Trip to Japan (2017)
2024-06-10
In August 2017, my friends and I went to Japan!
FIGURE 1 View of Tokyo Tower from the Mori building.
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As always, these pictures are available in full resolution and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 license.
1 2017-08-11: arrival in Tokyo
FIGURE 2 Arrival at Haneda airport.
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Upon arriving, we grabbed a quick meal at Yoshinoya. It was delicious! We stayed in an AirBnB on Odaiba.
FIGURE 3 Statue of Liberty on Odaiba.
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FIGURE 4 Taking the Yurikamome.
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2 2017-08-12: Tokyo sightseeing
2.1 Asakusa
FIGURE 5 Asakuksa visitor’s center.
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FIGURE 6 Senso-ji in Asakusa.
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2.2 Tokyo University
Then we went to Tokyo University. One of my friends was interning there.
FIGURE 7 Yasuda Auditorium in Tokyo University.
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FIGURE 8 Another building in Tokyo University.
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2.3 Shinjuku
We walked around Kabukicho.
FIGURE 9 The ubiquitous (at the time) Toyota Crown Comfort cabs.
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FIGURE 10 Amazing colorful lights of Shinjuku.
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FIGURE 11 More cool buildings in Shinjuku.
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FIGURE 12 A nice alley.
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2.4 Dinner: Izakaya
For dinner we went to Kaikaya.
FIGURE 13 Exterior of the restaurant.
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FIGURE 14 Sashimi Moriawase.
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FIGURE 15 Toro nigiri.
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3 2017-08-13: More Tokyo
Honestly I just followed my friends around and have no idea where we went. My only suggestion was to check out the soon-to-be demolished Nakagin Capsule Tower.
FIGURE 16 Detail of the Nakagin Capsule Tower
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I bought the legendary Voigtlander Apo Lanthar 65mm f/2 at Yodobashi Camera. It was just released at the time. This lens is truly amazing and remained my favourite lens for many years until I had to sell it upon switching to the Fujifilm GFX system (which the lens is not physically compatible with). This lens is notable for its wonderful sharpness across the frame and complete absence of chromatic aberrations. As it is a 0.5x macro lens, it is also suitable for food photography.
FIGURE 17 A random photographer guy.
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FIGURE 18 Somewhere near Akihabara.
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FIGURE 19 Rainbow bridge.
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3.1 Dinner: Loach
We went to Komakata dojou to eat loach. I had never eaten loach before.
FIGURE 20 Loach.
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FIGURE 21 Sardine sashimi.
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FIGURE 22 Rainbow bridge again at night. Look at the beautiful sunstars from the Apo Lanthar.
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4 2017-08-14: Sapporo
We flew to Sapporo!
FIGURE 23 Some cute cars.
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For lunch we had a delicious ramen at a random spot that we didn’t plan on visiting. Unfortunately I forgot what it was called.
FIGURE 24 Intersection viewed from the Sapporo TV Tower.
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FIGURE 25 Vintage Type 250 tram.
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4.1 Dinner: Traditional
We went to Oga traditional, which makes traditional Hokkaido food.
FIGURE 26 Hokkaido fried chicken.
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FIGURE 27 Koi sashimi.
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FIGURE 28 Fried fish.
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FIGURE 29 Saba oshizushi. Somehow we got this even though it is a specialty of the Kansai region instead.
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5 2017-08-15: Otaru
FIGURE 30 Sapporo Shiryokan viewed from across the Sunken Garden.
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We took the Hakodate main line to Otaru.
FIGURE 31 Nagasakiya mall in Otaru.
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Otaru is known for its seafood.
FIGURE 32 Arctic surf clams. I would later have the joy of eating one in 2024.
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FIGURE 33 Uni for sale at the triangle market.
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FIGURE 34 Otaru canal.
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5.1 Lunch: Kaisen don
We went to Kitano donburiya takinami shokudou in the Triangle market.
FIGURE 35 Uni ikura don.
