Japan Mata Ne!

Final few days in Japan before it's off to Korea.  

the contents of one of those packs you buy at a bath house.  toothbrush, razor, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and a little towel for washing up 

does the sight of this make you cry?  it made me cry.  the pic doesn't really show how small this is.  it's 3 small thin slices of pork.

Sachiko

how long will this little bookstore survive before its turned into another shinjuku skyscraper?

shinjuku east.

this is what i love about tokyo, little pockets like this, a small shrine with huge department stores and sky scrapers looming all around it.

Hachiko in shibuya is the most famous meeting spot in shibuya, or all of japan for that matter.  this f/1.4L lens makes it look almost 3D!

shibuya center gai.

still lovin' how cherry blossom season means big boughs of the stuff inside restaurants.

some bar in the love hotel district where Emiko knew everyone in there.  A pretty Japanese place.

Mata ne Emiko!

Yukari in Harajuku is one of the sister bars of Alps in Shinjuku, which is the cheapest place i know to drink in Tokyo.

using all the space they can

this dude sitting next to us was instantly in love with Satoko

Naoki, my old tokyo roommate for 1.5 years, he got married one month before but i couldn't make it to japan that early.  I made the wedding board for his wedding.

Alan and Eguchi Sensei, one of my old japanese teachers.

One of these girls would soon appear dead.  the paramedics came upstairs with a stretcher to get her.  but first they were seriously slapping her in the face

Saeko used to study in london and is going back i think.  there were a bunch of other people here on my last night to say goodbye to me but i just don't have good photos of them.  On the way home me and Satoko ended up meeting the family that owns the bathhouse next to Ai's house (hair magic again i suspect).  The bathhouse was closed but she invited us in to take a look while they were cleaning the baths and stuff.  So nice of them.  It makes me sad to leave japan again, especially this time around where i was able to reap the rewards of putting so much time into japan previously in the form of: having friends, knowing how things work, knowing where things are, speaking some japanese, etc...  I'm also in a different place in life now and have changed even in the year since the earthquake, and i have hair.  I met so many new friends and so many random strangers that is has further confirmed my love for japan.  I will definitely be back.  thanks for hanging out Japan friends!  see you again, mata ne!