dochira wrote:

It's the street with the huge crab on one of the buildings.

Sounds like a scene from a kaiju eiga.

And the crab actually moves (I think)...

And just as I said the fuel surcharge on JAL is set to drop...they announce plans to hike fares beginning April 1.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/jal-plans-to-raise-international-fares

Hmm, no word from my niece... She must be having a great time in Tokyo.

dochira wrote:

And the crab actually moves (I think)...

Is that the KaniKani south of Shinsaibashi? If so, the crab does move. That's not too far from the Hello! Project shop near Sogo and Daimaru.

That's one of my daughters in the pink.

Here's a few more I took at Shinsaibashi itself last month. One thing that is really cool is maps.google.com corresponds to the actual ground. I mean, the subway numbers. You can look on maps.google for the store you want and then find the subway "hole" number closest to where you want to go. For example, hole #6 is closest to the H!P Shop.

Wynter wrote:

I'll be in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hakone if I can swing it. I'm there in the second week of March.

Hey Wyn-chan, you should try to visit the Studio Ghibli museum when you go. I saw a documentary on the weekend about it, it's an amazing place. As an artist and an anime fan, i'm sure you would love it

I got permission (from wife) today to go on the Hello! Online Summer trip to Tokyo to see a couple shows. Household funds allocated. Preliminary plans made.

Anime Dad wrote:

Hey Wyn-chan, you should try to visit the Studio Ghibli museum when you go. I saw a documentary on the weekend about it, it's an amazing place. As an artist and an anime fan, i'm sure you would love it

cool, is it close to Akihabara?
doubt i will see it though.

@wynter,
also on the previous page i posted some good info on visiting
not sure if you saw it already or not.
Tokyo
Kyoto

Hanzo21 wrote:

I got permission (from wife) today to go on the Hello! Online Summer trip to Tokyo to see a couple shows. Household funds allocated. Preliminary plans made.

nice....
going in June?

qilver wrote:

cool, is it close to Akihabara? doubt i will see it though.

It's in Mikata, about 20 min by train from Shinjuku - see http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/howtogo/

qilver wrote:

nice.... going in June?

The group trip is in the second half of Summer. I'm not going to stay as long as some of the other guys. But it's going to be possible to see one Wonderful Hearts show and/or one C-ute performance and one AKB48 show. Gotta wait until the Summer schedule is released.

It's going to be mostly Summers now because Haru will start school this coming September.

Anime Dad wrote:

It's in Mikata, about 20 min by train from Shinjuku - see http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/howtogo/

ah, its a thought, but i have so much to see, thanks for the info though.

Hanzo21 wrote:

The group trip is in the second half of Summer. I'm not going to stay as long as some of the other guys. But it's going to be possible to see one Wonderful Hearts show and/or one C-ute performance and one AKB48 show. Gotta wait until the Summer schedule is released. It's going to be mostly Summers now because Haru will start school this coming September.

AKB does their concert tickets via email, so i hope i can get some tickets to a few shows....
doubt i'd bother to see MM, but would be a bonus.
Summer is going to be hot, and rainy season when you go, but anytime is always a great time to be in Japan, as we know.
post up more photos if you get the chance, i'd do the same if i get around to it.

Anime Dad wrote:

Hey Wyn-chan, you should try to visit the Studio Ghibli museum when you go. I saw a documentary on the weekend about it, it's an amazing place. As an artist and an anime fan, i'm sure you would love it

>>looks it up<<

qilver wrote:

cool, is it close to Akihabara? doubt i will see it though. @wynter, also on the previous page i posted some good info on visiting not sure if you saw it already or not. Tokyo Kyoto

I did, thank you!
_________________

Wanna trade? My Drama List (UPDATED: July, 2013)

qilver wrote:

AKB does their concert tickets via email, so i hope i can get some tickets to a few shows.... doubt i'd bother to see MM, but would be a bonus. Summer is going to be hot, and rainy season when you go, but anytime is always a great time to be in Japan, as we know. post up more photos if you get the chance, i'd do the same if i get around to it.

You probably know Makistar better than I do... but if not, he's a good resource for help in getting tickets for AKB48. He can at least point you in the right direction.

I kind of prefer the insanity of an MM concert over the tameness of an AKB48 show. But, I'll definitely be seeing an AKB48 show this Summer if at all possible.

Will put up some pictures tonight. This last trip was either the 29th or the 30th. I've been to Japan all seasons. Summer is not the first choice. But, that's what it's going to be for awhile. Until we just go ahead move to Kobe.

Well, you know I've seen pretty everything by now. So the emphasis really isn't on sight-seeing any more. So, these are just some random pictures from last November.

Will be editing and adding pictures.

Sannomiya

My girls (in yellow) playing with the natives.

Heh... there is so little care about sight seeing, the long range lense was brought on a city trip. Here's near Shinsaibashi. I'm pretty much of an expert on Osaka now.

On the way to the H!P store

Most people that have never been to Japan or have only been to Tokyo have never seen the real Japan. In actuality, you might think that Japan is more rural than rural Texas. And for sure, the real estate is cheaper than the Bay Area or SoCal. Japan is mostly forest and wildlife.

Our good friends live in Miki City near the Kobe Winery. Kobe Wine?

Here's one of my favorite pictures from the last trip. It's at Maiko Park... about 5 minutes walk from my wife's parent's house.

My Haruka on the balance beam and Grandpa

We climbed HachiBusa Mountain

Wife and daughter Miki

Super nice views from atop HachiBusa

Still aways to go until the top. It was so windy this day that the rope-way was closed.

Keep going!