Irashaimase !!!!

Couldn't resist that after being bombarded with it with constantly for the 12 days that I travelled through Japan in Easter 2003. Paradoxically, Japan is both a land of contrasts as well as a land of certain homogeneity. In terms of contrasts, in the same city it is possible to experience both the extreme advances of modern society as well as to taste the sights and smell of a bygone era. In terms of homogeneity, every city I visited during this trip had a certain degree of conformity with every other city in my travels through Japan. It is almost as if town planning was a franchised operation like McDonald's. This is both good and bad. With the homogeneity of the cities, it certainly helps with familiarisation upon the arrival of a new city. On the down side, a city is a city is a city. Even in smaller towns such as Himeji and Nara, one is greeted with the same Japanese enthusiasm for neon lights and shopping districts upon exiting the central station. There is a large chunk of modernity that you have to get through in order to experience the gems of Japan's feudal past.

This is not to say that my experience was not an enjoyable one. Japan, like many countries, needs to be experienced with the five senses. This website is only one-dimensional in this sense as it only offers the various sights that I experienced during my trip. Japan is a photographer's dream. There was so much to shoot. Thankfully I was using a digital camera, otherwise the cost of film and processing would have sent me to the cleaners. Please select a theme below to start exploring this site.

2007 UPDATE : Take a look at my new Tokyo travel portal - TOKYO CENTRAL !