a girl with her arms outstretched says arigato Alt: a girl with her arms outstretched says arigato

We’re back in Canada, so Japanese people can now mark themselves safe from having to listen to me mangle their language in an attempt to be polite.

And cook differently, too.

Osaka Castle

The view from the top of Osaka Castle

Shitenno-ji temple

The pagoda of Shitenno-ji temple

Osaka today.

A Torii right outside the deer shrine

Me just outside the massive Todaii-ji temple

The giant Vairocana statue housed inside Todai-ji

An absolutely enormous temple bell.

Other Nara highlights

As a side effect of my LASIK and mild regression in only one eye, I CAN read without them, but it gives me a headache after a few hours so .. glasses.

Feeding the bowing deer of Nara 🦌

If I end up in a Japanese jail, just know it’s because I’ve been hanging around too many French people who don’t believe in queuing, and I finally snapped.

Aaron in front of lurid Japanese street signs

A 3-d sign of a Japanese man making a face that would be considered r*cist in North America.

A giant neon clown who will haunt your dreams later

A sign featuring an octopus who is far too excited about being made into dinner.

From Osaka, with love.

Lady in Osaka (LiO): I’ve been to Canada. Canadians are so bright and gentle.

Us: And Japanese people have been very kind to us during our stay.

LiO: *Incredulous look* Really‽

💀

One of the altars at the temple

Dogen shrine

Temple garden

Me with a Year of the Horse screen. I was born on a horse year so I had to strike a pose.

Tenryuji Temple.

A mom monkey and her baby

A monkey looking pensive

Me feeding a monkey some apple bits

Later, we climbed a mountain to see some monkeys 🐒. You are allowed to feed them food from inside a special hut.

Me, in a bamboo grove

The bamboo grove in question

Hi from the Arashiyama bamboo grove 🎋

Broilmance.

The Silver Pavillion

A rock garden

The moss garden

Me, just outside the Silver Pavillion

We opted out of the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion) crowds and went to Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavillon) instead.

Aaron in the gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha

Torii Gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha

Got any of dem … red torii gates? ⛩️

Aaron, fondling some tea bushes (with the farmer’s permission).

More tea fields

The inside of a local Shingon temple. Guess what? It’s partially dedicated to chado.

The famous Byōdō-in temple.

Today was all tea fields and temples.

On my way to Kyoto on a very very fast train 🚆

Challenging myself to avoid panic every time I’m in that kind of crowd.

I did the whole Shibuya Crossing thing today, and didn’t have a crowd-related panic attack. *Tiny claps for me*

Aaron, looking soggy and tired by a blooming cherry tree.

A steam and blooming cherry trees

Moist regards from this rainy Japanese village.

Beautiful beautiful babies

Two handkerchiefs; one with an octopus and the other with a heron.

Not a sight, yet cheap but cute Japanese handkerchiefs/hand towels had to be shared.

Senso-ji temple

Giant lantern at the temple gate

Main altar (very Tendai-coded, although the temple went independent in the 1950s)

A ceiling painting of Kannon, the temple’s main “diety” (Bodhisattva).

Tokyo this morning.

The (metaphorical) devil’s angle.

I don’t think it’s unhealthy to enjoy a spot of external validation from time to time (so long as it doesn’t become our whole personality).

And 48, I’ve gotten quite picky about my selfie angles 🤣.

Decorated rice barrels

A Tori gate

A Shinto shrine

A tall pagoda with some cherry blossoms

Some things and stuff of Tokyo 🌸

Hey listen I grew up in a house without mixer taps so I’m definitely feeling you 🤣

I guess there is a first time for everything.

By everything, I mean having a toilet sing a little song while it washes your bum.

I must say, 15 hours of travel is quite draining