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FIGURE 36 Kaisen don.
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5.2 Otaru sightseeing
FIGURE 37 A famous clock tower in Otaru.
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FIGURE 38 The Otaru orugoru-do, a music box store. Notice the steam clock, one of only a few made by Raymond Saunders, and very similar to the more famous one in Vancouver.
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FIGURE 39 Charming streets of Otaru.
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5.3 Back to Sapporo
FIGURE 40 Waiting for the train back to Sapporo.
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FIGURE 41 Sapporo station.
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FIGURE 42 Chevy Bel Air.
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FIGURE 43 Detail of the Sapporo TV Tower.
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FIGURE 44 A performance for the Makoto Shinkai exhibition.
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5.4 Dinner: Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, or jingisukan, is a genre of Japanese yakiniku. This one probably was at Daruma.
FIGURE 45 Meats expectations.
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6 2017-08-16: Sapporo
FIGURE 46 Hello kitty road dividers just before leaving Sapporo.
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6.1 Lunch: Soup curry
Sapporo soup curry is a famous dish of the region and said to cure colds.
FIGURE 47 Sapporo soup curry.
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6.2 More Sapporo sightseeing
FIGURE 48 Sapporo Station again.
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FIGURE 49 A little bridge.
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FIGURE 50 Odori park from the TV Tower.
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FIGURE 51 Random views from the TV Tower.
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6.3 Dinner: Crab
We went to the Michelin-starred Hanasaki for extreme crab eating!
We had an immense king crab. Arthropod meat degrades within minutes so it is imperative to eat raw crab quickly. The chef cut off the legs of the crab and we alternated between taking a bite of a segment and the chef dipping the remaining crab leg in hot water to cook it further. So the first bite was completely raw but the leg became progressively cooked with each bite. It was very delicious and I have never had anything like that before.
FIGURE 52 My friend holding the giant crab. He (the friend) is like 195 cm tall.
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FIGURE 53 Yubari King melon.
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FIGURE 54 Nighttime Sapporo.
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7 2017-08-17: Osaka
We grabbed a miso ramen and then flew to Osaka.
FIGURE 55 Miso ramen.
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FIGURE 56 Line scan photo of the Nankai 6000 series.
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FIGURE 57 Nankai line in Osaka.
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7.1 Umeda Sky Building
I went to take pictures from the Umeda Sky Building!
FIGURE 58 Amazing bridges.
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FIGURE 59 Hazy sunset.
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FIGURE 60 Blue hour view of a highway that goes through a building.
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FIGURE 61 Bridges again but it’s blue hour.
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FIGURE 62 More blue hour.
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7.2 Dinner: Tasting menu
We went to the Michelin-starred Kamoshiya Kusumoto for dinner.
FIGURE 63 Uni ice cream.
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FIGURE 64 Some tasty sashimi.
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FIGURE 65 Grilled Ayu.
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FIGURE 66 Some more tasty sashimi.
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FIGURE 67 Foam.
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FIGURE 68 Noodle.
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8 2017-08-18: Kyoto
Prior to going to Kyoto for a day trip, we had a quick bite of takoyaki.
FIGURE 69 Takoyaki.
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8.1 Fushimi Inari
FIGURE 70 Tori.
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FIGURE 71 A lot of tori.
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FIGURE 72 Small tori models.
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FIGURE 73 Serene mosquito breeding ground.
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FIGURE 74 Smaller tori models.
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FIGURE 75 I had to wait a while to get this shot without tourists in it.
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8.2 Various Kyoto sightseeing
FIGURE 76 Matcha roll cake.
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FIGURE 77 A surface train station very reminiscent of Kyoto Animation works.
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FIGURE 78 Yasaka Shrine.
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FIGURE 79 A random street.
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FIGURE 80 More shrine.
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FIGURE 81 Shrine.
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FIGURE 82 Sanmon Gate.
