Saturday: On the way home

Two last images before I head out (I might send something more from Narita, unsure though). First, from my hotel window, the kids in a local elementary school lined up for gym class. Nice uniforms, eh? Right out of My Neighbor Totoro! And around the corner, tucked under a high-rise, a small temple/shrine. One never knows where one will encounter one of these.

So that is the Winter/Spring 2011 Tokyo trip. Exhausting but exhilarating, which for me sums up Japan in its entirety anyway. Glad to have come, but sad to have been away so long, especially with Ian's tonsil troubles... but I'll be home tonight, thanks to the miracle of time zones (assuming flights are on time).

With a boatload of Pinky!

Saturday: Bamboo Grove

As you all know I love ornamental grasses and none are more impressive than bamboo, especially in large groves. So I spent quite a bit of time near this one. Amazing.

Saturday: packing up

Before heading to the 2-hour Narita bus ride I walked around the area closest to the hotel, which includes a park centered on the famous Budokan concert hall. Spring is creeping closer! See this flowering plum, which attracted many admirers.

...and same angle at night.

Fuji in the day....

Click on the pic to see it in better resolution.

Friday: Conference ends

Well it was a loooong day Friday, on the 26th floor of a tower at Hosei University. Many presentations, including my stellar one (of course...). The only bonus was a very clear view of Mount Fuji! See also Professor Fujimoto speaking, whose air is getting wilder, and then a view out the same window as the conference ended: Tokyo at night.

Thursday: with a clear day comes Mount Fuji

I have rarely, in all my visits here, been able to glimpse the famous mountain, as even on otherwise sunny days haze can obscure it. And the mountain is not close to the city, so even in this photo one must enlarge the picture (click on it to do so) to see the mountain in its glory. It reminds me of Mount Shasta in its symmetry, which makes sense because both mountains are volcanoes. Anyway, here is the peak which is the national symbol!