Photo Dump
Photos from a weekend trip to Tokyo where I met up with my parents for the first time since coming here.
The first picture is our hotel room view, with snow capped Mt. Fuji peaking over the closer mountains.
Second is the view from a cafe we visited in Shibuya. We were curious about the church spire near the center of the photo so I asked our waitress about it. She looked it up and explained that it wasn’t really a church at all, it was a wedding photography store complete with rental gowns and tuxedos. Businesses like this exist so couples who want to can take “cool and fun” Western style wedding photos, presumably after the traditional religious and/or legal wedding ceremony.
Third is a crowded donut (?) shop with a funny name.
Fourth is a picture my dad took while flying in, south of Tokyo.
Fifth is a picture my mom took overlooking Roppongi, one of several city wards full of high rises throughout the city. The shiny red thing is Tokyo Tower, very obviously inspired by the Eiffel Tower but not nearly as impressive in its respective city’s skyline. However, as a symbol of a rebuilt modern Tokyo it is one of the city’s most beloved landmarks.
And sixth is a family photo we took while walking through the massive park surrounding Meiji Jingu, a shrine housing the spirit of the Meiji emperor.
Snow in Tsubata! The year’s first big snowfall on the weekend before Christmas. The last two photos showcase the Japanese system for clearing roads of snow. Instead of snowplows they have sprinkler systems that spray water to melt it all. From what I’ve heard they can ice over as well though…
One of the real sumo world’s rising stars, Ou no Sato, is from Tsubata and went to the elementary school I work at. A few months ago he came by and since then they’ve kept this little corner with a life-size cut out and newspaper clippings of his sumo exploits along with other memorabilia and some of his elementary school photos. There’s also his handprint for people to compare sizes with, and I get a kick out of showing students that are passing by that my hand is almost the same size (he is however 6’2” and 400 lbs). In the ongoing national sumo tournament he’s sitting at 6 wins and 1 loss through the first week of what is I think a two week round robin style event.
These are the photos I’ll post for now, I’ve still got a lot more, especially from my trip with Elio that I’ll get to soon.