Tokyo Part 2

We returned to Tokyo to spend five more days there before flying back to Seattle. We visited many places and spent sometime simply wandering around around the city. The photos below show some of the sights and sounds (well, no sound, you have to imagine it) of modern Japan. It was a great trip, despite the 90-degrees temperatures and 90% humidity. We learned a lot about Japan, and also managed to survive as a family even after 21 days of constant interaction.

During our visit, there were two magnitude 6.9 earthquakes in northern Japan (not uncommon for Japan). One of the quakes caused about 120 injuries - we even saw the headline on CNN at one of the few hotels with English channels. The other quake resulted in a tsunami warning. Fortunately, we were too far south to be affected. Two typhoons developed in the time we were in Japan, but both of them went south to Taiwan, so we were very lucky this trip as far as natural disasters are concerned.

Please check at a later date to read our thoughts on Japan and the war, and to see our photo albums and other miscellaneous items (currently under construction).

Left: Light car traffic in Tokyo on a weekday afternoon.
Right: Instead, people flock to the train station.

Left: The busy main street of Harajuku, a teenager hangout in Tokyo.
Right: Shinjuku at night.

Left: A crowded designated smoking area on the streets of Tokyo.
Right: Marked paths to help blind people find their way. These yellow strips are all over the streets and rail stations.

Left: Hundreds of wholesale stores in the Tsukiji Fish Market.
Right: Want octopus or squid for dinner?

Left: Woman with long pants and gloves to protect her skin from the sun. Meanwhile, Americans are going to tanning salons!
Right: A cutesy mascot (a common sight in Japan) on an ad for a credit card.

Left: Inside the Toei Animation Studio.
Right: Outside the National Sumo Museum.

Left: Curved glass façade of the National Art Gallery.
Right: The ship-shaped ceiling of the Tokyo International Forum, an exhibition hall.

Something you wouldn't see in the U.S.: a Statistics Museum, inside the Tokyo Tower.
Left: Bar chart showing very few births in 1964 (the same year that the economic growth rate dropped sharply).
Right: A comparison of the percentage of elderly people (over 65) in the populations of developed countries. The red line representing Japan shows a rapid increase in recent years due to low birth rates.

Left: Hundreds of Bosatsu statues wearing red bibs and caps like babies. Parents who have lost their children take care of these statues.
Right: The controversial Yasukuni Shrine for Japan's war dead. More on this in "Japan and the War."