It was overcast and cool on the third day of my adventure, Monday, 17 March 2008. Walking down the street toward Odakyu-Sagamihara Station , we decided to take a slightly different route to enjoy the local neighborhood. The streets were bustling with life and energy as people went about their business. After browsing some of the shops and markets, it was time to catch the train and proceed to the day's first destination, the Tokyo Imperial Palace .

Making our way to Shin-Yokohama Station , we transferred to the JR East Shinkansen Hikari 412 bound for Tokyo Station . By now, the trains were becoming less of a mystery and more of a tool, though there were some exceptions. While large and complex, the various interconnecting public transportation systems are relatively easy to navigate once you have an idea of how things work and where places are in relation to one another. Not to mention, signage in English and Japanese helps.

Not quite thirty minutes after boarding the Shinkansen, we were navigating the enormous Tokyo Station to the Marunouchi south exit. Unfortunately, the Marunouchi Gate was undergoing renovations so scaffolding masked the brick structure built as the station's entrance in 1914. Continuing west from the station toward the Tokyo Imperial Palace on Gyoukou-dori Avenue , the Marunouchi skyscrapers loomed ominously as we passed over the grids of crosswalks. Nearby structures of note include the Marunouchi Building , the Mitsubishi Group Headquarters Building, the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun ) Headquarters.

Crossing Hibiya-dori Avenue , we leave the city behind and enter the Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds. The grounds exist as an oasis of sorts in the city, a large open green space surrounded on the perimeter by a moat and the skyscrapers beyond. After taking pictures around Babasaki-bori Moat and continuing through the plaza, we pass the Sakashita-mon Gate on our way to the Nijubashi Bridge , formerly a wooden structure known as Seimon-tetsubashi .

While walking through Tokyo Imperial Palace Square , a large unpaved street filled with rocks except for one small paved sidewalk, a police-escorted motorcade of vehicles emerged from the Main Gate at Nijubashi Bridge. The cars were too far away to tell at the time, but a close inspection of my pictures shows the flag of Canada on the second of eight motorcade vehicles.

The next hour was spent walking the vast grounds, capturing images and enjoying the green space and architecture. Although it seemed large while walking around, considering we only saw a small portion of the land, the property once spanned the Marunouchi commercial district, including Tokyo Station and the surrounding landmarks within the outermost boundary (then the old moat).

For over 550 years, this land has played an important part in Japanese government and military history. Around 1185, the transition from the Heian period to the Kamakura period , Edo warriors established a base in the area. In 1457, Ota Dokan built the Edo Castle . After rising to power, Tokugawa Ieyasu established a government and took the Edo Castle as his own. The Tokugawa shogunate would hold power from the castle for the duration of the Edo period , 1603–1868, until the Meiji Restoration .

After an accidental fire destroyed the last remaining structures of Edo Castle in 1873, a new Imperial Palace Kyujo was constructed for Emperor Meiji . This facility was ultimately destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 1948 as Kokyo . The eastern garden and park was established as Higashi-Gyoen in 1986 and remains open to the public today. We did not make it over to Higashi-Gyoen, but we did visit the Sakuradamon Gate and the Statue of Kusunoki Masashige before descending into Hibiya·Yurakucho Station .

A short subway ride later, we passed the gate into the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market commonly known as the Tsukiji Fish Market , the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. The Tsukiji Market opened in 1935 after the former Nihonbashi fish market was destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923.

Since it was 1530 JST, the inner market was deserted and quiet. Our original plan was to visit during peak hours (0700–1000) but with limited time available and a daylong trip to the other side of the country scheduled for the next day, this venture was sacrificed. Although it was empty, you could get a feel for how it must be when busy. Building after building contained long rows with numbered stalls for the "middlemen" to display and sell the products not sold at the earlier auction (0530–0700). Even though there were no fish visible, the smell of piscine permeated the air.

Moving into the outer market, it was still quiet but evidence of life was just an alley away. Most of the seafood and cooking/restaurant supply shops were closed due to the time, but many sushi restaurants were open and doing business. I was not yet hungry, so I did not eat at the restaurant with horse flesh on the menu or at the eatery a few doors down with a sushi conveyor belt. Passing more shops, numerous small shrines—which are scattered everywhere in Japan as far as I can tell—and a Tsukiji kitty cat, no doubt well fed given his or her home, we made our way past the Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple to Tsukiji Station where the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line would take us directly to our next destination, Ginza .

