A Troy in Tokyo

Hello all! This one will be the post that wraps up the Golden Week  series, this time with a collection of the little bits and pieces Claire and I got up to on the less adventurous (but no less fun) day trips. First up is the Wally Exhibition in Ginza - for those of you who don't know, I dressed up as Wally (or Waldo if you're wrong  from the United States) for Halloween, and am in the process of collecting a series of Where's Wally in Japan photos. So needless to say I had to go to this exhibition - for which Claire had very kindly sourced tickets (she's a star) - and furthermore I had to go as Wally. So along I went to Ginza with my red and white striped shirt, glasses and hat, and we made our way through the entire history of Wally, from inception to the present. A Japanese style screen done that's been Wally-fied The walls were full of illustrations from the various books, where we spent a serious amount of time hunting down Wally; some being far eas...

Hello again! This will be the penultimate GW episode, with a hodgepodge wrap-up coming! For the last day of GW, Claire and I chose to go to Kamakura. I had just recently been to Kamakura for the Yabusame horseback archery  (check that out!), but I didn't have any opportunity to take a look around the impressive shrine complex or surrounding area that day. I had also been during my 2011/12 AFS exchange to Japan  (check out that old blog here), but I was eager to go back with more experienced eyes (and a better camera). Indeed the last time I had been there (Yabusame notwithstanding) was with Claire as well, so it was hugely appropriate that we went there together. The Troy we know and "love"... ...used to be this Troy we knew and actually loved! Kamakura was once the de facto capital of Japan, being the most populous settlement, during the Kamakura Period (1200-1300AD). It is famous for its own Daibutsu (Giant Buddha), but unlike the one Claire and I visited...

Hello friendos! It is starting to really heat up in Tokyo now, looking at high twenties (celcius) from now on; today's high was 29 - a harbinger of the summer to come perhaps! I have another episode in the Golden Week series for you, this time in Saitama Prefecture with the area known for its Edo Period (1603-1868) architecture. It has streets and streets of quintessentially Japanese buildings, and as it was GW, there were many people out and about, with plenty of market stalls and performances going on as well. These windows are an airtight design designed to protect the inside contents from fires outside Tiling must have been quite a skilled profession back in the day A dancing dragon (though I was told it was a lion)  Looks more dragon-y to me Also saw a statue of an emancipated Buddha (and with hair!) Kawagoe has plenty to see and do, with the first thing being to see the Toki no Kane (Bell of Time). This is a symbol of Kawagoe, an...