The biggest downside to being in Japan before the
smartphone revolution was that my phone's camera was absolute garbage, and I was living in a place where I
constantly wanted to take photographs...and never seemed to have my digital camera with me. I was desperate enough to use my phone's camera on quite a few occasions!
![Is it just me, or does the layout of Kansai International Airport look remarkably like a machine gun?](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfzhQm5m-yWRnEKD13iCe9sWE_rR9qrABWqJ7G1WXKhrgd-RiWZ_vzYHf6JjxrIib0IPrfKP9RBhkfR4EX_IjCLWBayuh2NN1cYODO4qpFYM_I-p3PIETE8awj2mSIiS6uIcbszsIMlRX/s1600/Image023+(4).jpg) |
Is it just me, or does the layout of Kansai
International Airport look remarkably
like a machine gun? |
![There's a cafe on the observation deck of the World Trade Centre Osaka](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlhfTbbyeG8FdW8kDsFoTje0reWU9rdoGfQPpJnNbHtmBnp4zhkkMcY-bf8JbMVQ_xTKJVNksIYdvU6arcqmDqM5PD2gmohlUhmubsHxVxrb6ppO-zebWIQQgqSdPZMsVkb98pecoWkw1/s1600/Image024+(4).jpg) |
There's a cafe on the observation deck of the
World Trade Centre Osaka - went there for
a little creative writing once!
|
![This hallway in the basement of JR Kyoto Station stops at a dead end with a mirrored wall](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGHyf5eEFGFuUPL9V6D3wnx5e9zjxjZTVBr5P3a9KFCLMMHspJEQr3ZZxX8X9_P4kuIrfi8Pf_5afUrrKtnQloxx7HgixxizEOX5XPu5Kupy4rrNYgdzbGnsmlhSZ4sQcnvppaJrvppx1/s320/Image029+(3).jpg) |
This hallway in the basement of JR Kyoto Station
stops at a dead end with a mirrored wall |
![Nobody does giant dessert parfaits like Osaka!](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZ9Kgfep5xOFTOfVy5lM8o5VVDj4QkRgw8_tK4GDL_Fiwu92aFA6Z9Puy2VF0dyhf0wtXj1vJ6ghuUPbkQVF8Wq8lCl4-7dmQVDKsabGmqq6JqT9wG99-gdSpgQxCRrbDsjSNvkL2Q90Z/s320/Image032+(3).jpg) |
Nobody does giant parfaits like Osaka! |
![Detective Conan fans can be happy renting DVDs and VHS at Tsutaya](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8Jp86CEL0iucbriYAtVtKn-kywuHJ8tXtBP4pUw95kaayrEcLl47DjDgkt1o9kA6cWc5MPut4DM-nV2VT0bEcVFvNLfy0ZDVPOZd4HlSzGj07PCorMvY8cevYL7ascP02GoCVWqAdSk5/s320/Image036+(2).jpg) |
Detective Conan fans can be happy at Tsutaya |
![Beautiful kotatsu at LOFT.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ItuZ4KgxQuK_dcNHe60dGBTxSDzSRI-ZDBJsN74zFknywGFDPTrhwjSrfQiNY_agFTw0T9o_wR2bKPEr0yw8va50TmO4uSe8x_6ZmwJmy6fLqfx9tvp3nFwwGO6-8Uft4kAGY_qOyRnP/s320/Image038+(2).jpg) |
Beautiful kotatsu at LOFT. I still regret not
buying the blanket on the right |
![This fountain is in an underground passage in Umeda.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiuocGk1OsKin9muXqB945m040NRJrzT-ZENvQ_W_U2kvnDWJPUGsxqw1oQU_UYfaQ5W1ffY2Wj2sHuXr4T0SUK87aANHTvaKk5E1V07P87nmJ9CzVs9yvqaYLv3QQT9v7-1I4hBeNt9M/s1600/Image040.jpg) |
This fountain is in an underground passage in Umeda.
It's not a busy area at all - Osaka is full of surprises like that |
![View from my room at the Kansai Language Institute](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiF4oivv5DuiTYnDaE9Sxt19lCs0LmhgVtPccoRvWP28iHetYvJ1JqdxG03eQ1IdLp0ShhzZ4Awrzqt2_Xje1AUDOHRxyTLpdqU778yb-dInLSnHMv2oCU9pEaHhqBD_1PioT3FtABbIY/s1600/Image092.jpg) |
A reflecting pool at the Kansai Language Institute |
!["Tower of the Sun" from Expo 1970 at Banpaku-koen](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLimGJOFHiARLzaJBrxidHlu7XMa9UuuAO0G4G4T9n67sgkQ44CmdOHt-pR3gHpmT_IJaXf1d7Gas94hpNV3L98UdVfZF9VK8wSSCZ0eSW4pV5HVGtUHWO2Vw3upj-w6PYbbn6Z9xtzAU/s320/Image077.jpg) |
The back of the "Tower of the Sun" from
Expo 1970 at Banpaku-koen |
![Shinsengumi version of KFC Colonel Sanders](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM5-bjqvAqJwrzClTWCpbH_RSU34qPxH9jd-oTigBZiJpHx2nyNWRjMLF15Vvsl2iR6fuAB0uIXLLNDdYJ2lB2JEx77uYg53p0z436r-BT40xUL6Sc_wf3ghrO9aQPxAuu-J1RwPPorsn/s320/Image079.jpg) |
Shinsengumi version of Colonel Sanders |
![Ads at Tsutaya for the DS version of Final Fantasy IV](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnnA9h9Urw4ELD742n0abs8iOoqxxt1wpIuyibkR-LIQYAgTKx53YS7BVl2g3-E_ayOzcGzoHlgB_nUJGxg8jn7MK0_TfODRCS58h7jnMShLGzwQ5GAzzuf9lQBfs_-GZwSxq1gjkEWdm/s320/Image110+(2).jpg) |
Ads at Tsutaya for the DS version of
Final Fantasy IV |
![Dragon Ball Z UFO catcher machine](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m5EC3nlKQE7ziYuMkUTYOHlEBJJd8o1RiC50jEPhUpM3uukehCe39amIMiuo_fwswsljGmUDgUB4sVmZuhF7sEFr28Ko9IXAXnJkVZWTJ_ptmMQCYr2LbQtGEdVfhYKWVNhM11xOeIl2/s320/Image113+(2).jpg) |
Dragon Ball UFO catcher machine |
![The original Nintendo building in Kyoto](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pK7_2gbmvgDVBEu7K0uaGEmUEha6KI6Sv00ZHFSFF0OFtp2zy9sv01WN80GLCuvsMOszLO2b2x82vwk7IPxPyq60xwuP6eJLALGiGBAfqh_ApUWumLHvEtuzh9AIdKBxER0m073Njtb_/s320/Image115.jpg) |
The original Nintendo building in Kyoto |
![Can you find the 'Lucky' 4-leaf clover cab in Kyoto?](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKKjPABdb1qFOTeJm0N9kHpmgesNPfbXkhe2osRUiMJIu5zZ0W8v5C_SJ_A6Wbbv9t-GzY0y-h-w8WnbtCR3I4uMSZ-MYG8Aj4wJyvaI0aSvyk2mYFC-RRQryCYfVFaUVWNMu83o6P9T7/s1600/Photo-0027.jpg) |
The 'Lucky' cab in Kyoto! I saw it three times
during my stay. The rest of the cabs operated
by this company have three-leaf clovers |