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8.3 Dinner: Kaiseki
We went to Soujiki Nakahigashi. It is known for traditional Kyoto cuisine with a focus on vegetables but it also has some meat/fish dishes.
FIGURE 83 The menu.
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FIGURE 84 Some veggie jellies and stuff.
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FIGURE 85 Whatever it is, it is very delicious and you can find out what it is by reading the handwritten menu above.
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FIGURE 86 Grilled ayu.
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FIGURE 87 Vegetable goo.
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FIGURE 88 Some fish roe bricks or something.
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FIGURE 89 Vegetables.
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FIGURE 90 Mushrooms or something.
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FIGURE 91 Noodle.
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FIGURE 92 Small fish.
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FIGURE 93 Dessert.
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8.4 Back to Osaka
FIGURE 94 Nighttime strolling in Kyoto before heading to the station.
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FIGURE 95 Train ride back.
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9 2017-08-19: Osaka
Kushikatsu, or fried skewers, are a specialty of Osaka (which is generally known for their fried foods in general).
FIGURE 96 Kushikatsu.
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FIGURE 97 Dotonbori river.
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FIGURE 98 Glico man.
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FIGURE 99 Osaka skyscrapers.
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FIGURE 100 Shin Osaka station.
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FIGURE 101 A random mall.
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9.1 Dinner: Wagyu
We went to Wagyu Matsushita for wagyu!
FIGURE 102 Niku sushi.
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FIGURE 103 MEAT!!!!
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FIGURE 104 Dotonbori neon gate.
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10 2017-08-20: Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka
10.1 Himeji
We took the Shinkansen to Fukuoka, with stops in Himeji and Hiroshima.
FIGURE 105 Shinkansen N700 series, area scan photo.
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At Himeji Station, I took a line scan photo of an N700A series.
FIGURE 106 Shinkansen N700 Series, line scan photo.
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FIGURE 107 Himeji castle.
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10.2 Riding the train
FIGURE 108 Asahi river, Okayama, seen from the Shinkansen.
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FIGURE 109 A train depot.
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FIGURE 110 A waste incineration plant.
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10.3 Hiroshima
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FIGURE 112 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
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10.4 Fukuoka
For dinner we had basashi, or raw horse meat! I am not a huge fan — it was chewy and much worse than wagyu beef in every way.
FIGURE 113 Horse sashimi.
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FIGURE 114 This one was beef I think.
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FIGURE 115 The Naka river.
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11 2017-08-21: Fukuoka
11.1 Lunch: Tonkotsu ramen
FIGURE 116 Cool how they drape the meat on the sides.
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11.2 Dinner: Izakaya
We went to an izakaya called Kiharu no Gomasabaya.
FIGURE 117 Slightly grilled fish.
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FIGURE 118 Sardine sashimi or something.
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FIGURE 119 Arancini.
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FIGURE 120 Tamagoyaki.
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FIGURE 121 Grilled fish.
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12 2017-08-22: Ibusuki
FIGURE 122 A Ki-Ha diesel multiple unit.
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FIGURE 123 View from Ibusuki station.
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For lunch we had Tousenkyou Soumen Nagashi but I didn’t take any photos since I was too busy catching noodles.
We enjoyed a great sand bath. However, sand is coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere so I didn’t risk bringing my camera.
12.1 Dinner: Ryokan
We stayed at the amazing Shusuien.
FIGURE 124 Very small fish sashimi.
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FIGURE 125 Braised pork.
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FIGURE 126 Steamed egg.
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FIGURE 127 Lobster.
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13 2017-08-23: Kagoshima
FIGURE 128 Line scan photo of the Ibusuki no Tamatebako. The train is half black and half white and this is the white side.
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FIGURE 129 A canal.
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13.1 Lunch: Katsu
FIGURE 130 The place where we originally wanted to get lunch wasn’t available so we got katsu instead. Still delicious.
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13.2 Kagoshima sightseeing
FIGURE 131 A random mall.
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FIGURE 132 Arcade of said random mall.
