funny signs mostly

Back from Japan and boy are my ears tired of constant greetings being sung out at me! JK, kind of! It can just be exhausting trying to be so polite with so many formalized exchanges and always pronouncing "gozeimas" incorrectly.  We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yamanouchi, Obuse, and then back to Tokyo. Did you know that I had no idea the population of Japan and guessed that maybe it was the same as California since it's approx the same size? Then I looked it up it has 137 million people!!!!! And most of them living in the relatively small triangle between Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo!

 

I'll post some pics a day at a time! After the jump

 expect many photos of funny signs. who doesn't love them? this one means "talk to the hand"

 this was our first meal in japan. just picked out a random ramen shop and got better ramen than you get anywhere in sac. it was very salty and greasy and intense. i think ramen should be intense. that's cod roe on the left and I don't know why you can't get it here on ramen. nice big sweet pork belly piece and oustanding chashu

 who doesn't love a funny japanese tshirt?

 We went to a cat petting place and you know what? it was lame. the cats were scruffy and they really just wanted to sleep and play with each other. you weren't allowed to pick them up or touch their belly, paws or tail

 this one was boney and sullen

 this is false advertising. no cats in costumes

 and then some of them were behind glass and couldn't be petted, not that any of them wanted to be touched anyway

 taco yaki in tokyo! this was actually the best takoyaki I had. even though it is most famous and everywhere in osaks

 bonito flakes on top

 we went to baird brewing in shinjuku (I think?) it was really fun! I highly recommend a trip there. really good beer

roasted chestnuts. it was chestnut season. more about chestnuts later...I bet you're excited about that.  Other notes on Tokyo: best public transportation in the world. Sooooo insanely crowded.