Located in the Chuo Ward , Ginza is an upscale shopping district with many large department stores, restaurants and expensive Western boutiques. After exiting the train at Ginza Station , we navigated the underground maze of tunnels, themselves an extensive shopping and dining area. Just as I was about to commit our route (in the wrong direction), Mom saw the sign for which we were looking. The lift doors opened and we walked out into the lobby of the Sony Building .

The Sony Showroom is filled with fully functional telephones, cameras, computers and other gadgets. Walking up and around the spiral showroom looking at the neat hardware, some of which is not available in the United States, I stopped to use a VAIO notebook to e-mail friends at home. The operating system was Windows XP but the language Japanese, so it is a good thing I know my way around a computer. It was all for not though as the Sony firewall blocked my access to webmail.

Before exiting the Sony Building to explore Ginza, I noticed a sign indicating all Sony Showroom facilities are powered exclusively by wind energy. In fact, there was a certificate from the Green Power Certification Authority and the Japan Natural Energy Company Limited attesting to the generation of 145,000 kWh at the Choshi Byoubugaura Wind Power Station for use at the Ginza Sony Showroom.

Upon leaving the Sony Building, the skyscrapers of Ginza tower overhead while the vast crosswalk grid of the Sukiyabashi Intersection sprawls in front of you. Huge lit signs advertising Sapporo Breweries , Toshiba , Nissan , Shiseido and more flash and glow from high above. There is a palatable energy in the air as scores of people move in and between buildings, cars whiz past but obey pedestrian road rules and trains rumble by on overhead tracks. The area is slightly reminiscent of New York City's ritzy Fifth Avenue shopping district, but completely distinctive itself and uniquely Japanese.

Although we were walking around, stopping as we pleased to look inside stores and taking a short break in a little park with fountains, we were in fact looking for the Mitsukoshi department store. Mom had read about this and other Japanese department stores and wanted to look inside one. We eventually found Mitsukoshi and went inside. Floor after floor was filled with merchandise, lots of customers and attentive hosts and clerks standing by to assist. We made our way through the store to the food market levels, reportedly modeled after similar markets in Harrods department store in London . Although I have been to Harrods, the experience also reminded me of visting The Broadway Market in Buffalo in the 1980s.

By now, it was around 1800 JST and I was ready to eat. We proceeded to the basement, where restaurants are known to be located in Japanese department stores. After inspecting the plastic food models in the window display, we entered the Shiki San Sai restaurant for dinner. Mom had eaten earlier so she had a drink and dessert—one of the best tasting vanilla ice creams she has tasted—and I ordered cold Sake and the Nigiri Sushi (Hana) platter. Like many other locals we interacted with, the waiter knew some English and was pleased to use it with us. The food and drink were delicious, but I particularly enjoyed the wasabi that seemed much hotter than any I have had before.

After dinner, it was time to head back to the apartment. I grabbed a few last pictures on the train platform, bringing the day's count to 262. We needed to get to sleep despite the early time of 1900, for the next day's journey would require getting up and leaving by 0400 in order to make all the necessary train connections.

The destination is Hiroshima , 796 kilometres (495 miles) from Shin-Yokohama Station via the Hikari Shinkansen. Usually getting to sleep this early would pose a problem for me, but the miles of walking are exhausting and I am not in spectacular shape. I quickly drift off—even the characters in my dreams speak Japanese—anxious for the big cross-country trip west.

Mount Sutro presents

The Japan Trip Series

[ Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five | Day Six ]

Photograph Gallery

Photo Credit: David July

Waking up on Sunday, 16 March, I was excited to get out and exploring. Steven managed to get this day off from work, so he suggested some key places to visit and we were our way. Our destination was Harajuku Station on the JR East Yamanote Line , the circle connecting most of the major stations in Tokyo . Our schedule would give us a sampling of both old and new Tokyo, plus a few surprises along the way.

Located in the Shibuya special ward of Tokyo, known for its large shopping and entertainment areas, the station was definitely busy. Emerging into the daylight at the Omotesando exit, we proceeded across the bridge over the rail lines south of the station toward Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Shrine . Dedicated to Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) and Empress Shoken (1849–1914), the Shinto shrine was established in 1920 to honor their role in the Meiji Restoration .

