Trip to Japan (2017)

2024-06-10

In August 2017, my friends and I went to Japan!

View of Tokyo Tower from the Mori building.

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

Upon arriving, we grabbed a quick meal at Yoshinoya. It was delicious! We stayed in an AirBnB on Odaiba.

2 2017-08-12: Tokyo sightseeing

2.1 Asakusa

Asakusa visitor's center. — Asakusa visitor’s center.

2.2 Tokyo University

Then we went to Tokyo University. One of my friends was interning there.

2.3 Shinjuku

We walked around Kabukicho.

The ubiquitous (at the time) Toyota Crown Comfort cabs.

2.4 Dinner: Izakaya

For dinner we went to Kaikaya.

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.

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.

3.1 Dinner: Loach

We went to Komakata dojou to eat loach. I had never eaten loach before.

Rainbow bridge again at night. Look at the beautiful sunstars from the Apo Lanthar.

4 2017-08-14: Sapporo

We flew to Sapporo!

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.

Intersection viewed from the Sapporo TV Tower.

4.1 Dinner: Traditional

We went to Oga traditional, which makes traditional Hokkaido food.

Saba oshizushi. Somehow we got this even though it is a specialty of the Kansai region instead.

5 2017-08-15: Otaru

Sapporo Shiryokan viewed from across the Sunken Garden.

We took the Hakodate main line to Otaru.

Otaru is known for its seafood.

Arctic surf clams. I would later have the joy of eating one in 2024.

5.1 Lunch: Kaisen don

We went to Kitano donburiya takinami shokudou in the Triangle market.

5.2 Otaru sightseeing

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.

5.3 Back to Sapporo

A performance for the Makoto Shinkai exhibition.

5.4 Dinner: Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan, or jingisukan, is a genre of Japanese yakiniku. This one probably was at Daruma.

6 2017-08-16: Sapporo

Hello kitty road dividers just before leaving Sapporo.

6.1 Lunch: Soup curry

Sapporo soup curry is a famous dish of the region and said to cure colds.

6.2 More Sapporo sightseeing

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.

My friend holding the giant crab. He (the friend) is like 195 cm tall.

7 2017-08-17: Osaka

We grabbed a miso ramen and then flew to Osaka.

Line scan photo of the Nankai 6000 series.

7.1 Umeda Sky Building

I went to take pictures from the Umeda Sky Building!

Blue hour view of a highway that goes through a building.

Bridges again but it's blue hour. — Bridges again but it’s blue hour.

7.2 Dinner: Tasting menu

We went to the Michelin-starred Kamoshiya Kusumoto for dinner.

8 2017-08-18: Kyoto

Prior to going to Kyoto for a day trip, we had a quick bite of takoyaki.

8.1 Fushimi Inari

I had to wait a while to get this shot without tourists in it.

8.2 Various Kyoto sightseeing

A surface train station very reminiscent of Kyoto Animation works.

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.

Whatever it is, it is very delicious and you can find out what it is by reading the handwritten menu above.

8.4 Back to Osaka

Nighttime strolling in Kyoto before heading to the station.

9 2017-08-19: Osaka

Kushikatsu, or fried skewers, are a specialty of Osaka (which is generally known for its fried foods in general).

9.1 Dinner: Wagyu

We went to Wagyu Matsushita for wagyu!

10 2017-08-20: Himeji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka

10.1 Himeji

We took the Shinkansen to Fukuoka, with stops in Himeji and Hiroshima.

Shinkansen N700 series, area scan photo.

At Himeji Station, I took a line scan photo of an N700A series.

Shinkansen N700 Series, line scan photo.

10.2 Riding the train

Asahi river, Okayama, seen from the Shinkansen.

10.3 Hiroshima

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.

11 2017-08-21: Fukuoka

11.1 Lunch: Tonkotsu ramen

Cool how they drape the meat on the sides.

11.2 Dinner: Izakaya

We went to an izakaya called Kiharu no Gomasabaya.

12 2017-08-22: Ibusuki

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.

13 2017-08-23: Kagoshima

Line scan photo of the Ibusuki no Tamatebako. The train is half black and half white and this is the white side.

13.1 Lunch: Katsu

The place where we originally wanted to get lunch wasn't available so we got katsu instead. Still delicious. — The place where we originally wanted to get lunch wasn’t available so we got katsu instead. Still delicious.

13.2 Kagoshima sightseeing

Sakurajima volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and a symbol of Kagoshima.

14 2017-08-24: Back to Tokyo

14.1 Dinner: Yakitori

We went to Torie for some really delicious and fancy yakitori.

15 2017-08-25: Tsukiji and Ginza

We went to the Tsukiji fish market.

15.1 Breakfast: fish

After breakfast the fish market is relatively empty since it is busiest in the early morning. Still, there was a lot going on.

15.2 Second breakfast: tuna

15.3 Ginza

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.

15.5 Roppongi

We went up Mori tower.

Then we somehow went back to Shinjuku.

15.6 Dinner: Teppanyaki

For dinner we went back to Ginza, at the amazing Ukai Tei.

16 2017-08-26: Tokyo

We hung out in Akihabara.

16.1 Lunch: Katsudon

For lunch I got a katsudon.

For dessert we got this bread thing.

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.

Michelin starred ramen! What a time to be alive!

17 2017-08-27: Chiba

17.1 Lunch: Omurice

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.

17.2 Chiba sightseeing

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 begun boarding yet, but oh well, more time for eating food!!!

We got a really delicious tekka don at the airport.

We were shocked that the Honolulu airport didn’t have air conditioning everywhere, and the food there was very bad.