I’m a sucker for old Japanese movie posters like these that you can find reproductions of outside trendy pubs, though originals are a lot harder to come by. (Perhaps someone whose Japanese is better than mine can translate them for me???) I find it striking that in Japan, most things are either REALLY old (like, hundreds of years old) or come from the last forty years; there’s very little remaining from the post-war period into the 1960s, though I occasionally stumble upon pockets of older buildings or advertisements in larger cities. (If you’re interested in 1950s Japan, I highly recommend this Atlantic collection of cool period photos of daily life.)
(Also, if you’re just joining in, this is Part III of my own series of Japan photos, so you can start with Series 1 here.)
View of Kurobe Gorge in eastern Toyama. The most beautiful part of the prefecture I’ve seen, in fall it was insanely crowded with leaf-peepers riding the cog railway to the top. Breathtaking views, a decent hike, and tons of cool dams make this a must-see.
An open hot spring where black, sulfur-filled water (the entire area reeked of rotten eggs) flows into the mountain river. While the river itself was pleasantly warm, the pools around it were boiling lava-hot from the hot spring water, and I admire the courage of this group who stopped to dip their feet.
Another fish market. One common sight I never get tired of are the seafood sections of grocery stores, which are full of all different kinds of fish in all different forms (fish, portioned, sliced as sashimi, etc.) plus octopus, squid, crab, shrimp, and everything else. If you’re ever broke in Japan, you can always save money by gutting your own fish.
Holy place atop a mountain in western Yamanashi prefecture. The mountains of Japan are full of these old stone carvings where the Japanese is so old most people today can’t read it. This site is a popular pilgrimage spot.
View of Mt. Fuji from further down the trail. I lived in Yamanashi during my first time teaching in Japan, and Fuji was visible from just about everywhere, including my balcony.
Kiyosato station in western Yamanashi, made up to look like something out of Switzerland.
A lunch set at a Toyama seaside restaurant. The fried things in the upper left are tiny and delicious shiro ebi (white shrimp), while one of the tiny bowls on the upper right is ika sumi, or squid ink (gross on its own but good as a pasta sauce).
Great Buddha statue in Takaoka, Toyama, one of the three Great Buddhas of Japan. What the guidebooks won’t tell you is that the other two Buddhas are WAY bigger and cooler, but the Takaoka one is nice because it’s not crowded, in the middle of the city, and you can actually go inside and see some cool old religious art.
Snowy day in Takaoka.
More grocery store fish. I’m not sure why these were hung so prominently near the front entrance around Christmastime, but here they are, going for around $60 each.
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