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FIGURE 133 Sakurajima volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and a symbol of Kagoshima.
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FIGURE 134 Kagoshima skyline.
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FIGURE 135 A nice gate.
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FIGURE 136 Close up of said gate.
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FIGURE 137 Amazingly shaped plant.
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14 2017-08-24: Back to Tokyo
FIGURE 138 Fuji mountain from the airplane.
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14.1 Dinner: Yakitori
We went to Torie for some really delicious and fancy yakitori.
FIGURE 139 Yakitori.
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FIGURE 140 Yakitori.
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FIGURE 141 Chicken balls.
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15 2017-08-25: Tsukiji and Ginza
We went to the Tsukiji fish market.
FIGURE 142 Building near the fish market.
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FIGURE 143 Tamagoyaki.
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FIGURE 144 Kinmedai.
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FIGURE 145 Wasabi.
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15.1 Breakfast: fish
FIGURE 146 Fish.
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After lunch the fish market is relatively empty since it is busiest in the early morning. Still, there was a lot going on.
FIGURE 147 Tsukiji.
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FIGURE 148 Tsukiji.
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15.2 Second breakfast: tuna
FIGURE 149 Tuna sushi.
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15.3 Ginza
FIGURE 150 Ginza.
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FIGURE 151 Ginza.
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15.4 Lunch: Tempura
We went to the acclaimed and fancy Tenpura Kondo. Unlike lesser tempura places, this one gets its fish fresh from Tsukiji and lightly fries it so that the fish taste is preserved and the inside is exquisitely tender.
FIGURE 152 Shrimp heads.
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FIGURE 153 Eggplant.
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FIGURE 154 Fish.
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FIGURE 155 Fish.
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15.5 Roppongi
We went up Mori tower.
FIGURE 156 Tokyo Tower.
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FIGURE 157 Skyline of Tokyo.
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Then we somehow went back to Shinjuku.
FIGURE 158 Shinjuku.
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15.6 Dinner: Teppanyaki
For dinner we went back to Ginza, at the amazing Ukai Tei.
FIGURE 159 Sashimi.
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FIGURE 160 Lobster.
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FIGURE 161 Lobster.
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FIGURE 162 Eggplant.
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FIGURE 163 Wagyu.
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16 2017-08-26: Tokyo
We hung out in Akihabara.
FIGURE 164 Sega escalators.
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16.1 Lunch: Katsudon
For lunch I got a katsudon.
FIGURE 165 Katsudon.
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For dessert we got this bread thing.
FIGURE 166 Extreme stuffed toast.
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16.2 Dinner: Tsuta
We went to the Michelin-starred Tsuta, probably the most famous ramen restaurant in the world. It was pretty good I thought but my friends were less impressed.
FIGURE 167 Michelin starred ramen! What a time to be alive!
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FIGURE 168 Nighttime scene.
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17 2017-08-27: Chiba
17.1 Lunch: Omurice
FIGURE 169 Beef omurice with demi glace. The chef handed me this plate but I was struggling to put away my camera and he got really impatient and slammed it in front of me. I felt bad. Still tasty.
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FIGURE 170 Seafood omurice.
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17.2 Chiba sightseeing
FIGURE 171 Club Trump.
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FIGURE 172 Chiba monorail.
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FIGURE 173 Chiba monorail.
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FIGURE 174 Some kind of a dome.
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17.3 The flight back
Unfortunately, despite showing up hours ahead of time, they wouldn’t let us check in to our flight. Earlier, we also tried online check in but their website had a problem. As a consequence we had to take the next flight which necessitated a transfer in Hawaii. In fact, when we got to the gate, we found that our original flight hadn’t even began boarding yet, but oh well, more time for eating food!!!
We got a really delicious tekka don at the airport.
FIGURE 175 Tuna.
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We were shocked that the Honolulu airport didn’t have air conditioning everywhere, and the food there was very bad.
FIGURE 176 Honolulu airport.