The various Japanese people carrying large long luggage around the station are lugging instruments, not katana.

I knew from my previous trip to Japan that you stand on the left side of the escalator, leaving the right side free for people who want to walk up. Except for Osaka, in which the standing and walking sides are flipped, which leads to rousing games of Spot the Osakan in Tokyo Station and…

Having 500ml (essentially a US pint) of Erdinger Weissbrau (hefe). Tasty!

Japan Post clerk’s reply when I tried to use my credit card to pay to send our souvenirs home: “No. Money.” (said with a smile) I apologized, walked 20′ to the ATM, got some cash, and paid the man.

Seems like a Japanese woman’s skirt is not allowed to be longer than her coat.

At fox shrine in Oji, Tokyo. Apparently holes into the hill are a fox shrine thing. (At Oji Inari Shrine.) Sent from my TRS-80

Despite not being much of a photographer, I accompanied Stephanie on the tour a few days back. It was still pretty fun, even if occasionally our guide tried to direct my photo taking attention in some direction, only for me to find little inspiration that way.

Some of you may remember a couple of months ago, when I was looking for cake recipes for Thanksgiving. I discovered the existence of Baumkuchen then, a cake traditionally cooked on a spit, where you coat it with layers of batter so you end up, when you remove the spit, with a cylindrical cake composed…

They have a Masamune. Fucking. Awesome.

Stephanie: “Two more days of this, then I can sit on my ass and drive around like God intended.”