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[diamondlife]

OK, here's my Japan photo post! Turns out there's only 86 photos I wanted to post, lol. There's also a loooot of temples and gardens, because, well, I like temples and gardens a lot. I never got bored of them.

I guess I didn't take enough photos of silly stuff like food and crack, lol. But there's a few fannish ones too. There's a few where I have no idea where they are, in particular where I went to a sequence of similar-looking places one after the other, but with the help of my guidebook I think I got most of them right! I've also tried to add captions too, but they're mainly along the lines of "This place was great!" so probably less than helpful. XD

If I was to really pare down the stuff I did into a list of must-sees, it would probably go something like this:

- Hiroshima. Enough said.
- Koya-san. Staying in a temple was just such an atmospheric experience!
- Himeji Castle. It's a cliche, but that's for a reason!
- Shopping in Harajuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro.
- Yoyogi Park on a Sunday, catching the amateur bands.
- Kanazawa, for its garden and wonderfully preserved (and un-touristy) historical districts.
- Umeda, Osaka, for the atmosphere. I loved wandering the arcades in the evening!
- Kamakura, for its stunning collection of temples (much quieter and better for exploring than Kyoto!)

Soooo much left to do next time. :D Can't wait to go back! ☆

Asakusa: Senso-ji 1 Loads of photos of here cos it was the first temple I visited XD	Asakusa: Senso-ji 2
Asakusa: Senso-ji 3	Asakusa: Asakusa-jinja
Asakusa: Senso-ji 4	Asakusa: Senso-ji 5
Asakusa: 5-storey pagoda	Asakusa: precinct
Tokyo: Meiji Jingu Gorgeous irises - they were in season when I arrived.	Tokyo: Hama Rikyu Teien
Tokyo: Hama Rikyu Teien 2 Also beautiful azaleas.	Niigata 2nd June. :D
Kamakura Incredible collection of temples in Kamakura - much better than Kyoto, in my opinion.	Kamakura2
Kamakura3	Kamakura? Probably
Osaka: Penguins in the aquarium Sorry, they look a bit stuffed. ^^' (Subaru said he and Ryo and Yasu went to the aquarium when they were on a break in filming, the week after I was there - are these the same penguins??)	Osaka: jellyfish in the aquarium
Osaka castle ...I don't remember the pond, but it must be Osaka! The castle looks lovely but I was kind of more excited to see the Jo Hall (where Spirits was filmed *cough*)	Osaka: Shitennouji One of the best value temples I visited, actually! Lovely collection of treasures.
Osaka: Shitennouji 2	Osaka: Shitennouji 3
Hiroshima: Shukkeien Gorgeous little garden.	Hiroshima: Genbaku Dome
Hiroshima: Peace Park Visit Hiroshima. Absolute must-see when in Japan.	Hiroshima: random temple Note gold statue. Very pretty little ordinary temple I found along the temple trail I did in Hiroshima.
Hiroshima: view from the peace monument on the mountain This peace monument was completely unsigned, at the top of the mountain. I can't even remember what it looked like! #^^#	Hiroshima: random shrine coming down the mountain So striking, and entirely randomly stumbled upon!
Miyajima: Itsukushima-jinja torii	Miyajima: Senjokaku (I think) This place was full of old paintings, but most of my photos didn't come out so good.
Matsuyama: Ninomaru Shiseki Teien Intriguingly laid-out garden on Shikoku.	Matsuyama: Dogo Onsen Not really that special, but it was nice.
Kanazawa: Kenrokuen	Kanazawa: Kenrokuen2 Best garden I saw in Japan.
Kanazawa: Kenrokuen3	Kanazawa: Kenrokuen4
Kanazawa: Kenrokuen5	Kanazawa: Kenrouken6 From the tea house.
Kanazawa: Samurai district Just normal houses now - you'd pass people on bikes going home from work.	Kanazawa: samurai house How awesome must it be to live here?!
Nara: Kofukuji 5-storey pagoda	Nara: Todaiji (I think)
Nara All the statues in Nara were fascinating to me, but you couldn't take photos of many.	Nara: the Great Buddha Sorry, crappy photo, but it's very impressive.
Nara: Nandaimon	Nara: Kasuga taisha
Nara: Yakushiji (probably, or possibly Horyuji)	Nara: Yakushiji
Nara: Yakushiji	Koya-san: my room at Rengejoin Where I stayed in the monastery.
Koya-san: my room Note TV. XD (I watched JaniBen!)	Matsumoto: Matsumoto castle The Crow Castle.
Matsumoto: Matsumoto Castle2	Tokyo: outside the Sakura Hostel Damn creepy. o.o This is on the side of the (incredibly seedy) amusement park!
Harajuku: shirt that made me think of Jackie XD Bearclaw! XD XD XD Pedobear strikes again...	Nikko: Taiyuin-byo Gorgeous quiet little temple, resting place of Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Nikko: Taiyuin-byo2	Nikko: Taiyuin-byo3
Nikko: Tosho-gu	Nikko: Tosho-gu 3 wise monkeys
Nikko: feeding killer koi They'd have your finger off!	Nikko: ...a garden
Nikko: a snaaaake	Shizuoka: Aino "This is where we shot the giant."
Shizuoka: Ecopa Arena 27th July, Kanjani8 :D Between concerts.	Hakodate (I think): Jesus coffee This *must* be Hakodate, that place is full of inappropriate Christian imagery. That and squid.
Hakodate: Sacred Burger Mmm... sacrelicious.	Hakodate: The Last Supper The rather terrifying Lucky Pierrot.
Kyoto: Nijo Castle Gorgeous interior paintings.	Kyoto: Nijo Castle 2
Himeji: Castle Stunning castle, lives up to its reputation.	Himeji: Koko-en Indian lilacs.
Himeji: Koko-en	Himeji: Koko-en
Kyoto: Kinkakuji The famous golden temple. It's very... golden.	Kyoto: Ryoanji Water lilies in bloom.
Kyoto: Ginkakuji zen garden Raked white sand and cone.	Kyoto: Heian-jingu Beautiful Chinese-style shrine.
Kyoto: Heian-jingu garden	Harajuku: Massu & Tegoshi My last day in Tokyo, I lost all shame and took fannish photos. Well, the Japanese people were doing it too!
Harajuku: NEWS	Harajuku: Ryo & Kei
Harajuku: Shige	Shibuya: YamaPi & Ryo
Shibuya: 24 hour TV	Narita ;_; Last photo in Japan!