Tokyo bus tour.

The half-day bus tour was on one of the rainiest days of the trip thus far. Our tour guide was a endearing older man with a dry sense of humor. He talked about how KFC's Colonel Sanders has become somewhat of an iconic character in Japan, more so than Ronald McDonald (and I believe it -- I think I saw a comedy show where one of the characters dressed up like Colonel Sanders). Then he said he wished he had maybe "10 percent" of Colonol Sanders' success, but "when you're older, it's not so easy." And then he laughed to himself. It was awkward.


We stopped at Tokyo Tower, built in the 1950s as a TV broadcast tower supporting a giant antenna. Sorry I don't have better photos of the actual tower.


Views of Tokyo from inside the observatory.




On clear days, you can apparently see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Since it was so cloudy, I still have no pictures of Mt. Fuji.

There are look-down windows that were creepy because I am afraid of heights.


On the way out, I took a picture with this guy. And I hugged him. I have no idea what he was.


The next stop was Tokyo Imperial Palace Plaza. It started pouring and I was not dressed properly. But I was able to borrow an umbrella.



The statue of General Masashige Kusunoki.


Next we visited Sensoji/Asakusa Kannon Temple. There was a marketplace with lots of shops that I didn't get a chance to explore because I was really cold by that time.




Afterwards I changed into pants.

Kyoto temples and palaces.

We did a half-day tour in Kyoto today with a bus full of fellow gaijin (foreigners).

First stop: Nijo Castle. The only photos I have are exterior shots -- we were not allowed to take pictures indoors.



Inside, the "nightingale floors" squeaked eerily as we walked on them. They were built this way as a security system, warning the shogun who lived there of possible intruders. The walls are decorated with ornate wood carvings and intricate paintings.

Afterwards, Kinkaju-ji Temple. It started to rain rather heavily.


This crane was real. We watched it catch a fish.


Finally, Kyoto Imperial Palace.


That was only the first half of the day.