el Pedro suave

The Suave Pedro, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

pretty funny to think Pete is in a suit every day for work. Surprised me the first time he got ready for work.

Japanese engineering

Japanese engineering, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

extra large jacks keep the beach in place. It's pretty crazy but just about every coast line is covered with some version of these and every water way has been channelized too. My theory is that between tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes and whatever else, that they've been shit on for so long they do there best to control nature

the Big Boy

Big Boy alive and well, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Apparently he's alive and well in some parts of the world. A serious relief

Mt Daison

Mt Daison, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

gives you a bit of a view of Yonago as well.

Pete's home away from home

So after a quick visit to Osaka and Kyoto, I think it was 2 nights in each, we drove a back road for 4 hours to get to Sakaiminato, Pete's town and possibly the smallest apartment I've ever seen. We were only there one night and then we moved Peter to Yonago. Its just a little ways away but its a bigger town and since Pete signed a contract with a new company this is were he'll be for the next year. We spent the next 10 days or so hanging around here and doing day trips. I met a bunch of Pete's friends who were all really cool. They even got me to sing my first karaoke song while sober. Usually takes me a bit of the sauce for me to want to share my gift. I was really good to see him and get to see a bit of his day to day. Hopefully I didn't annoy him too much with my determination to be fluent in Japanese before I struck out on my own.

Unreadable Monuments

Unreadable Monuments, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

really cool tablets and statues all over the place that i can never read about

Kyoto's Golden Palace

Golden Palace, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Kyoto Streets

Kyoto Streets, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

couldn't help but analyze the urban form where ever I was. Been completely brainwashed

Five Tiered Pagoda

Five Tiered Pagoda, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Supposedly the tallest one in Japan

Osaka and Kyoto

So the first few day were spent in Osaka and Kyoto. I'm not sure if it was how the city was put together or the fact that I was definitely still in middle of the most serious jetlag I've ever had but Osaka was confusing as hell. None of those last pics show it but it is packed with people. Kyoto on the other hand was much more traditional and easier to navigate. Tons of temples and cool old buildings. One thing we learned is to make sure you read the paid parking signs well. We left it parked for 2 days in a pay lot and ended up paying about 100 bucks. Sucked but live and learn.

Osaka Palace

Osaka Palace, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Osaka Parks

Osaka Parks, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

This is the main park in the Center of Osaka. Pretty cool the old backdropped by new.

Japans Covered Walking Malls

Japans Covered Walking Malls, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

So I quickly learned these are everywhere throughout Japan and least on Honshu and Shikoku. Cool elements that we have very few of.

Beijing Airport

Beijing Airport, a photo by Road Trip on Flickr.

Of course the flight out there I remember clearly. I was sick before I left so the extra hours in both LA and Beijing really stretched it out. Funny to look back at now but after Pete picked me up we got lost driving around in Osaka for another 3 hours. Made for an extremely long day

Japan after the Quake

So the quake hit about 9 days before my planned trip to Japan. It was really up in the air whether I was still going or not when I spoke to my brother Peter. He's been teaching English in Japan for about a year and a half and was a large part of my reason for going. He was over 5 hours Southeast of Tokyo and assured me that he hadn't felt any ill affects of the disaster and hadn't even lost power. So with his slight push,I flew to Japan on March 24th. Of course this was against all stateside recommendations. Many thought I was nuts. At this point I've long since come and gone but for my own records and anyone who still follows this blog I've decided to do my best to recreate the trip here.