Japan II photo gallery
Photos from a second visit to Japan in 2004.
Hawks Town, Fukuoka
Shopping centre, Kokura
Kokura-jo, Kokura, Kitakyushu
The Totoro shop. The big Totoro is nearly £500, but it's almost life-size!
Doraemon toys in one of those arcade machines with the grabber. Doraemon is "a robot cat from the 22nd century of the future", apparently!
Climbing up to Glover Gardens, Nagasaki
View over Nagasaki harbour
Koi carp feeding frenzy!
View from the carp pond in Glover Gardens towards Nagasaki harbour
Statue of Puccini. Madame Butterfly was set in Nagasaki, of course - once its main claim to fame...
Statue of (name to be researched), a famous diva, in Glover Gardens, Nagasaki
"Nagasaki Kitty", outside a toy and gift shop. Hello Kitty travels throughout Japan, wearing a different costume in each city, and you can collect all of them...
Catholic church, Nagasaki
Tram, Nagasaki
Osaka, and Shinsaibashi at night
This was the storefront to a surreal recreation of a turn-of-the-century bazaar, on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors. We found a great snug bar!
This clockwork clown drummer is very famous, and you can buy little toys and keychains and you name it...
Osaka-jo. It's not original, last rebuilt in 1931, but it's still pretty fab
Osaka-jo's moat. It's a proper castle, and with a big green space around, which Osaka really needs
Osaka-jo at night
Garage band outside Osaka Station at midnight
Kobe's Chinatown (and Starbucks)
Kobe's Chinatown after dark
Kobe City Bus
Historic English merchant's house, Kobe. Don't ask me about the phone box
Me with a "Shrek Swirl"
Kobe's Mosaic Garden amusement park by the harbour
Kobe Tower and waterfront
Phoenix (Hinotori) outside the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, Takarazuka
Inside the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum
Astro Boy's hand and foot prints
Me back at Shinsaibashi, with the Glico man (also subject of innumerable souvenir things)
Gardens in Kyoto
Grumpy Buddha
Outside a teahouse on the Philosophers' Path, Kyoto. The lady in the teahouse kindly gave me an umbrella when I visited Kyoto before and it was raining. I wanted to thank her, but they were shut...
Wounded lion-dog, Kyoto
Nijo-jo, Kyoto. More a palace than a castle; the Shoguns ruled from here
Gate detail, Nijo-jo
Roof detail, Nijo-jo
View over Nijo-jo
Roof detail, Nijo-jo
The Kyoto subway
The Kyoto Tower
Kyoto Station, from around the 7th floor
Kyoto Station right from the very top
All photos copyright ©2010 Andrew Gilham. All rights reserved. Please enquire for reproductions.