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Japan_880S2052_Tokyo businessmen taking a lunch break playing pachinko_


Japan_880S2055_Us winning $160 at Pachinko but having no idea at the time!_


Japan_880S2061_Walking on the streets of Tokyo, there are suits everywhere_


Japan_880S2068_We felt very underdressed around all of these businessmen_


Japan_880S2073_A tiny lantern lit alley dedicated to Yakitori shops_


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Japan_880S2087_Looking in on the Yakitori bar. Only about 6-10 people fit in each restaurant._


Japan_880S2091_Fake plastic food is done up well here in Tokyo. In fact, there is supposedly an entire shopping street dedicated to fake food._


Japan_880S2095_A peek inside one of the tiny electronics stores in the market._


Japan_880S2098_Big brown bear walking the streets of the electronics market!_


Japan_880S2104_One of the favorite past times of Tokyo-ites is to dress up and go out on the streets._


Japan_880S2109_Inside our room at the Conrad Tokyo_


Japan_880S2111_The room at the Conrad was one of the nicest we've stayed in and included high tech drapes and window blinds between bathroom and bedroom._


Japan_880S2121_The evidence of the mysterious glass-breaking incident at the Conrad_


Japan_880S2122_The mock Eiffel tower in Tokyo (not a pretty sight during the daylight)_


Japan_880S2123_377_Vending machines line the streets with a wide variety of choices._


Japan_880S2124_Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo! We didn't end up eating here though._


Japan_880S2131_Instead, we had reservations at this Robatayaki restaurant down the road_


Japan_880S2154_At robatayaki, you choose from the fresh foods in front of you and the chef cooks it up and serves it on a long wooden paddle._


Japan_880S2158_Dogs want to go to the bars too!_


Japan_880S2162_The showroom at the Sony building - Mario's playground._


Japan_880S2172_Bridge and moat surrounding the Imperial Palace in Tokyo - closed to the public except for 2 days per year._


Japan_880S2175_Even though it was raining, we took a walk through the imperial gardens._


Japan_880S2180_Tom and Jackie bow in Japanese style on the park bridge._


Japan_880S2187_Us on the bridge inside the imperial gardens._


Japan_880S2190_1_The gardens had a beautiful water area and pond with carp fish._


Japan_880S2193_Bikes all lined up and out of the streets. Bikes are a major mode of transport here._


Japan_880S2201_400 lbs of Sumo getting tossed out of the ring!_


Japan_880S2228_Stomping sumo wrestler - squashing the evil spirits before the match._


Japan_880S2231_More stomping and squatting during the 4 minutes before the match_


Japan_880S2252_A giant wedgie_


Japan_880S2264_I wouldn't want to be the one sitting on the ringside behind this guy!_


Japan_880S2265_Most sumo matches lasted much less than 1 minute_


Japan_880S2281_Opening ceremony, the sumo wrestlers enter the ring._


Japan_880S2309_The fighting can get pretty ugly at some points!_


Japan_880S2314_View of the ring from our seats. Near the ring, people sit on tatami mats instead of chair seats._


Japan_880S2326_Sumo falling out of the ring. Looks like the next guy waiting for his match might have to catch him._


Japan_880S2330_Sometimes the wrestlers pause and rest in this position, waiting for the next move._


Japan_880S2354_Inside our room at the Hirota Japanese style guest house._


Japan_880S2358_The living room at our guest house._


Japan_880S2359_1_There are thousands of temples in Kyoto, so it is quite easy to run across one._


Japan_880S2361_View of the Japanese style temple roof._


Japan_880S2367_Beautiful orange temple at the Heian-Jingo Shrine in Kyoto._


Japan_880S2370_We took a stroll through the manicured gardens at the Heian-Jingo Shrine._


Japan_880S2373_Looking back on the temple from the gardens._


Japan_880S2381_Tom, Jaimie and Jackie in the gardens._


Japan_880S2384_We were much more impressed with these gardens than we were in the imperial palace in Tokyo!_


Japan_880S2385_Japanese sign with the garden pond behind._


Japan_880S2389_There were large stepping stones to cross over one of the larger ponds_


Japan_880S2395_Jax and Tom on the stepping stones._


Japan_880S2397_Us on the stepping stones._


Japan_880S2400_Evidence of Jaimie biting Mario_


Japan_880S2409_Serene pond setting at the Japanese garden_


Japan_880S2410_Jaimie and Jackie in front of the pond_


Japan_880S2417_Water irises were in bloom along the pond edge._


Japan_880S2428_Overlooking the largest pond at the Heian-Jingo Shrine_


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Japan_880S2436_1_A unique form of transport - this guy is pulling a cart with a woman riding inside_


Japan_880S2438_Wooden sandals, a popular form of footwear, in Japan_


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Japan_880S2448_The locals in Kyoto were all riding their bikes with umbrellas in hand_


Japan_880S2454_Luckily, our guest house had some spare umbrellas for us to carry_


Japan_880S2455_At the Nijo-jo castle, we were surrounded by school kids on an assignment to practice their english_


Japan_880S2458_Jaimie with some of the school kids that interviewed her_


Japan_880S2460_Ninomaru Palace, located within the castle grounds_


Japan_880S2462_Jaimie getting interviewed by Japanese school kids_


Japan_880S2472_Another view of the Ninomaru Palace_


Japan_880S2474_The castle grounds contained several beautiful ponds with rocks and stone bridges_


Japan_880S2475_Stream and rocks on the castle grounds_


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Japan_880S2481_Bridge crossing the inner moat that surrounds the palace_


Japan_880S2499_We went to see a Geisha dance and musical performance at one of the theatres in Kyoto_


Japan_880S2500_We couldn't understand anything that was said during the performance, but we enjoyed watching the dance anyways_


Japan_880S2505_Geisha with cherry blossoms in one of the many scenes of the performance_


Japan_880S2521_Closeup of some of the sushi we ate off the sushi train_


Japan_880S2522_This is one of the many dining options when it comes to eating sushi in Japan_


Japan_880S2524_High tech wireless bus stop that changed as the buses got closer!_


Japan_880S2525_1_Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, a famous site in Kyoto_


Japan_880S2530_The pavilion is covered with gold leaf on the top 2 floors and is surrounded by a beautiful pond and garden_


Japan_880S2537_The Shinkansen bullet train we took from Tokyo to Kyoto and back_


       

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