This is actually still a work in progress. When I have time I will add more text, links and organization.

"Amerimura" in the Namba district of Osaka (means America Town).

Amerirmura is a East Village/Washington Square Park kind of place. Various performers did their schtick here.

Some kids were doing a fashion/model shoot or something.

They had cool Sega video arcades. I never go to the ones in America, but I doubt they are this eclectic. One popular game was the dance game. Dance steps scrolled on the screen and sensors lit up on the floor. You had to step on the sensors at the right time. Looks hard.

You rang?

Japanese cops have stylin' cars. There's also some pretty strange cars rolling around.

Nara Park is famous for the tame deer that wander around. For a 100 yen you can buy "deer cookies" from a vendor and the deer will flock to you. One big male deer got greedy and bit Eva's finger so she avoided all but the most docile thereafter.

"Don't fool yourself timmy, given the chance that deer'd eat you and your whole family."

I can't really picture a red-blooded american construction worker operating a sizzling pink and purple machine like this.

Similar to the deer, there were ponds swaming with hungry fish. They would follow you as you walked beside the water, waiting for crumbs.

The Osaka Haagen Daaz ice cream parlor is a popular location. There is a rather burlesque carousel (pictured here), a wind up mechanical piano, and other bizarre goodies. The ladies bathroom stalls have disco lighting and a soundtrack. The ice cream is ok, too

There were a few harbor cruises available in Kobe. We chose a 90 minute ride on a bizarre Avant Garde craft.

Here's a picture of Kobe Harbor. There was some interesting architechture going on.

The owners of the hotel we stayed at had a pet dog named ku-jan out back. Eva would buy him treats and eventually was allowed to take him for walks.

This is the train station in Kyoto. It is a massive station, with a vast number of connecting lines and many shops/restaurants.

This is in a garden located a few blocks north of the Kyoto Eki (train station).

This is a palace located a couple of blocks north of Kyoto Eki.

Across the street from Kyoto Eki is the Kyoto Tower. For a fee (~8$ iirc) you can ride the elevator to the top and gaze out over Kyoto. It's set up better than some other similar attractions I've seen in America, check it out. On the way down there's a collection of cultural exhibits and, for some reason, a fun house mirror.

We went to an amusement park in Nara. It was practically empty, no lines at any of the rides! They had water rides, rollercoasters and Eva's favorite ride at the park: 100 yen gets you a few minutes of giant-animal driving pleasure. Of course, Eva found the Elephant to be quite adorable.

A shot of a monk standing near the Nara Eki.

Rio, took us for a nice ride in Nara and gave us a bit of a guided tour since his English and knowledge of the local history was more than adequate. He also suggested lunch at this small hidden away noodle house. We ended up going back later and it was delicious and charming.

A street scene in Namba. By the way, Namba is where they shot some scenes of the movie Blade Runner

Eva and tubby friend in Amerimura.

Namba bridge.

Namba bridge. You'd think Namba would need a dedicated power station to handle all of the neon and giant video displays.

We visited another old site near Todaiji, of which we did not know the name. Looking at the map now however, I think it is either Nigatsu-do or Sangatsu-do Hall. Maybe both.

I rented a bicycle for a couple of days and got to see much more of Nara. This is a small rice field hidden away in a quiet residential neighborhood. Here's a few more pictures I took while exploring on the bike.

While on my bike, I found a small empty temple far away from the tourist areas in Nara.

Osaka Castle: A very fine castle with interesting history and great views. Recommended.

At Osaka Harbor you can find the world's hugest ferris wheel.

Shijo (means 4th street) in Kyoto is a good train stop. There's a great shopping district and a nice palace with garden nearby. There is also a historically-recreated village but we did not have time to find it. This is a view of the river next to the train station. It is lined with many restaurants with dining overlooks, and young people often crowd the banks to eat and hang-out: Here's some photos of the palace/garden:

The Todaiji Temple, completed in 752 A.D., remains the world's largest wooden building despite the fact that it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1692 at two-thirds of the original size. It is located in lovely Nara Park. There is an old belief that one whoever can crawl through the hole in the support pillar pictured below will receive eternal wisdom. Although Eva was small enough to fit, she opted not to try since her skirt was too short ....proving, perhaps, she was wise enough already.

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