Walking under and past the Torii gate at the entrance to the complex into the wooded park area, the city fades behind you leaving a breeze of fresh, oxygenated air and the sights and sounds of nature. There are many visitors here but the spaciousness of the stone walkway allows uncrowded movement. After passing a display of wine* donated for consecration and artfully decorated sake barrels* whose full history remain locked in the Japanese-only sign*, we approached the main buildings.  * links to images coming soon

As I took pictures waiting for Mom to purchase an omamori , I noticed a professional photographer setting up and taking portraits. The formally dressed subjects were an older man and woman seated in front with two young girls and a man in uniform standing behind. By now several other visitors had stopped to watch and take pictures, so it was quite a treat for everyone when suddenly a woman dressed in an all white, traditional wedding kimono walks by escorted by two individuals. I would later see her in another part of the shrine having photographs taken.

We next approached the Chozuya pavilion and Steven explained the purification ceremony for which it is used. Ablution complete, we proceeded to the main yard and shrine. Although destroyed by fire in 1945 from air raids, the present structures built in 1958 retain the feel of the original Nagerezukuri architecture. I particularly enjoyed the design and spent some time walking around and looking at things like shide , omikuji and ema .

Slowly we made our way back to the entrance for the second part of our visit in Harajuku . Steven said the area by the shrine entrance and station was a weekly meeting place of people whom kids in US high schools would pejoratively term "freaks." As we approached, you could see things had picked up even more since we arrived earlier. There were artists and street performers painting, singing and dancing. I stopped and watched a group of teenagers with signs advertising "free hugs" that were happy to hug any who approached. Quite a number of kids were wearing all sorts of crazy clothes and jewelry, some emulating the Lolita gothic and takenoko-zoku styles. By far the most interesting person there was a man wearing a pink apron, pink stuffed animal and a pink tiara with bunny ears. He wanted nothing more than to wish us well and pose for a photo (that is his akomeogi I am holding).

Continuing on north, we stopped at Snoopy Town , an officially licensed Peanuts gift shop across the street from Harajuku Station. Peanuts, known as Snoopy in Japan, and the cartoon gang are apparently popular so this store had everything you could want with a character on it, like the World of Disney store in Orlando but not quite as large.

Mom purchased a gift for a friend and we proceeded to the pedestrian-only shop-lined Takeshita Street , followed by a stroll down the Omotesando avenue. While these areas normally attract many locals and visitors alike for the wide variety of shopping available, it was particularly busy this day for a reason that quickly became apparent. Green beer. Green T-shirts. Flags of Japan and Ireland side-by-side. No shit, we stumbled into the beginnings of the 17th St. Patrick's Day Parade Tokyo .

Since all I had consumed thus far was a bottle of water and a large can of Kirin Sparkling Hop , we decided to stop and grab a bite at Shakey's Pizza , the Californian pizza chain that now has more locations in Asia than in the US. After waiting for a table in the stairs leading up to the restaurant, we somehow managed to be seated at one of only four window booths. Were tipping a custom here, I would have slipped the host a bill for sure.

From this perfect location, I had the truly unique experience of eating Japanese pizza at Shakey's while watching a St. Patrick's Day parade go by on the street below. The restaurant was buffet-style, yet another detail I did not expect, but it worked out well for trying the various selections. They included tuna and onion, octopus, corn, shrimp mayonnaise, mayonnaise corn, potato bacon, beef and onion, cuttlefish and olive, anchovy and tomato, Japanese curry and of course, good ‘ole pepperoni. I really liked the corn, Japanese curry and octopus pizzas, but did not care for those with mayonnaise.

Fortunately, the parade ended during our meal so we were able to walk a less-crazy Omotesando, stopping in various stores like Oriental Bazaar and Kiddy Land to browse and pick-up a few items. We finished around 1600 local and decided to head to our next destination before we lost daylight. Steven and I grabbed a beer at the Harajuku Station convenience store and we all got back onto the Yamanote Line, destination: Shinjuku Station .

Before continuing, it seems like a good time to mention a few social behaviors that we observed. For example, eating and smoking on trains or while walking around is frowned upon and in many cases prohibited, but drinking including alcoholic beverages is acceptable. I took advantage of this frequently because, hey, I was on vacation and you can get delicious Japanese beer and canned cocktails everywhere.

Talking is rare but does occur on trains and lifts, but cellular telephone use, while seemingly more popular than in the US (i.e. everyone has and uses one constantly), is for the most part kept to SMS text messages while in public places. Signs inside subway cars state no telephone talking should take place and ringers are to be switched to vibrate or silent mode. Thinking back, I can recall only a few isolated instances where I heard ring tones at all during the trip. That was nice.

Smoking, as popular as it remains in Tokyo, is relegated to designated smoking areas that are clearly marked and always provide an ashtray. I noticed people adhere to the regulation and do not light up unless near one, despite their sometimes-infrequent locations. Most restaurants offer smoking and non-smoking sections, sometimes separated by floor, room or partition. Trains do not allow smoking, except in designated cars on the Shinkansen , and stations have smoking areas during certain hours only (one sign indicated a smoking prohibition during the morning commute rush hours).

As I mentioned before, the Yamanote Line is one of the busiest in Tokyo. While waiting on the platform for our train to Shinjuku , I opened my beer and it foamed and spat a little. Steven laughed and mentioned a time where he saw that happen to someone while on a busy train. Talk about embarrassing. Needless to say, I was additionally cautious during the standing room-only ride to the busiest train station in the world (3.52 million people per day in 2006).

After navigating Shinjuku Station to the exit, we walked down the street beneath the many skyscrapers, some of which I saw the evening prior when Mom and I stopped to look around on our way back to the apartment. Looking up at the towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building , I learned Steven's plan was to take us inside where you can ride up to a free observation deck on 48F (floors of buildings are labeled as such: B3F, B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, 3F and so on). After a brief security sweep, we were on our way to the northern tower atop Building One.

Although part of the view was obscured by a restaurant, the windows available offered an excellent look at the Shinjuku skyscrapers and the city as a whole. Helpfully mounted at each window was a labeled picture identifying the major structures visible, an excellent tool for labeling my own pictures. As was the case the day prior, there was some haziness but you could still see buildings in more distant parts of the city. There were quite a few people up here taking pictures, so you had to wait or squeeze in to get vistas and photographs. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time preventing reflections but some images came out well.

After watching a rather lackluster sunset from the observatory, we headed back downstairs and proceeded to walk to one of the buildings I just saw and photographed—although I did not realize it at the time. It was our next and final destination for our evening with Steven, the Shinjuku Park Tower , home to retail stores (1F–7F), office space (8F–37F) and the Park Hyatt Tokyo (39F–52F).

It was 1900 local and dark when we entered the 1F lobby from the south side of the building. Walking through, we passed the banks of lifts designated for groups of floors eventually making our way, with the help of a building attendant, to the north entrance and the lifts to the hotel. As the lift doors closed in front of me, I anticipated and heard the ding-dong and swish audible in the 2003 film Lost In Translation . I love that sort of thing. I have previously stated I felt coming here was a cliché American thing to do, but my reason to do so was simple. If you have not guessed by now, I have a thing for tall buildings and the lights on them. The view offered by this building and the overall ambiance of enjoying a little luxury at 235 metres (771 feet) were all too compelling to pass up.

The doors opened at 41F dramatically revealing the Peaks Lounge atrium overlooking the city. We continued past the Girandole restaurant, through the library and into the reception area that is more like a stylish bank branch with desks and chairs for guests to sit and check-in. From here, we took one last lift to 52F. What I said before about the doors opening dramatically is multiplied by ten when you arrive at 52F, the elevator ding-dong, door swish and all. You are greeted by a dimly lit reception area that consists of one small room, one large window, a friendly hostess and her podium. The view was incredible here but enjoying it more would have to wait, as the hostess was quickly ready to whisk us away to our table in the New York Bar .

We were not important enough to get a window table, but we were next to one and it sat empty for the first half of our visit. The saxophone and piano male duet played some great jazz tunes while we looked over the unexpectedly large menu, ordered and clanked our glasses with kanpai . I ordered a Suntory Whisky on the rocks a la Bill Murray , which was met with some confusion by the waiter because they apparently had several choices. Since I had not seen them, the waiter turned the pages in my menu and pointed to a section where the only English word in the title was "Japanese." I guess their whiskey is really popular. I selected the one in the middle, costing around ¥2,000 JPY ($20 USD). We sat and enjoyed ourselves for an hour, making trips to an unoccupied seating area behind and below us from where we could take pictures at the window, and to the restroom, featuring the most technologically featured toilet I have ever seen.

After paying our tab which included a 10% service charge and ¥2,000 JPY ($20 USD) per person cover charge, we started our trip back to the apartment, stopping in the building throughout to look around and take pictures. As we walked back toward Shinjuku Station, I thought that it was nice after three whiskeys not to have to worry about leaving my car somewhere and fetching an expensive taxi ride home. Once back, Steven and I ventured out again, stopping at various Three-F stores for food and drink while walking the neighborhood to chat and pick-up a package from the post office, offering a 24-hour counter. It was hard to believe another whole day (305 pictures) had passed, but I went to sleep well with anticipatory thoughts of the next.

Mount Sutro presents

The Japan Trip Series

[ Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five | Day Six ]

Photograph Gallery

Photo Credit: David July
Photo Credit: Steven Patten

When I first announced my decision to take a holiday in Tokyo , Japan , there were only forty-six days until departure. While that may be sufficient time to plan a trip in the United States, it felt a little sudden for a trip to the other side of the world. However, I was not particularly concerned about getting along. In fact, I think we did remarkably well all things considered. The two quick mishaps I can recall immediately are a few minor miscommunications and twice exiting the subway car one station too soon.

As time passed, my Mom—who as you will recall accepted my offer to join me—called me with ideas for places to visit and things to do. Her extensive experience with personal, global travel for pleasure was an invaluable tool in deciding what to do and when. I will admit it was one considering factor in my original invitation! By the time I loaded the car and headed toward Intestate 10 eastbound on Thursday, 13 March 2008, a basic idea of our daily itinerary existed.

First on our list upon arrival was a visit to the monetary exchange booth and the East Japan Railway Company (JR) office, both conveniently located in the airport terminal. Ahead of those items but after my two and a half hour drive from Tallahassee to Jacksonville existed the longest two-flight segment of my life. The itinerary was as follows:

Northwest Flight 1581 was scheduled to depart Jacksonville International Airport (KJAX) at 1205 EDT, flying 827 miles (1331 kilometres) in two hours twenty-seven minutes on a McDonnell Douglas DC 9-30 aircraft where I sat in window seat 18-A. It was scheduled to arrive at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (KDTW) at 1432 EDT. This flight would be followed by Northwest 11 leaving Detroit at 1530 EDT, flying 6398 miles (10,296 kilometres) in thirteen hours (!) on a Boeing 747-400 where I sat in window seat 53-K. It was scheduled to arrive at Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) at 1730 JST on Friday, 14 March 2008 due to travel through the International Date Line.

Overall, the flights were uneventful. I was looking forward to taking pictures of the mountainous regions I anticipated flying over, but was quickly disappointed to learn we would likely not fly so north as to penetrate the Arctic Circle nor pass over the mountains of Siberia. This information was provided on the in-cabin video system, which consisted of a three-color projector in each cabin section and television monitors in the ceiling above the aisle near the flight attendant galley and toilets.

Not only did it show our flight plan and GPS position en route, but also text data in English and Japanese including (as recorded during flight at 1825 EDT passing north of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) altitude (31,992 feet / 9751 metres) groundspeed (515 MPH / 829 KPH), headwinds (65 MPH / 104 KPH), outside temperature (-57°F / -49.4°C), distance travelled (1412 miles / 2272 kilometres) and distance remaining (5021 miles / 8080 kilometres).

Of course, the in-flight "entertainment" took precedence over this useful and interesting up-to-date information so it made brief appearances at the start of the flight, a few times between television sitcoms and Discovery Channel shows, after the movies and right before and after landing.

Using Google Earth and aeronautical charts, I have been able to pin down part of our course to Tokyo and identify the airports we saw from the airplane. In between airports, we saw lots of snow and some pretty impressive mountains. The first image of an airport I captured is of lesser quality (not pictured here), after early surface vistas and before the mountains of Alaska. I was not able to fix the location of this airport. I originally suspected Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada due to the distance travelled between this photograph and the second airport spotted, but finally ruled it out by satellite image comparison.

The next airport I spotted was next to a smaller city and near some mountains. I have confirmed this location to be Valdez, Alaska. The population of 4020 enjoyed a high of 37°F / 2.7° C and a low of 19°F / -7.2°C the day we flew over.

The last and largest airport and city we flew over was Anchorage, Alaska. The 282,813 municipal residents comprise more than two-fifths of Alaska's total population. They enjoyed similar weather with a high of 31°F / -0.5°C and low of 21°F / -6.1°C for the day.

Having fixed our location at two US airports, I was able to calculate the mileage and speed. We passed over the Valdez Pioneer Field Airport (PAVD) at 2117 EDT (1717 AKDT) and came to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) at 2131 EDT (1731 AKDT). At a distance of 108.5 miles, it took us 14 minutes to fly from one to the other at a speed of 465 MPH / 748 KPH or 0.6 Mach.

It was 1758 JST / 0458 EDT on Friday when I passed the "Welcome to Japan" sign (in the article header). We exchanged our money and obtained our JR passes without issue, meeting Steven in the process. He had graciously agreed to meet us at the airport so we could navigate the intricate and varied subway/train systems of Tokyo with a guide the first time. For the record, I had been up for twenty-two and a half hours at this point and was happy to get to Steven's apartment and to bed.

This is not to say I did not enjoy those initial train rides. From the airport we travelled by subway to Shinjuku Station , where we transferred to the Odakyu Limited Express to Machida Station . Once there we took the Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line to Odakyu-Sagamihara where we finally left the train system via the south exit and took a taxi—our first of only two total trips by cab in Japan—to Steven's apartment. After some quick catching-up with Steven and Emma , a needed night's sleep began. The excitement would have been unmanageable if it were not for my complete exhaustion.

We slept a little longer than anticipated but needed some amount of rest before beginning our week of walking. Heading out by 1030 JST, we planned to visit Tokyo Tower , Minato City and surrounding areas. Built into this day was the expectation of some navigational or communication troubles, but we ended up doing quite well I think for our first full day out alone.

Our morning walk from Steven's apartment in Sagamigaoka , Zama , Kanagawa to the Odakyu-Sagamihara Station was about fifteen minutes and took us past the local Three-F convenience store, a school, numerous homes and local businesses and finally the Sagamihara business district. There you could find a Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd. department store (the same owners as 7-Eleven, also present in Tokyo), pachinko parlors, a great Ramen noodle joint called Ramen Jiro and much more. The walk to and from the station would become a daily routine for us.

We got to Tokyo Tower just before 1430 JST to find a long, but organized queue. There was a man with a large sign standing at the end to identify where people should join the queue and two staffing a gate before the ticket booth where only so many people would be permitted through to purchase tickets. Once inside the lobby doors, female staff members in bright blue uniforms guide you to the zigzag rope queue that leads you to the lifts to the main observation level at 492 feet / 150 metres. From there we would purchase tickets to the highest special observatory at 820 feet / 250 metres.

Also down by the queue and entrance area were the tower's character mascots the Noppon Brothers .

It turned out to be less clear than we thought, but the panoramas provided were still amazing. Situated in Shiba Park , Minato, Tokyo Tower was constructed in 1958 and claims to be the world's largest self-supporting steel tower. It is obviously modeled after the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France but at 1093 feet / 333 metres is 43 feet / 13 metres taller. An added bonus was the ability to walk the outdoor stairs of the tower from the main observation level to the roof of the main building and into a small amusement park at Foot Town .

After eating a Japanese pasta dish at Pizza-La Express and a quick walk through the neighboring Shiba Park, we moved into Minato City and explored the Zojo-ji temple and Sangedatsu Gate at Zojo-ji . Zojo-ji is a Buddhist temple founded in 1590, but severely damaged and repaired following World War II. We caught the end of a ceremony being performed by monks complete with chanting, bell ringing and incense.

On our way back to Steven's apartment, we made a detour at Shinjuku Station to walk around that popular area at night. We did not stay out too late for fear of missing the train home. It was a great first day packed with fun, learning experiences and 207 photographs.

Mount Sutro presents

The Japan Trip Series

[ Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five | Day Six ]

Photograph Gallery

Photo Credit: David July

"Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock."

With some projects at the office wrapping up, I was particularly needing some time away from town and wanting badly to take pictures. As chance would have it, I was subsequently invited to Seagrove Beach, Florida for the weekend, 16 and 17 June 2007. My friends Jon and Susan were heading to a family house there, vacant for those days.

The week before the sixteenth could not have gone any slower. Finally, Saturday arrived as soon Jon and Susan did. We chatted in my living room for a few minutes before hitting the road. Although the drive there should have been a relaxing two and some odd hour trip, the first thirty minutes ended up being extremely tense as I was almost hit several times by inconsiderate truck drivers on Interstate 10.

