The following entries contain photos from the different parts of the trip I just took through Japan. Here’s a quick summary of when everything happened.

March 1-3: Tour of Tokyo. Most of these photos were taken with a disposable 800 speed Fuji camera. They’re not developed yet, so you’ll have to wait until I can take them to the lab to get developed and put onto a CD.

March 4: A jaunt through Kamakura (south of Tokyo about 2 hours by train)

March 5: Traveling all day to Kyoto by slow trains

March 6: Kyoto

March 7: Trip to one of 3 famous Japanese sights, called “Ama no Hashidate” (Bridge to Heaven)

March 8: Quick trip to Nara, a town near Kyoto known for its old wooden temples, and its park with wild deer

March 9: Traveling all day to Hiroshima by slow trains

March 10: Hiroshima

March 11: Miyajima, another one of the 3 famous Japanese sights

(For those of you who are curious, the third famous sight is Matsushima, close to Sendai. You’ll find photos of that around December 2.)

Norm is leaning over to use the mouse. Seriously.

Hiroshima is a vibrant city, full of youth. It is a literal phoenix, having risen from its ashes. While there are peace memorials all over the city, the real memorial is the city itself. It is both a testament to the horrible destruction we human beings can inflict on each other and our wonderful capacity to rebuild.

With that in mind, Hiroshima doesn’t have much to offer in terms of historic buildings but the local people are very friendly and the cuisine is outstanding. It isn’t weird like Tokyo or touristy like Kyoto; I could see myself living here someday. And there are plenty of people my age here, so maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea.