January in Japan

I spent January 2012 Tokyo, Japan interning at a Japanese advertising agency. Beforehand I spent some time in Osaka and Kyoto, the region where I studied abroad in 2010. Here are some highlights of my travels.

Kiyomizudera 清水寺

Kiyomizu is one of the oldest, most beautiful, and most popular temples in Kyoto. It was constructed entirely without the use of nails. Legend has it that if you jump off the deck and survive the 13 meter fall, your life dream will come true.
Full post here.

Kiyomizu temple

Friends

Osaka Aquarium 海遊館

In Japanese, the Osaka Aquarium is called the ocean (海) play (遊) building (館), and it certainly lives up to its name. I went there with one of my friends I met while studying abroad and saw more sea creatures than I think I ever have in one place at a time.
Full post here.

The Osaka Aquarium

A jellyfish

A whale shark

Two seals kissing

Hatsumōde in Nara 奈良の初詣

For the ritual of Hatsumōde, the first shrine visiting of the year, my wonderfully generous friend Shintaro’s family took me to Nara, home to the biggest Buddha statue in the world and an army of ill-tempered deer.
Full post here.

Lights at the shrine

Jeff and a deer

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社

A place I never got the chance to visit while I was studying abroad, Fushimi Inari is home to over 1000 tori gates.
Full post here.

Gates at Fushimi Inari

More gates at Fushimi Inari

Umeda Sky Building 梅田スカイビル

One of the tallest buildings in the Osaka skyline, it has a 360-degree observatory at the top.

Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building

Looking down from the Umeda Sky Building

Tokyo Skyline

One day I traveled over to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo bay that houses the Fuji TV Headquarters.

Seeing Tokyo tower through the windows of the Fuji TV building.

Mt. Fuji in the distance.

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