Soon our caravan of two vehicles broke away from the crowd and enjoyed a mild, sunny ride west and then south. There were a few other troubled spots on the road which would eventually work out for the better. But more on that later. We arrived in town slightly behind schedule, around 1530 CDT.

After spending some time walking around the delightfully wooded and shady neighborhood, checking the beach out, taking some pictures and of course relaxing at the house, preparations for a nice dinner began. After a run for steamed and Old Bay seasoned peel-n-eat shrimp, Jon and I went to the new and nearby Watercolor Crossings Publix, or as it shall now forever be known: The Busiest Publix Ever.

Seriously, during and after the experience Jon and I continued to express amazement about how many people were really in that store. It was not a large building to begin with, but the place must have been close to maximum capacity. And by the looks of the overflowing carts being rudely pushed through the New York Subway sardine-like crowd, the apocalypse was most certainly near. Later in the day I instead concluded people fill their carts to the brim in order to visit this store as infrequently as humanly possible.

Needless to say, we got the hell out of there as fast as humanly possible. The resultant dinner of steak and shrimp along with sides of macaroni salad, potato salad, coleslaw and french bread was fantastic and definitely worth the trip to the store. With dinner finished, cocktails consumed and digestion idling, it was now time for my first trip to Seaside.

Seaside, Florida is a New Urbanist-style planned beach community with strict covenants and restrictions. Most people remember it as the filming location for the film The Truman Show written by Andrew Niccol. Normally I am not for restrictive pre-planned housing developments, but there is just something about Seaside that makes it cozy, not creepy.

The three of us headed out into the dark night at 2230 CDT, for the area has only sparse street lights until you enter Seaside—and even then, those lamps are smartly designed to provide sufficient but not blinding light. It was a lot of fun to wander around the surreal streets nearly devoid of life as the night grew older. We made our way all around the community, stopping in some spots to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet, or to take pictures.

We got back to the house after 1230 CDT and stayed up talking for a few hours before retiring to bed. I have failed to mention until now one of the great features of this house. Behind it rests an old stable converted into a guest house. Basically the size of a smaller motel room and with its own bathroom, the guest house was my quarters for the weekend.

I woke up the next day a bit later than I had originally planned, but this was my getaway weekend so whatever. After spending some time drinking coffee and chatting, Jon and Susan went to the beach and I left to capture Seaside in the daylight. According to timestamp, I was only gone for about an hour and forty-five minutes, but it seemed much longer. Walking through the streets, between houses via the unique pathways, I made short work of Seaside.

I finished the remainder of the food from the day before and joined Jon and Susan in watching part of the 2007 U.S. Open—you read that correctly: I watched golf—before we cleaned the place up and prepared to leave. When we did get underway at 1845 CDT, I was relaxed but saddened to be leaving such a nice, quiet place.

Since the drive in had contained some less than stellar moments, Jon decided to take a different way back. Avoiding the Interstate completely, this new route would turn out to be a perfect conclusion to a perfect weekend. Shortly after leaving the Seagrove area, the traffic thinned to nearly nothing up until we were close to Tallahassee around 2100 EDT.

The weekend could not have been better.

"He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night."

Excited to talk about the trip and share the pictures I so adamantly wished to create in the first place, I spent a bit of time a few days ago writing up the article, selecting pictures for the gallery (110 selected from 263), editing nine of those and uploading them. The next day I started the process of adding the pictures to the gallery.

Unfortunately and despite what I do for a living, I underestimated the processing power and system resources required to facilitate the batch addition of high quality images. The software crunched away at the pictures while access to the server began to fluctuate.

"Oh, shit. I'm crashing my web server!"

It was only a short time before my embarrassed message to Marty of TLC Web Enterprises was received and the server was, um, yeah, rebooted. Whoops.

As the traffic on Saturday helped shape the ideal ride back Sunday, this series of events culminates with two positives as well. To start, Mount Sutro will be moving to a newer, more powerful server in the near future. Additionally, I discovered an alternate way of uploading pictures to the gallery—a way that does the job without bringing the server to its knees.

I'd never live down doing that twice.

So now that the pictures are safely on board with their seatbelts fastened and tray tables locked and upright, please take a moment to visit the Seagrove Beach album, the latest in The Road Trip Series.