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Well, I have to admit that it is not that obvious but I added more than just one blog entry with two pictures last night.
If you go on the MAIN PAGE you will find all my blog entries with a couple of pictures. There are even some more pictures if you check out the following link:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/oliver_f/tags/Japan/
Or click on the right hand side on OLIVER_F and then you will see the PHOTOGRAPHY link appearing.
By for now,
Oliver

Have a look of what a privilege it is to stay at Makoto and Tomoko's house!
As you can seen they really take care of me. Tomoko's kitchen is best. Prepared with attention and in a traditional way. 大好き! (I love it ...)

とても美味しい!

Just a few bus and train stations away is "Shinsekai". The hot spot for Electronic consumer goods and gambling shops. I have never seen so much electronics in one spot. There is such an overflow of colours and information, it's like carnival.

Makoto-San and me in Shinsekai

Men, when we are talking about "a world of consumption"... well I really wonder who can buy all this stuff! Don't tell anybody that I'm a designer that creates all this stuff...

Lots of peolpe...

Fashion victim...

A famous advertising: don't ask me why.

As soon as you enter one of these gambling place or "game-centa" as they are called a deafening noise of falling coins knocks you out. Hee hee, I don't have to describe the king of guys erring in those places.

What a geometry!

Funny building in Osaka

Well, I could borrow Tomoko's bicycle, it was a little small: just imagine me on a tiny race bike... Maybe I have to mention here that it was my first time cycling one left-hand traffic. Plus that there is actually no precise traffic regulation for bicyles as far as I could understand. If you're fast you ride on the lane the cars which are driving in the same direction. If you ride on one of those "mama-tsharry" as they call the bicycle with the little basket on the handle-bar, you can drive against the traffic or on the "pavement". It can lead to some funny situations.
In the north of Toyonaka there is this little city called Minoh. And after Minoh it gets hilly. As I was climbing the steepness of the hill there are a couple a monkeys playing crazy on the road about two meter away from me...

Monkey on the road... ups

How would you react? I felt something like fear and excitement. Of course my next reaction was to grab my camera! Hee hee, nice one!

Ok, that one was not on the road but really cute

Then I found this trail leading to the Minoh park. Quite nice with it's water fall at the end of the trail. The only pity was that the main part of the way was asphalted... thus I didn't have the full feeling of nature : (

Minoh park's water fall.

Last Sunday I had once more a private tour guides in Kyoto, a city about one hour away from my place. Kyoto is THE place to go for culture. There are many handcrafts done and almost countless shrines.
With Makoto-San and Tomoko-San we first had a walk thru the market where crafts and food is sold. Some of the food looks very yammi, some less...


Market, Kyoto

Do you need a bowl or something ...?

Funny guy at the fish stand

We had a look at the Aritsugu blacksmith shop where they sell expensive kitchen knives. This family makes these knives since over 400 years! I guess they know their business. www.aritsugu.com

Tomoko and Makoto at the "Aritsuge" knive store

Then we went for to this very exquisite restaurant and had delicious tiny dishes to taste. That was best! Could unfortunately not take pictures... not very polite in the restaurants... but I'm sure you can imagine.

With a full belly we walked in direction to the shrines. Quite impressive. Tiny streets, traditional houses, little stores and plenty of religious buildings. There quite many Japanese and foreign tourists on the street. Even some fake "geishas" were touring.

Entrance of the main temple.

Main temple of Kyoto.

The cherry blossom is shyly starting.

On the way back we had quite the unique chance to see a "maiko" "apprentice geisha" and an older "geisha". I was told the this was that this was her first time wearing the "kinomo" for performance. Ehmm, could you walk in those sandals?

Maiko and geisha

Close up's with a Japanese touch.

Of courses during this one day I could only have a first impression. I'll have to dig deeper next time!