Father Morning

I have a new blog

2009-01-09T15:23:00.001-05:00

I am no longer posting on this blog.
Click here to go to my new blog.

nyc

2008-11-13T10:40:00.002-05:00

belmar, nj

2008-11-13T10:38:00.002-05:00

bradley beach, nj

2008-11-13T10:35:00.003-05:00

lambertville, nj

2008-11-02T18:33:00.002-05:00

yardley, pa

2008-11-02T18:31:00.003-05:00

trenton, nj

2008-11-02T18:30:00.002-05:00

red bank, nj

2008-10-27T14:56:00.003-04:00

asbury park, nj

2008-10-20T16:49:00.002-04:00

ocean grove, nj

2008-10-06T19:08:00.002-04:00

seaside heights, nj

2008-09-29T16:44:00.002-04:00

trip home

2008-07-10T00:28:00.002-04:00

I'm back in the US. Here's a few pics from the trip home.

akihabara

2008-07-08T01:24:00.003-04:00

Akihabara is a area with lots of electronics as well as manga.

even more night

2008-07-04T07:55:00.003-04:00

zojoji temple

2008-07-03T00:40:00.003-04:00

shiba park

2008-07-03T00:38:00.002-04:00

kyu shiba rikyu garden

2008-07-03T00:37:00.003-04:00

tokyo tower

2008-07-02T07:36:00.002-04:00

drum

2008-07-02T02:10:00.003-04:00

Got this cool drum at a store that specializes in Japanese percussion and various things for festivals.

more night

2008-07-01T08:27:00.002-04:00

rainbow bridge

2008-07-01T01:37:00.005-04:00

Walked across the rainbow bridge.

monkey and crab

2008-07-01T01:35:00.003-04:00

I have no idea what this monkey and crab are doing. It certainly appears to amuse them.

night

2008-06-30T08:23:00.002-04:00

stickers

2008-06-28T02:35:00.003-04:00

yokohama

2008-06-27T02:50:00.004-04:00

Yokohama is Japan's second largest city. Depending on which train you take it's only 15 to 30 minutes from Tokyo. There's a lot of cool looking buildings along the waterfront. Yokohama is much more laid back compared to Tokyo.

chinatown - yokohama

2008-06-27T02:44:00.003-04:00

This Chinatown in Yokohama. Lots of food and fun.

falafel sandwich

2008-06-25T02:26:00.004-04:00

Found a place in Akasaka called Pita The Great. This guy makes an awesome falafel sandwich. It's different, but just as good as Bitar's in Philly. Thanks go out to Eric for putting the idea in my head. I am definitely going back to this place.

sky deck [mori tower]

2008-06-24T02:32:00.004-04:00

The sky deck in Mori Tower. No matter what direction you look, Tokyo just appears to be endless. I also went to the Mori Art Museum. It had a few good pieces, but overall it was just ridiculous. It's amazing what some people consider to be art.

imperial palace

2008-06-24T02:30:00.004-04:00

Pics from the Imperial Palace and East Garden in Tokyo.

shinagawa [I think]

2008-06-22T22:49:00.004-04:00

Came across several temples today while walking around. I think I was in Shinagawa. These temples were different than the others I'd seen. They were smaller and not freshly painted. They were not in tourist areas, just right in the middle of neighborhoods.

docks

2008-06-22T22:47:00.003-04:00

Went for a walk down by the docks.

ueno park

2008-06-20T03:42:00.004-04:00

This is Ueno Park. It's a pretty big park near Ameyoko Market. I only saw a small part of it. There is a zoo and lots of art museums as well as temples and shrines.

bauhaus

2008-06-20T03:31:00.006-04:00

While walking around Ueno Park I came across a Bauhaus exhibit. I was pleasantly surprised. Mike, you would have loved the furniture. They even had small replicas of the furniture for sale in the gift shop. I got a rather nice book that documents the exhibit.

website - BAUHAUS experience, dessau

shinjuku

2008-06-19T02:12:00.006-04:00

Shinjuku Station is the busiest in Tokyo. A lot of the government buildings are here. This is where I first got off the train from the airport to get my apt keys. I thought it was insane. It didn't seem like all that when I went back there today. Everything is still in continuous and chaotic motion, but so is the rest of Tokyo. Tokyo has a very different kind of energy than NYC.

kabukicho

2008-06-19T02:05:00.003-04:00

This is Kabukicho. It's a pretty sleazy area near Shinjuku. There is definitely quite a bit of nefarious activity going on around here.

roppongi

2008-06-18T03:30:00.004-04:00

Went to Roppongi today. It's apparently where a lot of foreigners hangout. There are a few art museums in the area. The first pic is the Mori Tower. It has an art museum and an observation deck. I'm going to go back when the visibility is better. Can't see spending 1500 yen on an overcast day. Found a really cool bookstore with lots of awesome and very expensive design books. Also, saw some places where I might eat [pizza, indian, Japanese macrobiotic].

cool sign

2008-06-17T21:44:00.003-04:00

Not really sure what this sign is for but I thought it was cool.

kamakura

2008-06-17T04:06:00.005-04:00

I went to Kamakura today. It's a small seaside town about an hour south of Tokyo. It was super-cool. There are tons of temples and shrines [I only made it to a few]. There is also a beach that has good waves if the swell is just right. There really wasn't any waves today but there were still quite a few that paddled-out.

kotokuin temple

2008-06-17T03:58:00.003-04:00

Kotokuin Temple [in Kamakura] is also know as the Great Buddah. Not much there besides a giant Buddah statute, but what more do you need? The grounds were used as a picnic area for a lot of the school groups that were touring the area.

hasedera temple

2008-06-17T03:47:00.004-04:00

Hasedera Temple [in Kamakura] was pretty cool. There were lots of little statues all over the place. There was an old cave with carvings inside and more little statues. Parts of this temple go back as far as 736 AD.

tsurugaoka hachimangu shrine

2008-06-17T03:39:00.004-04:00

Pics from the Tsurugoaoka Hachimangu Shrine. It was on the side of a mountain overlooking one of the main streets in Kamakura.

toaster oven??

