*Here I am at a festival in Asakusa (in Tokyo).  *The festival street has many rows of shops for gaijin to shop for souvenirs on the way to the temple. *Many different groups carry their mini shrines and traditionally men carry these shines, now it is not uncommon for groups of women or children to be involved. *All over Japan there are vendors that sell these tasty Octopus treats. They have a batter around the Octopus that is pan-fried making it quite tender and tasty with the sweet sauce that it is served with (honest it is good!).

*Many shops sell summer Kimono (yakata) made of a light cotton, the ones in the photo are about $300 CAN, but you can purchase some nice ones for only $100 CAN,  much cheaper than $3000 for a silk kimono. *There are many places that make you feel as though you are not in Tokyo, Odaiba is one of those places for me, . In the background there is the Rainbow Bridge, a very large  suspension bridge that not only carries cars, but a monorail across the Tokyo Port. Also there is a replica Statue of Liberty, the original was rented from France and a copy was made when it was sent back. *Ueno Park is quite amazing at is a fairly large and connects to many other attractions such as a zoo, museums and historical sites. Pictured is a large pond with giant (and I mean HUGE) lily pads. *There is also a small temple inside the park.

*The Sunshine Building in Ikebukuro is an excellent place to see the city from. The building is billed as an enclosed city holding “3132143” on 60 floors. The building contains offices, a shopping center and many restaurants. To view from the top, you pay on the top floor $7-$8 CAN, but well worth it on a clear day as there are no other large buildings directly around it leaving an unobstructed view. *An elevator hostess prepares the elevator for passengers.  *Pictured is one of the entrances into the building, this was taken on a Saturday afternoon, so not especially busy compared to the rush during regular business hours. *Me with the Sunshine Building taken with a very wide angle lens.

*In Ebisu, just one stop past Shibuya, a French Manor was imported. *Sapporo named one of their beers after Ebisu (or the other way around), on this day they we celebrating the launch of a new beer and giving away free “cups” of beer!! Not little cups either. *Here are some friends at Shinjuku park, in Tokyo, you can meet people from all over the world not only just from Japan. *My friends and I went for Japanese Karaoke; it was a private room where there are several microphones, a tambourine and maracas for everyone to have fun.

*On the island of Shikoku, I saw the Matuyama castle. I have heard people say that they did not like it because it is dark, but I thought it was quite nice and very authentic compared to the Okayama castle. *A doll from a display case in the castle. *Samurai armor on display, this was the first of three displays I had seen in Japan and this was the best one. *One of the views from the top floor of the castle of the city.

*Okayama castle, this castle is quite large, unfortunately when it was restored (the original was burnt to the ground in an air raid in WWII) the inside was made to be very modern with linoleum floor, drywall, elevator and air conditioning! Not exactly authentic, but a fantastic building viewed from the outside. *Koi fish in the Korakuen, across the bridge from the castle. *A close up of one of the golden roof figurines. *A Light Castle at Tivoli Park.