Bob, Adam & Steve in Japan: Kelsey gets acclimated to Japan by taking photos of EVERYTHING...

When I left Japan, I had taken almost 2,000 photos. That should give you some idea of how much I saw over there that I wanted to remember and be able to share with those that didn't travel with us. (It would have been even more had it not been raining, had I not gotten sick my last days there, and had there not been some spaces in which photos were not permitted. A collective shudder now everyone, for the dollar amount in photo processing that would have incurred! Yay for digital cameras!)

Suffice it to say, I will NOT be dragging you through every last photo, but I will start letting some of those photos lead more of the narrative here. And the usual reminder: You can click on these photos to get the real view, rather than the teeny version normally displayed.

First, a light for our journey. (Attention to aesthetic detail anyone?)

One of the things that caught my eye immediately in Japan was the roofs.

They're just awesome.

From a distance OR up close...

Some with grouchy faces to ward off evil spirits...

Some with little details almost hidden behind tree branches...

Some you can easily imagine a band of nifty ninjas scrambling nimbly over...

Seemingly endless gorgeous tiles and/or wood of various colors, swooshing lines, and intricate little flourishes and creatures in wood, metal, or ceramic.

So detailed!

Some of the older buildings had rather unexpected details in their nooks and crannies. I believe that's a peach here? (Check out the nails!)

There are many more examples of these roofs, but note, even here, on a rainy, one might venture "almost dreary" day, the turquoise roof is reflecting light as the rain runs down the tiles, following the delicate curve of the roof. Many roofs also had rain chains, a concept infinitely more attractive than your average downspout. Not practical in all places of course, but lovely to see. And, in the same photo - the bright red and gold on the underside of the roof on the right. And look! Smiths!

Yes, those lanterns ARE nifty aren't they? Let's take a closer look shall we?

And now that we've taken a look up at the roofs, there are a few things to note in a more downward direction. The manhole covers (this is just a small sampling of the designs)...

The above was spied in Narita, on our quest to find the Ramen shop Bob and Steve had visited on their last trip to Japan.

The above was in the lovely town of Nara (where we will have photos later of the man-eating deer)

And the above was from Gion, where many of the Maiko and Geiko were.

But, most bizarrely (to me), were the yellow paths throughout some of the cities (especially Kyoto). Japan's version of the yellow brick road? Steve's theory was that they were in place to assist the blind in finding their way.

Unfortunately, these paths caused some serious irritation to the poor traveler who tried to make use of the otherwise brilliant invention of suitcases with wheels. The yellow paths had ridges in them that made it nearly impossible to roll anything over them.

These even continued into some of the train stations.

And just when you thought you had escaped...

...there was the dreaded Man With Umbrella!!

Nooooo!!!!

But let's look up again. To the heavens this time. Or, more specifically, to the shrines...

There are a LOT of shrines in Japan. No seriously. A LOT.

And different shrines had different foci...

For example, here I believe Steve is paying homage at the shrine for those who cook. At this very moment, our future culinary experiences are possibly being improved. Nice eh?

Many had these excellent giant ropes with bells that you tugged on. There was a whole process that involved clapping, bowing, pulling the rope, clapping and bowing again. And given the sheer number of shrines that existed here, (and the hills upon which some of them sat), you could probably get a decent workout paying your respects as it were.

Some shrines were just tiny little things on street corners, behind bars...

Others opened up as enormous complexes before you...

But this one, was the best discovery: Steve and I were just walking down the street, a normal run-of-the-mill street, when we happened to glance left and lo!

THIS was there! If we hadn't just HAPPENED to glance over, we would have missed it entirely. It was like the wardrobe that whisks you off to Narnia. A little serene alcove to escape from the bustle of the city. Delightful!