Japan Expedition 2008

Stone lantern in the courtyard of Heian Shrine, Kyoto.

Last October, I spent two weeks on vacation in Japan. As I get around to writing about the highlights of the trip, links will be collected here.

• Introduction - liveblogging Japan.
• Overview - basic rundown on the trip, posted at Burger's Onion.
• Lodging - where we stayed.
• Washinomiya Shrine - the oldest shrine in the Kanto region, now the destination for a new type of pilgrim.
• Asakusa - iconic Tokyo cultural sites.
• Odaiba - Tokyo's artificial island utopia of the future, today.
• Akihabara I - an introduction to the anime city.
• Akihabara II - in which our heroes sightsee, appear on national television, and selflessly attempt to mitigate the Japanese recession through consumer spending.
• Shinjuku - skyscrapers in the heart of Tokyo.
  
• Ghibli Museum - a journey into Hayao Miyazaki's mind, with a goth-loli cosplayer guide.
• Shibuya - old and new Tokyo collide.
  
• Harajuku - indie rockers, ex-pats and Shintoists mingle in Yoyogi Park, in what is probably some sort of allegory about the importance of tolerance.
• Nakano - before Akihabara, there was Nakano Broadway.
• Tokyo Miscellany - quick odds 'n' ends from Ochanomizu, Hongou and Ikebukuro.
• Nara - a day trip and 1300 years of history in one of Japan's old capitals.
  
• Kyoto I (central and western) - another former capital. Bring spare camera batteries.
  
• Kyoto II (eastern) - the Higashiyama district, the wellspring of Japanese culture, according to tourist pamphlets from prominent Higashiyama attractions.
  
• Loot Roundup - K-Books is a harsh mistress.
  
• Japan Trip Finale - all's well that ends well. Mostly.