “only” a third of them…
Don’t hesitate to ask questions about the pictures.
Summary
Here is the summary of the things I did in Japan 2008 (Kyoto, Osaka et Nara) trip:
Note: the [] shows that I didn’t saw the inside
- Monday may 12: Lost my brand new cap, Plane with a student group, a little bit of sleep in the plane.
- Tuesday may 13: Landing at Osaka airport, help an australian tourist without preparation in the train to Osaka, surprise: nobody speaks english in the Osaka station ! Meeting with Secosse, meal and quick look at the underground city.
- Wednesday may 14: Purchase a new hat, Osaka Castle, Namba and Dotonbori district (pachinko, ramen and Taiko no Tatsujin drum game!)
- Thursday may 15: Train to Kyoto, Kyoto subway and find the Rohji apartment (a big thank you to the people who have helped us, because the houses have no addresses). Meeting Akiko and Mr Shibata. Walk Furukawacho shopping arcade and along the Takasegawa canal. Voyageurs au Japon – Rohji Appartment
- Friday may 16: Heian Shrine and its garden, Shoren-in Temple, Chion-in Temple, Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Gion district (the Geishas
), Tatsumi sanctuary and the Sanjo shopping arcade. - Saturday may 17: Wake up by a japanese Jehovah Witness, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ryozen Kannon Temple, Kodai-ji Temple, walk in Gion district and meeting false Geishas, Pontocho Kaburenjo Geisha show and meeting a real Geisha, visit the Takashimaya department store.
- Sunday may 18: Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kyoto National Museum (free for this day only!), Tofuku-ji Temple and its garden and bridges, followed by a city tour in a municipal bus (a very bad idea
). - Monday may 19: Moving, find the Demachi apartment, meeting Yoko, exploration of the area followed by cloth washing and television (due to rain). Voyageurs au Japon – Demachi Appartment
- Tuesday may 20: Charm # 1 of the Demachi apartment: awakening with japanese drums from 8 to 8:30 am by the monks of the neighbour temple, International manga museum of Kyoto, [Kyoto town hall], Kyoto station, [Kyoto Tower], Kyoto Tezuka shop (Astroboy !!!).
- Wednesday may 21: Charm # 2 of the Demachi apartment: Peeping old lady looking in our window at our shower , Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion Temple), Ryoan-ji Temple (Dragon rest’s Temple), Zuiho-in garden of the Daitoku-ji Temple, Teramachi shopping arcade and walk on the Pontocho, empty bar on the Pontocho not knowing what a rum and coke is and preferring to watch baseball instead of serving us drinks, TV show in french: language course, using the transport as example and repeating that trains in France are always on strike!
- Thursday may 22: Day in the Kyoto Arashiyama district: ride the “romantic train” along the Hozu-gawa river, Togetsukyo Bridge (Bridge which crosses the moon) and bamboo forest appearing in several films, including Memoirs of a Geisha.
- Friday may 23: Buying stamps and sending postcards (tougher assignment that is seems !
), Hakusasonso garden, Ginkaku-ji Temple (Silver Pavilion Temple), walk on the Tetsugaku no Michi (Philosopher’s Walk), Otoyo-jinja Shrine, Kumano Nyakuoji Jinja Shrine, [Nanzen-ji Temple] (inside will be done on may 28), Teramachi shopping arcade and visit the Hankyu department store. - Saturday may 24: Rainy day, cloth washing, visit the Daimaru department store (with its huge grocery store in the basement), Nishiki street market shopping arcade (Nishiki Ichiba), Teramachi shopping arcade and TV drama Gokusen ( very funny, a teacher that is the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss).
- Sunday may 25: 1st day solo, rest to recover in anticipation of Nara’s visit tomorrow, c coquet internet cafe (not French at all). Secosse went to the Ayumi Hamasaki concert (called the Empress of J-Pop) in Osaka.
- Monday may 26: Nara Day: Train from Kyoto to Nara, meeting with Sika deers (there are 1,200 walking freely in Nara), Kofuku-ji Temple (and its 5-storey pagoda), Nara park, Todai-ji Temple: Nandaimon door (Great South door) and Daibutsuden (the largest wooden building in the world), Shoso-in (attic were was stored over 3000 objects of the Emperor), Nigatsu-do Hall temple (and his long staircase!), Tamuke-yama Sanctuary, Kasuga Taisha Shrine (and signing autographs for the homeworks of young Japanese students), shopping arcade near Nara station and return by train to Kyoto (at the same time as the japanese adolescents students classes).
- Tuesday may 27: 2nd day solo, Fushimi Inari Shrine (only the first third, the mountain is covered with Torii! ), meeting a 6 year old girl using a mobile phone on the bus and Kamigamo Shrine.
- Wednesday may 28: Nanzen-ji Temple (inside and gardens), Ten Juan garden, helping 2 American women, Nijo-jo castle, Teramachi shopping arcade (DVD backup of our photos, models and game arcades) and restaurant at the top of Hankyu department store.
- Thursday may 29: Rainy day, preparation of our baggages, arcade day ended with our last dessert at the restaurant serving huge sundaes on Kawaramachi.
- Friday 30 may: Leaving out the Demachi apartment to Osaka (met a different travel angel), visit the Udema Sky Building (and the Aloha Summer Festival show) and last meal together in Japan.
- Saturday may 31: Train from Osaka to the airport, first flight in first class! (thank you to the group of Japanese students), 2nd flight in economy class with aeration down (big headache).