Photo Journal: Japan 2005

Hello, friend! I am going to tell you about an amazing trip that I took a few weeks ago. It was to the faraway land of Japan. I saw many magical sights and met many friendly people there. Maybe you were one of them! And because I want to give both my English- and non-English-speaking friends good practice with their vocabulary, I will tell this story in as obscure and erudite language as possible. Just kidding! Better cinch up your kimonos, though, because we'll be going quickly...

Okayama and Kyoto

Simply put, Japan is a beautiful country. I know of no other place where they serve cold and hot tea from street vending machines. (And that's just for starters!) It was a real treat to experience this country, both for its mysterious symmetries and humorous idiosyncrasies. In addition, it is extremely easy to travel almost anywhere. The Japanese train system beats both planes and automobiles hands-down. Besides the local commuter lines which connect neighborhoods and towns, the shinkansen - bullet trains - run regularly between all the major cities at approximately 99.2% of the speed of light. Of course, tickets cost a lot, but where else can you (legally) travel as fast as an Indy 500 racing car without breaking a sweat?

With the help of my handy shinkansen, I was able to traverse much of western Honshu in style and ease. I spent most of my time in Okayama with Jeremy, my long-time American friend from Taylor University, who is currently teaching English and working with a church there. On my second day in the country, the two of us headed to Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan. Walking from castle to temple to shrine, we took in many of the beautiful gardens and architectural designs of this fascinating city. Unfortunately, we only had one day to visit as many of the sites and see as many of the sights as we could. From a religious studies perspective, this was like walking into a candy store with only a nickel (¥5). I managed to grab a few photos of the scenery, though, which you can browse below:

Continue on to read of a mystery wrapped inside an enigma...