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Flying to LA
I am flying back to Los Angeles, today.
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Toru and Miyako Odori
I attended two very different performances, on Saturday. The first was a traditional Noh play called Toru, and the second was the Geisha dance called Miyako Odori. Unfortunately, there was some overlap in the performances. The Noh started at 1:30, and went to 5:00, and the Miyako Odori started at 4:50, but you should arrive…
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Sakura Ice Cream
That’s right: Cherry blossom ice cream! It doesn’t taste like cherry. It tastes like a flower smells! The photo above is self-explanatory. Daihatsu Roadster I’ve seen a few of these around. It’s another interesting car from Daihatsu. Mini Craze There are a lot of restored old “real” minis around. Japan’s vehicle inspections are very tough.…
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Makin’ Mochi
Here are some guys making mochi the old-fashioned way, in Nara. They pound glutinous rice into a paste, and then form a ball with some sweet red beans inside. It is coated with some rice flour so you can hold it. Otherwise, it is very sticky. Unfortunately, in the photo, the finished product is out…
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One Week To Go
After six months of travel, I am still smiling and happy. Here I am at Horyuchi Temple, which is in the outskirts of Nara. This temple has the oldest wooden building in the world. It is 1300 years old. Most of the other wooden temples have been destroyed by fire, earthquake, or neglect, so it…
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Retro Daihatsu
I mentioned a very retro 60’s style Daihatsu car a few posts earlier. I managed to snap a photo of one today, as it was pulling out of a parking lot. I think it looks a lot like some small British cars from the 60’s. The Japanese automakers were probably copying the style of these…
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Kyoto and Nara
I’ve spent two days exploring Kyoto, and today I had a free tour of some sights in Nara with a student guide. The cherry blossoms seem to be peaking now, in both cities. I can’t imagine they will get any more profuse! I’ve taken many photos of cherry blossoms, temples, and cherry blossoms with temples.…
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Sugoku Kawai!
This is the car I rented for four days, to visit Kirishima National Park. It is a Nissan March. It is sugoku kawai! (extremely/exceptionally/unbelievably cute.) Kawai rhymes with Hawai’i. I think I ended up with this car because, at the rental company, the girl at the counter could point outside at the only blue car…
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Moving On
I ride the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo to Kagoshima, tomorrow. Actually, it is four trains. The distance is half the length of Japan! I revisited Ginza, Shinjuku, and Shibuya today. One word of advice: if you are a compulsive clothes shopper, do not go to Tokyo! You will quickly become broke, for two reasons:…
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Tokyo is Great!
Out of all of the cities I’ve visited on this trip, Tokyo is by far the best. Tokyo is the city that Shanghai wants to be. It has a long way to go. The big difference is: Tokyo pays attention to the details, and it keeps working at them until they are 100% correct. 99%…
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Michael Chmilar's Travels 