Before the Quake

I have avoided writing about Japan, and am going to continue to avoid going into too much detail about what is currently happening there.  It is too emotional of a time, so I am not comfortable posting how I feel about it. There are absolutely no facts or photos that I can present that we aren’t being constantly exposed to by the media. With the casualty count still rising, daily life completely interrupted, a looming nuclear disaster, and an imminent economic meltdown, I wonder how long of a recovery period will be required. Japan is a strong country, and the people are steadfast and patriotic. After Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island incident, there were reports of an increase in depression and anxiety by the people affected by it. That report doesn’t surprise me, and I am morosely curious to see the after effect of a disaster of this magnitude, which includes not only a nuclear accident but one of the largest earthquakes ever.

Cool mall-cannot recall which part of Tokyo

I would like to post a few pictures of my trip to Japan in 2008. They display a happy country, advanced, seemingly infallible infrastructure, and a state that we can all hope the entire country will soon return to. I have not travelled to any of the places ravaged by the earthquake or tsunami. The closest I got was Tokyo, and it is an amazing city.  Reasonably, I can’t get Japan off my mind lately and would like to share a few of my experiences from when I was there.








Even the drains are cool and fancy!



Big building in Roppongi

This is the top of that big building, viewing Tokyo Tower.









Inside an electronics store. This is the camera floor. Chaos!



Creepy panda





Shibuya



As you can see, there is a lot of hustle and bustle in the city of Tokyo!

Inside Absolut Icebar, Tokyo





Example of the infastructure. Huge bridge (near Osaka, if I remember correctly)



Of course, I had to visit a few shrines.



Write your prayer on paper, and drop it in the box. I am non-spiritual, but I still wished for a safe trip, and if i was there now, I would wish for a miracle in Japan.





Garden inside the Meiji Shrine





The current disaster is rated as the 2nd worst incident in Japan since World War II. When I was there, I visited Hiroshima. It was an important part of my trip, although one of the most depressing.



This flame will burn until there is peace on Earth.



Wax figures. Artists rendition of people suffering through the blast.





The "A-Bomb Dome"



Of course, I have almost a thousand pictures and cannot share them all. These may not even be the best ones, but I feel that they are revelent for this entry. I completley skipped the Kobe temple pictures and all of the many many party pictures taken in Osaka.



Here is a last one of me enjoying being a foreigner!

Drinking wine in a Convenience store parking lot. Yes, I am holding up japanese porn.