I spied this little guy spying me on a bus in Kyoto. I don’t think he had ever seen a gaijin before and, from the look on his face, I’m not sure he ever wanted to see one again.

Being in Japan as a 6’4″ light-haired foreigner is a unique experience. Adults tend to ignore your presence after an ever-so-brief glimpse, and the kids can’t take their eyes off you. You’re always the elephant in the room that can’t be ignored, yet everyone over the age of about 17 tries their darnedest to.

Posted on April 24th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: japan pictures, kids, people. Comments: 4

ラーメン = ramen (and real Japanese Ramen is nothing like the stuff you buy off the shelf in the U.S.); やみつき = being hooked on or addicted to something (although in this case I think it is also the chain name); ギョーザ = gyoza; やきめし = fried rice; karaage = fried chicken

So what are you going to order?

Posted on April 23rd, 2009 under Japan. Tags: food, japan pictures, kyoto, night photography, ramen, signs. Comments Off on Ramen in Kyoto

“When I came downstairs she was feeding the carp in the pond in her old-fashioned courtyard. There were twenty or thirty carp, black and gold and mottled, and all as plump as their feeder.”

(Alan Booth in Looking for the Lost p. 337)

Posted on April 18th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: alan booth, hakone, japan pictures, kids. Comments: 1

These kind of residences, with large gardens, are not a common sight in a big city in Japan like Kyoto where the real estate is at a premium. This picture was taken near the southern end of the Path of Philosophy.

Posted on April 15th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: buildings, garden, japan pictures, kyoto. Comments: 1

This isn’t the main Kiyomizu structure. Rather it is one you see as you approach the main hall. It seems a fitting photo for the season.

Posted on April 8th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: cherry blossoms, japan pictures, kyoto, sakura. Comments Off on Kiyomizudera (清水寺)