2008-06-16T02:39:00.004-04:00

Any idea what this is the symbol for? It's on my toaster oven.

ameyoko market

2008-06-16T02:28:00.004-04:00

This is Ameyiko Market. It runs along the side of train tracks from Okachimachi to Ueno Station. It's apparently where you go to get good deals. I like the mounds of clothes that people sift though.

ginza

2008-06-16T02:22:00.003-04:00

I walked around Ginza a bit today. Ginza is an upscale shopping district. It is the most expensive real estate in Japan. The streets were more grid-like and therefore easier to navigate, but it still took me while to find the train station when I was leaving.

harajuku

2008-06-15T04:15:00.007-04:00

I went to Harajuku today. The top pic is everyone coming out of Harajuku Station. The second pic is Omotesando. It is a tree covered street with a bunch of stores etc. I saw more westerners here than any other place so far. The other pics are of Takeshita Dori [runs parallel to Omotesando]. It's where all the "crazy kids" hang out. I recorded some video while walking down Takeshita Dori so you can get a feel for the chaos. The pictures I've been taking don't convey the intensity of Tokyo. There is something going on in every direction.

meiji jingu

2008-06-15T03:48:00.004-04:00

Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine. It's in Harajuku in the middle of the woods. Very peaceful.

asakusa

2008-06-14T00:07:00.004-04:00

These are just some misc pics from Asakusa.

sensoji temple

2008-06-13T23:56:00.003-04:00

I went to Sensoji Temple today. It is a Buddhist temple. It was pretty cool. Lots of tourist stuff, but even that was fun to look at.

grocery store

2008-06-13T03:03:00.008-04:00

I found a better grocery store today. I had been shopping at a huge 7-11. Nothing like the ones in the US. This 7-11 had about 10 floors and you can buy everything from turnips to televisions. It took me a while to find the new grocery store [I've known it was around but I just couldn't find the entrance]. I like the new one because they have a good selection and it's calm. The 7-11 is extremely chaotic. There are literally boom boxes in various sections blasting a repeating message by what sounds like an extremely enthusiastic employee.

love hotel

2008-06-13T02:56:00.005-04:00

This is one of the many "Love Hotels" in Shibuya [more on Shibuya below]. I thought the pictures on this one were funny. Love Hotels are hotels that you rent by the hour. They are not just in Shibuya, but all over Tokyo. If you can't read the text in the pictures, click on the pic to enlarge.

shibuya is nuts

2008-06-13T02:44:00.005-04:00

Went to Shibuya today. It was crazy. I'll get more pics another time. It's a major party spot. I'll have to check it out at night sometime. Lots of bars and clubs. The top pic is that famous intersection right outside Shibuya Station. Notice the vertical signs in the third pic. That's for stores not on street level. Everything is so compact. Bottom pic is just a small food place. There places like this all over. Usually seat around ten people. I just liked the statues in front of this one.

pics from the hood

2008-06-12T21:58:00.002-04:00

These are some pics from my neighborhood.

apt in google earth

2008-06-12T18:53:00.004-04:00

Here is a link to download a "Place" that you can bring into Google Earth. It is my apartment. After downloading you should be able to just double click the .kmz file and it will take you there, provided you have Google Earth installed.Apartment Link

For those of you who don't have Google Earth, you can get it here: Google Earth

things in apt

2008-06-11T21:28:00.004-04:00

These are some things in my apartment. The green rabbit is from McDonalds and hangs from a string attached to a light switch. The sticker is attached to the inside of the toilet seat. The sticker is all shiny and metallic [notice reflection].

laundry

2008-06-11T02:42:00.005-04:00

This is my washer and dryer.

I just kept pushing buttons on the washer till something happened.

in japan

2008-06-10T20:27:00.007-04:00

I finally made it. I spent around 24 hours traveling. Japan is very cool. The top picture is from the Narita [airport] Express headed to Shinjuku [section of Tokyo]. The rice fields are around the airport. The second pic is my street. I live in the building with the blue stuff under the stairs. From these two pics you might think everything is calm an quiet, but that is not the case. A few minute walk from my place, there are people everywhere going in every direction. I just got back from a walk to familiarize myself with the surroundings. It's 9 in the morning on a weekday and most businesses are closed. There is just a steady stream of people navigating the twisting and turning unnamed streets. There are no street names in Japan. Only major streets have names. Everyone was going to work and was rather silent about it. Almost no one was talking. I think it's a morning thing because yesterday afternoon it was nuts. I'm still trying to find stores where I can buy the things I need. It is very different here and very cool.

going to japan

2008-06-01T14:52:00.005-04:00

I'm going to Japan! I leave on June 9th.

I'll be posting pics and stuff on this blog.

Bookmark it and check back later.