So, we left for Japan. These are all the things they took from us before we could board. Actually, it was a rather helpful display of what you could bring and how to pack what you can bring. Our favorite is the "one squeeze of toothpaste left in a regular toothpaste container is not appropriate."
The yellow bumps in the ground help blind people know where they are. You see these all over Japan in public places.
First things first, we went to Akihabara the electronics town in Tokyo where Matt has drempt of coming for the last 3 years. All the cool cats call Akihabara, "Akiba."
In Akiba we went to two robot stores; Matt bought some robot parts. We also saw some really cool, but expensive, "Bio Metal" which contracts when electricity runs through it. On the way to Akiba Matt saw someone with a HUD attached to her glasses. It superimposes infromation over what you are seeing. Arcades are really big in Japan. This is a game where you can play a taiko drum with a friend.
That night we met up with Nile's friends in Tokyo. We had nabe which is a soup-like dish that is cooked in a pot on the table. Pictured are Renna, Nile, Matt, Yuske, Yoshito, and his fiancee, Miho.
The dish is eaten with a raw egg (they are safe here in Japan). Yoshito's fiancee got an egg without a yolk. I've never seen that before. She got a new bowl and another egg. Yoshito and his fiancee are getting married next year.
After dinner we took a picture of Yoshito in his crazy formal business outfit.
The next day we went to a fun store called Tokyo Hands. They sell everything from craft and art supplies to clothing. These are hanko stamps that people use for "signing" their art work. Matt bought some things for his origami hobby.
Next we went to Shinjukugyoen, the old imperial garden. The greenhouse is the tallest we have ever been to. There was an orchid show going on.
Being a show, there were award winners too.
This is one of our favorites. There was a little magnifying glass to look at it with. This picture is taken through the magnifying glass.
The inside of the greenhouse is an expanse of green
This cycad is pregnant. The pod you can see between the leaves is a fertilized fruit.
There was also a beautiful reflecting pond. The lilly here is closed because it is day time. In the background you can see a couple of buds, and next to the flower is a leaf unfurling. The lotus flowers stay open for several days.
Matt liked the towers in the distance with a collection of microwave dishes pointing out.
Our time in Tokyo was up, so we took the train to the airport. We rode the train a lot. You can't get anywhere in Tokyo without riding the subway. This is Tokyo station. Matt thought it was odd that in such a huge city they chose one of the hundreds of stations to call Tokyo.
At the airport the recycling bin was labeled this way. The katakana for "Pet Bottles" is a transliteration of just that. In Japanese, it means plastic bottles, but neither of us know why it is called that way.
It was thanksgiving night when we arrived in Fukuoka. Takashi made us a fabulous dinner. His seouf cheff has started working with him and helped make the dinner. Yoshie was there too, but the picture didn't come out well.
We had a really nice dish with freshly grated wasabi and some Japanese greens on it. Fresh wasabi is very special, even here in Japan. We also had some smoked octopus. The main course was duck and pork. Both were cooked to perfection.
Happy Thanksgiving!
