Sumo in Osaka

Went to a Sumo Wrestling match in Osaka. The wrestlers moved very quickly and with agility, so the matches were over within seconds. I watched the penultimate day of the tournament so it was very exciting.

It was funny to see the wrestlers in the streets with their masks and mobiles prior to the match...

Sushi!!!

We had a delicious meal at Bikkuri Sushi Restaurant in Ginza. The sushi was very fresh and I ate so much...

Tuna Sashimi....yum...

My sushi chef...

A very cute dessert...

Other Pics...

A massive whale outside the Science Museum.

My new car!?

Rainbow bridge

A pic from Tokyo Bayside.

Tokyo National Museum - Garden

My friend from uni, Nadia came to visit so I did most of the sites again. The garden at the Tokyo National Museum was opened... and it was so beautiful. It even had a mini pagoda!

Karakuen Amusement Park

A huge theme park which contains a spookless ferris wheel, and a roller coaster that loops through the ferris wheel and climbs over and between the rooftops of buildings!





Considering how I am usually terrified of ferris wheels... I'm still smiling.... it actaually wasn't too bad, as we listened to Japanese music as we went around. I didn't dare look down though so missed most of the view.

Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall

On the way back from Nikko, we visited Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall. The view was breathtaking!

The lake is at the foot of Mount Nantai and is the deepest natural lake in Japan. It was surrounded by ice and started snowing as we were taking our pictures - freezing cold!!




The waterfall is one of the largest in Japan. If it wasn't so cold, I would have stayed to take more pictures as the view was so beautiful! We were fortunate enough to see 4 wild monkeys around the waterfall. One of them started to attack some of the tourists!

On the way back, we went down Irohazaka zigzag driveway on a steep downhill road... it had a total of 48 hairpin curves! Great it wasn't me driving!!

Nikko - Part 2

Nikko

I went on a tour to Nikko - 3hrs by coach north of Tokyo. The Toshogu shrine had colourful fabulously decorated buildings, a 5 storey Pagoda, and shrines and temples. The wooden carvings were done in detail... there were carvings of dragons, monkeys, pheonix, and other animals... it looked so pretty!

The three wise monkeys carving on the stable house....

The smoke from the incense burner outside the temple is supposed to have healing propeties!

Shinjuku

Another shopping district... you can see why I love Tokyo so much! Theres so many shops!!!!

Kabuki Theatre

I went to the Kabuki Theatre in Ginza and saw one act. The play is perfomed by all male actors, and can last the entire day! One act was about 2hrs, and I had an English headset so I could follow the story... it was very funny, yet the story was quite sad...

Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple

The temple had Hindu-Buddhist architectural motifs. There was a ceremony inside so I couldn't take any pictures... inside the central altar was a golden buddha. Surrounding the altar were leave carvings painted in Gold. The priest was chanting at a little boy... it was quite peaceful...





Another shrine...



Near the Temple was the Fish Market. I had some delicous fresh sushi here!