JAPAN 

APRIL 2005 SHINKANSEN TRIP

We went on a 5 day Shinkansen (Bullet Train) trip across Japan.  Plenty of photos, here is a selection...

Apr 16th - Boarded the Nozumi Super Express Shinkansen at Tokyo station to travel 500 km to Kyoto in just a bit over 2 hours!  Travels at up to 270 kph...

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KYOTO

Higashi-Hoganji Temple.  Fun feeding the pigeons.  Hey bird, leave some hair for me....

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Centre of Kyoto.  Innovative ways to park cars when there isn't much space.

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There are no handles on the mug for my tea!

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Apr 17th - Kinkakuji Temple also known as the Golden Temple. Very pretty.  Aidan looking a bit worried as he has just noticed a spider.  Aidan ringing the bell.

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Niju Castle.  These castles and temples are many hundreds of years old.  More cherry blossoms on the Castle grounds within the moat.  Note that the two photos of Mark and Nic were taken by Aidan.

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As usual, the locals won't leave Aidan alone...Rest stop at Starbucks.

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Kiyomizudera Temple.  This is up a mountain a bit and so gives a good view of Kyoto.  Some sort of pastry thing which had green tea flavoured custard cream in it...yum. View of the street up to the shrine.

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OSAKA

Caught a local express from Kyoto, took 30 minutes.  Went for a walk around the hotel in the centre of the city and stumbled on the Outback Steakhouse.  An American restaurant chain that tries to be Australian.  Nic reckons this was here best meal since she has been in Japan!

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Breakfast at a small cafe, no cutlery with the boiled egg!

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Apr 18th - UNIVERSAL STUDIO (Osaka)

First photo is the area outside of the entrance.

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Aidan just loved the rides, we went on the Scary Spiderman one first, but it didn't stop him wanting to go on more.  Yes, Aidan did go down the big water drop!! 

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That's a turkey leg they're chomping into.

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Just outside Universal Studio was Hard Rock Cafe and it was just too hard to walk past.  Luckily enough, a number of performers were dining there for a birthday and they were having a bit of a party.  Of course, Aidan was sucked up into it all!  Train on the way back to the hotel after a VERY long but great day.

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Apr 19th - Osaka Castle - Well we lucked into this as well.  As we were walking up the long path to the castle, Aidan attracted the attention of this lady.  Turns out she works as a free guide at the castle and so of course after she asked us to wait a minute (chotto matte, kudasai), we had a tour.  The 3rd photo shows daimyo (feudal lord) emblems in the stones of the castle walls.

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There was a large group of school kids going through and Aidan quickly latched onto them.  Before we knew it he had a bunch of new friends!

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Lunch whilst waiting to catch the Shinkansen to Hiroshima.

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HIROSHIMA

Hiroshima Castle - Yes, another castle!  The last photo shows the foundations of the Imperial Military Headquarters from the late 1800's, destroyed in the 1945 A-bomb blast.

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A-Bomb dome.  Hard to believe that 60 years ago the city was completely flattened.  Very moving.

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This is the main shopping street, which is actually a mall and under cover!

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Apr 20th - Rained the second day there.  This is the Peace Memorial park.

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Peace Museum - Model of Hiroshima before and after the blast.  Bicycle from a little child and the human shadow on the steps of the Bank.

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Miyajima Island - Island about 1 hour by tram car away, has a very famous shrine called Itsukushima.  On the island are deer that just wander around freely.  The gate is out in the water, but the tide was out.  The temple is built over water but was damaged by one of the Typhoons last year.

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Back at Hiroshima station. There is huge business in gifts called Omyage.  Whenever anyone goes away they must bring back sweets/chocolates/whatever from wherever they went to.  It is huge.  This is one shop out of tens of them at the station.  About to board the Shinkansen for the 4 hour trip back to Tokyo.

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