I’m in Japan this week for day job business travel. In fact, I’m writing this to the future, from the past, in a tense that makes it sound as if I’m actually blogging while on the plane. Time travel is cool.

I’m loaded up with business meetings for the week, and expect to indulge in no sightseeing this trip, but, I will have a camera on me pretty much all the time, so:
If there’s something from daily life in Japan (vending machines, trains, conbini, etcetera) you’d like to see in a snapshot, write a comment or Tweet to let me know, and I’ll endeavor to oblige. Should make things interesting

Tonight I had dinner at a place that features an Osaka area specialty: kushi-age. Roughly translated: deep-fried stuff on sticks. The stuff ranged from shiitake mushrooms, to pork and chicken, to tiny boiled eggs and miniature green peppers. Delicious! Also had some veggies. Note the “salad” made of grated Japanese radish (daikon) topped with tiny dried fish and a drizzle of soy sauce. Excellent, I promise! Last night’s dinner was okonomiyaki (translated: grilled stuff you like). No pictures, but photos surely abound on the Internet for the curious.

I managed to get in my morning stroll every day I was in Osaka this week. The streets are fairly clear at 6am, and Osaka is full of really interesting architecture. Industrial art.

So, these are nearly two months old now, but, seeing as I’m in Japan again, it’s almost like I took them yesterday! Except it’s much much hotter now. Melty hot. Anyway, back in May, I took a business trip to Japan, and snapped some round-the-town shots of Osaka and Yokohama. Here are the Yokohama highlights. Note the lucky clear shot of Mt. Fuji I got from my hotel room, and the “mega-rama” I stitched together of the cityscape!

As mentioned, I’m back in Japan now, and this time, it’s personal. I mean, vacation. So, mayhaps I’ll be able to grab and share some shots of Hokkaido, too–a little closer to home, as far as the strip is concerned!

As promised, here’s something interesting to look at on your Odori Park Wednesday: An entirely different park in Hokkaido, Moerenuma Kouen. When we visited this past summer, we were taken by a friend to visit this park which was, she told us, designed by artist/architect Isamu Noguchi. Click the link below to go through the photo stream of shots I took there. It’s definitely a place with a unique vision.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/odoripark/sets/72157626386652026/

More photos this Wednesday. This time, something a little different, from the Anpan-Man Children’s Museum in Yokohama. I could go on and on about the virtues of Anpan-Man. Just to briefly introduce for the uninitiated: Anpan-Man is a super-hero whose head is made out of red bean paste-filled bread, from which he pulls off pieces to feed hungry children. He battles the gadget-happy Baikin-Man (translated: Germ-Man), who is ever stealing food from those foolish enough not to recognize him in his many disguises (which is pretty much everyone). You can already see why we love Anpan-Man in my household.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/odoripark/sets/72157626443691442/