Japan 2013
Thank goodness for Japan's incredible rail system. Its high-speed Shinkansen trains are known the world over, and are a source of national pride. But even the tiniest of little locals, bouncing along some pretty bumpy track, still ran like clockwork. For frequency and punctuality, Japan is right up there with France and Germany. And Britain is the only country we've seen that comes anywhere near close to the variety of different train companies and colorful trains. We also can't say enough about the rail passes we bought prior to our trip. They seemed expensive upfront, but saved us literally hundreds of dollars in the long run, and made hopping on and off all kinds of trains pleasantly convenient. Don't go to Japan without one.
One final note: Brian's father-in-law, Logan Bryant (known in our household as Poppa) visited Japan during an R&R trip while serving in Korea. He picked up four prints, one for each season of the year. Traditionally, Japanese houses would have a similar set of prints, displaying one at a time, according to the season. Poppa's prints passed to Stacee (and then to Brian) and we had them prominently displayed in our Dublin house. It just so happens that Poppa's prints are all famous landmarks in Kyoto. And while we didn't plan it this way, we ended up seeing all four of these sites on our trip. Included in this gallery are photos of each of Poppa's prints, right next to the photo of the actual place.
Day 3: Kyoto - how 'bout a cold one? There are vending machines EVERYWHERE (in this case, right in someone's driveway). Very convenient, and also convenient was the fact that every vending machine has recycle bins located next to it (to the left of the machine in this photo). It made it nice for us, because we would never have to carry a bottle very far. However, we did notice a scarcity of garbage cans. If that's the country's way of subtly encouraging less consumer waste, we'd say it's a great idea. As we were making purchases, we actually stopped and thought about the possibility that we might have to carry the packaging around for an extended period of time.
This photo is also great for showing the contrast of ancient vs. modern that Japan is so famous for. Both these buildings are houses, yet the one on the left is totally modern, and the one on the right completely traditional, right down to the swooping tile roof.
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