Here are a few miscellaneous photos and comments that did not fit in any of our categories.
This is the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. This was in the Lakes District. The bus just went by this area several times over three days and it was always steaming like this. No warning markers or anything!
This is the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. This was in the Lakes District. The bus just went by this area several times over three days and it was always steaming like this. No warning markers or anything! 
Our first stop in the Lakes District was for lunch. We went to "Woody's Café". We found Woody behind the bar. The food and service were very good, but they only had seats for about a dozen people.
We don't know what this is for, but it was too cute to leave out.
In Himeji, we stopped for ice cream. They brag about their macha flavored ice cream. Macha is a strong, green tea. If you look close, Jim's ice cream cone is a swirl of macha and regular green tea ice cream. His hat and shirt match the ice cream pretty well.
We went here for supper (pizza and beer) in Tokyo. It was a very interesting place. Restaurants generally have a cover charge. They then give you an appetizer you didn't order to make up for it. Also, there is no tipping in Japan! We read (but didn't try it) that if you leave a tip on the table, they will chase you down to return it. 
Japanese toilets were interesting. This is a lady's toilet and has a place to put your baby. Very handy!
The toilet seats are heated and have a control panel to wash off your bum.
Our friend Erna wanted to bring back some delicate souvenirs and needed some bubble wrap. We asked at the hotel desk and they didn't know what we were talking about. Jim looked it up on the internet translator and found "puchi puchi." The desk clerk immediately told us where to find it. We found it at the 100 yen store (Dollar Store) inside a large department store. We also found out that the name "puchi puchi" is taken from the sound it makes when you pop it!
In the hotel, they had instant coffee. This is the picture of it. It is like the Melitta Filter system in Europe. You pour hot water through the grounds to make one, fresh cup of hot coffee!
While in Tokyo, Jim met a fellow Esperantist and we spent an afternoon with him. This picture is of a game he introduced to us. It was very simple to explain and not so simple to actually win!
We hope you have enjoyed our pictures and commentary about our trip to Japan!
1 comment:
Lots of interesting photos. Hope I can make it back sometime, preferably while my old schools are still in existence. The fancy bum-warming toilet seats were a bit of a surprise. When I was there last, a fair percentage of the toilet had no seats, they were just enamel-clad troughs in the floor that you squatted over. Less of a pain than the "Turkish toilets" we ran into in both Siberia and Versailles, though. I take it you didn't make it to Sojo café (near Waseda). That's high on my list of places to go.
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