Unorganized

		Imperial Hotel facade, Meiji-mura, Inuyama [2004]
		I've always loved Frank Lloyd Wright's style but would never want to live in one of his homes. The story of his Imperial Hotel, built in Tokyo, is fascinating. It survived the great 1923 earthquake and was a beautiful historic landmark until 1968 when the "New Imperial Hotel" was built. The front entry hall was salvaged from the wrecking ball and rebuilt in a curious theme park in Inuyama called Meiji mura (Meiji village). You can see this marvelous structure along with other remnants of the Meiji era (bring good walking shoes though . . . it's huge!).

		Inuyama Castle, Inuyama [2004]
		Don't come any closer or I'll pelt you with rocks! I make it a point to drag my wife to authentic Japanese castles (of which this is one). Inuyama is not much of a city but the area around the castle is pleasant enough and there is a great view of the town from the castle tower. Be careful . . . castle staff frown upon dropping things on other guests attempting to enter below. I told them the egg accidentally fell from my fingers.

		Takayama shopping street [2004]
		Guidebooks will contain glowing praise about Takayama. It is an old post-town along the mountain road leading from Tokyo to Kyoto. Residents have maintained a historic core with scrupulous concern for appearance. It contains wonderful examples of house architecture for the wealthy merchants of this small town, nestled in the mountains. Ironically, you can buy souvenirs here that seem to be typical of every other history tourism site throughout Japan. It has a Disney-like contrived character about it. Be prepared to spend a lot of ¥.

		Owakudani, Fuji-Hakone region [2004]
		When you go to the Fuji-Hakone region you will likely make a circuit, traveling from Odawara by train, cable car and ropeway over the mountains to Lake Ashinoko. You will be mortified to ride the pirate ship ferries across the lake, landing at Hakone. The ropeway will stop at this sulphurous valley where you can sample hard boiled eggs whose shells have turned black from exposure to sulphur dioxide (I think). Anyway they are darn tasty because the sulphur makes you think of eggs. This obviously would not work if they sold say chocolate ice cream, which they actually do sell inside a larger visitor center.

		Saitama alleyway [2004]
		This is a non-descript alleyway near the Saitama home of my parents-in-law. I wanted to capture the absurd nature of the old street patterns that clearly were not meant for automobiles. The fun part is that cars and trucks go up these streets, politely pulling aside to allow others to pass in the other direction. Add to this a procession of school children and people on bikes and you understand why I was nervous driving my father's car around town.

		Ronald McDonald, Yokohama [2004]
		"I'm lovin' it"

		300 year old farmhouse, Shirakawago [2004]
		Shirakawago is a World Heritage Site famous for these old thatched roof farmhouses set in a remote mountain area. This one was our hotel and it was 300 years old. I would have liked it more if we were not surrounded by noisy people who stayed up late talking and drinking very loudly. The real problem though is that the walls were simply too thin to block sound or light or anything bigger than a molecule.

		"Hot Menu" Vending Machine [2004]
		I saw this vending machine on a highway rest area near Matsumoto. You've got to love a vending machine that has french fries and hot dogs as well as Japanese favorites like takoyaki (octopus bits in a bread-like ball). I want to try the curry-bun! Great for long distance trips.

		Festival [2003]
		This was a festival in the city of Kawagoe. It is a small city, northwest of Tokyo famous for its cluster of historic structure that has earned it the nickname "ko-edo" or little Edo. This festival uses large carts that you don't often see in Japanese festivals. You can see how crowded this was and catch a glimpse of the street vendors that thrive during festivals.

		Tiny car, Saitama prefecture [2004]
		Talk about mini-van! The yellow plate on front warns you that this is a low-power engine (which means lower taxes). When you see the size of Japanese streets and parking spaces, however, you'll realize how eminently practical these cars are.

		Monkey eating crisps, near Nikko [2003]
		I think this picture speaks for itself. Those are shrimp flavored potato sticks, proof that humans are more evolved than monkeys. We can mix seafood and root-vegetables in one food product. All they can do is hurl crap at people. My apologies to the Monkey Anti-defamation League . . . your species are capable of so much more.

		Professor slogging night-soil, Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo [2004]
		The Edo-Tokyo museum is first-rate. It must be one of the best city museums in the world. Here I am interacting with a bucket of crap (two to be precise). Night-soil collectors carried on a brisk business in old Edo and this display allows you to get down and dirty with history. My students will likely come up with a pungent joke about their professor and his ability to deliver feces. Feel free to send me your creative response. Bonus points to the funniest caption and description.