Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Mount Fuji

The bullet train route from Tokyo to Kyoto, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, carries more than 150 million passengers each year. The trains are on time (average 6 seconds off schedule) and fast – 300 km/hour (180+mph). The cars are air sealed and quiet. The train goes through mountains instead of around or over. We saw lots of buildings and little farm land. Farms we did see were growing tea. The best sight we saw was snow capped Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is a volcano that is often used as a symbol of Japan. It last erupted in the early 18^th century and is located at the junction of three plates (plate tectonics). It is over 12,300 foot elevation and is snow clad some of the year. The challenge – can a Lumix Panasonic camera capture Mount Fuji through the window of a train traveling 180 mph? The answer is: yes you can take a decent picture. Can you take a picture of a bullet train moving in the opposite direction at the same speed? No, you just photograph a blur.

Phoenix crowning the Golden Pavilion

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................The Phoenix is the mythical bird of immortality. Every five hundred to one thousand years or so, the Phoenix builds his nest,and it ignites burning the bird down to ashes. Then the Phoenix rises from his own ashes. The Phoenix is part of Chinese, Egyptian, and Greek mythology. It is also part of Harry Potter mythology.

Kinkaku-ji - Temple of the Golden Pavilion

Matsui-san told us there were 1600 shrines and temples in Kyoto. He took us to Kinkaku-ji first and it is definitely the most beautiful. The Shogun had this pavilion built on his retirement estate in 1397. His house was up the hill and he could observe the structure and pond from above. His son converted the pavilion into a Zen temple housing Buddha's ashes. The top two stories are pure 24 karat gold leaf - you could not see the first story from above due to trees - and the structure is crowned with a gold phoenix which is of course believed to rise from its own ashes. The island with two trees is in the shape of Japan. Many other islands and stones depict the creation of Buddha. This structure was rebuilt after it was burned down by an insane monk in the 1950s. The lack of wind made the reflection picture possible. We were told that this weather condition is rare. 1599 temples to go!

Jerry-san

At a shrine with Ume or plums in bloom.
In front of the bullet train with Andy-san.
Jerry-san with woman in full kimono.

Big Tuna

............................................................................................................Tuna from all over...Peru, Sydney, Tahiti to name a few.

Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace is among the few green spaces in Tokyo. It is about 7.5 square kilometers and it is across the street from the Mitsui building. The Emperor lives on the grounds. Andy and I saw a procession of horses and a fancy carriage returning royalty from downtown to the palace while we were stopped in a cab waiting for them to cross.

Eel for Lunch

When I saw these eel swimming 6 AM Monday morning at the fish market, I never thought I would be eating them for lunch on Wednesday before boarding the flight for Houston. Our hosts ordered them without asking us at a department store Chinese Restaurant. Eel on fried rice is actually pretty good. Try it!