Fourth day in Japan

 

The Kamakura Daibutsu 

The start of Komachi Street 小町通り in Kamakura 鎌倉, lined with restaurants, shops and tourists:

Dankazura 段葛, the raised pathway leading to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū 鶴岡八幡宮:

In spring the walkway would be drowning in the pink and white from the cherry trees lining the path:

Stopping for a chocolate break before reaching the shrine:

The view looking over the Taiko Bridge 太鼓橋:

Posing in front of the dance stage 舞殿:

Peering up at the main hall 本殿 from the Grand Stairway 打石段:

Ravenous carp (and ducks, and pigeons):

"I drink, therefore I am" - J. Boyd:

Soba noodles 蕎麦 and tempura 天ぷら at Kamakura Yamaji かまくら山路 on Komachi-dōri:

Kamakura's most famous sight - the Great Buddha of Kamakura 鎌倉大仏 at Kōtoku-in 高徳院 (unnecessary photo filter courtesy of my daughter):

For a mere ¥50 you can have a peek inside the venerable structure:

Waraji straw sandals 草鞋, built to scale for the Daibutsu:

Back on the streets of Kamakura, and snacking on dango 団子:

I had a custard treat in the shape of the Buddha, meaning that when I tore his head off with my teeth, I condemned myself to an eternity of suffering in one of the Buddhist hells:

The Enoden 江ノ電 train pulling into Hase Station 長谷駅:

The rickety train took us through backyards and along the Sagami Bay 相模湾 to Enoshima Island 江ノ島. The rainy season finally caught up with us as we made our way from the station and across the Enoshima Benten Bridge 江ノ島弁天橋 to the Zuishinmon 瑞心門, the entrance to Enoshima-jinja 江島神社:

Amber, who can't stop talking about her cat Timi waiting for her back in Beijing 北京, made a friend while walking back to the mainland:

It was a long train ride from Enoshima back across the Kantō region 関東地方 to Odaiba お台場. The purpose of the trek was to see the artificial island's large statue of Gundam 実物大ユニコーンガンダム立像, even though Amber professes not to be a particular fan of the series:

Every evening between 1900 and 2100 hours there's a five minute-long light show involving the statue. We had dinner at a Hawaiian restaurant while watching the performance from above:

Meal over, it was our turn to stand in the drizzle and see for ourselves the modern draws of Tōkyō 東京:

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Japan's capital before we move on...

Third day in Japan

Kanda Myojin Shrine

The day began with a モーニングセット breakfast at a café ten minutes on foot from our accommodation: 

Catching a train in action crossing the Sōbu Main Line Kandagawa Bridge 総武本線神田川橋梁:

The main gate to Kanda Myōjin 神田明神:

A statue of Daikokuten 大黒天, one of the two main kami 神 worshipped at the shrine (the other being Ebisu えびす):

Amber stands in front of the main shrine building:

The main hall at Yushima Seidō 湯島聖堂, a 17th-century Confucian temple:

The temple attracts students praying for success in their examinations. My daughter thought it couldn't hurt to beseech the great Chinese scholar:

Back into the streets of modern-day Akihabara 秋葉原:

Super Potato Akihabara スーパーポテト秋葉原店, a shrine to retro video games:

On the fifth floor Amber tried her hand at Bomber Man...:

…while your humble scribe wallowed in the memories brought on by this air hockey version of Pong:

The fourth and third floors are devoted to selling old video games and consoles. Nostalgia is a lucrative business these days in Japan:

From Akihabara it was on to Ikebukuro 池袋 and a meet up with Aviva, an old friend from my teaching days in Tōkyō 東京. We caught up on old times at a small Italian bistro where I had the pork stew and rice:

After our goodbyes at the train station, Amber and I walked the streets of Ikebukuro toward the Sunshine City サンシャインシティ business park:

Tokyo being such a dynamic city, change should not come as a surprise. But having lived in Ikebukuro around 25 years ago, I wasn't prepared for the transformation Sunshine City has undergone, from its fashionable shopping center on the lower floors to the reimagined aquarium in its upper reaches (photos courtesy of my daughter):

Our day concluded at the Gotanda 五反田 branch of Devil Craft デビルクラフト, where much pizza and craft beer were consumed (the latter by the adults) as I caught up with Wes, another friend from those halcyon days of yore:

Amber deserves a medal for having to listen to her father prattle on about the "good old boys" with all the great people he's reconnected with so far on this trip. Looks like I'll have to raise her allowance as a reward when all this is over.