Today I went to Nikko. 200km north from Tokyo. Another shriny place. Something like Kamakura but in mountains, not the sea. Powerful steaks and beer at the beginning and you can start sightseeing. Climbing I don't know how many stairs, to feel a little tomb raider color. What's more?
Funny bored school trips and some boy asking me English-training questions like "Are you photographer?"























And the last picture as a dessert of course. It's about Japanese banks working in some strange hours (transfers only to 15:00?!).

More pictures from golden weeks malls:

The first photos are taken at Omote Sando Hills, the newest, richest, greatest shopping mall in Tokyo. Built in the most modern neighborhood, between Lauph Laurens palace and Louie Vuitonns shop.
The thing that catch my heart is ironic window-shopping by Japanese people spending Golden Week in mall, just as me :)
There is a path from entrance to exit. You enter with the crowd, like to stadium, inside is a little bit like in IKEA. And only a little percent of people are inside the shops. Most of them are just sightseeing.





And now some pictures from Katase-Enoshima, my perfect place to rest.




And as a dessert - Elvis still alive. Caught in Oriental Bazaar, Harajuku...

...fumbling at his trousers ;D

There is one of the most popular shrines around Tokyo. Personally I don't recommend it. Big bazaar atmosphere with a lot of tourist crap and crowd. Kamakura is much better.

So it happens that Japanese have Constitution Day the same day as Polish. Moreover, some other occasions happens as well (eg. Children day on May 5th) and we have Golden Week. 5 days (sometimes 9 even). Shock for non-adapted to free days Japanese salaryman caused people going anywhere in panic, just to go some place away. So we have extremely crowded trains and health resorts. Also slightly higher prices deter me from going to any distant place. So now, relax and shopping shopping at the most.

The weekend has landed. Next visit in The Six Trees (code-name of Roppongi). This time less clubbing, more pubbing. Italian style - you enter, order and standing & talking. At most you absorbs the color of the party, meeting people.
This is one of the places where 99% majority of Japanese over the well known Gajins is broken. Whole world, full palette of colors and choice of languages.
I like it sometimes.

In front of the entrance to my office is a quite big Animate store. It's a paradise for all anime fans. As my knowledge is rather little (only couple of big movies and Sailor moon many years ago) I will leave it without any comments.

I would like to return to the great Japanese unemployment-fight jobs issue.
Last week at BicCamera store I saw some guy who was standing in front of big wall with alarm clocks, which were randomly ringin every couple minutes. The guy's job was to shut down the alarm as soon as possible, and was similar to some arcade play.
He was really quick in localizing the clock among the dozens, really funny look.

Besides some new pictures taken at Tokyo streets recently.

...of Tokyo
Tomek is familiarising himself intensively. Again, like I was observing myself 9 months ago. Everything is new, you have to touch, smell, try. Good!
It could seems that there is nothing new for me anymore here. Wrong!
This city is to big to have it enough after such a short time ;D

To be honest I know this website for a long time. Some time ago I wanted to order some watch (when I was back in Poland). Then, when I have known that I'll come to Japan, I postponed the buy, thinking it will be easier here.
So it happens that the company was interested of my site as much as I was interested in theirs and now you can see banner at left and I can see a watch on my hand ;)

By he way - they have a lot of geek watches, showing somehow the future thinking of young Japanese society.


This heavy equipment above is a RETROFIT - GUNMETAL. His simplicity with great design and finishing makes it a high-class product.

... will be necessary to use Tokyo streets during rush hour. Dumb pedestrians talking with another, looking sides, writing e-mails or just sightseeing, they create traffic jams in the most crowded places in the city. The most bothersome are places near the stations and narrow shopping streets.
So I propose to make special lanes for hurry people, with 2 steps/second minimum speed order, no waiting and no parking (this is for flyer colporters), and some time bans for older people and children.
You should get walking permission after passing an exam including theoretical and practical skills (eg. mentioned before parking backwards in subway car).

I've bought new camera. Pinhole this time :)
It cost me 980Y, the same as supersize set in McDonalds.
Ikea style idea. 3 hours of full-focus assembling (Japanese manual, lots of parts) and I have my paper box, which makes pictures (I assume).
You will know first when something appear. So far, the following photos from my modellers play and links to manufacturers webpage, wikipedia and nice gallery.