CTF Gallery

Jelly riding Betsy

These two giant lady bugs were outside of the metropolitan government offices in Shinjuku in Tokyo.

Kaminarimon

From Ellie's New Year's Eve trip to the temple at Asakusa, Tokyo. This is the Great Lantern Gate and five-story pagoda.

Lights of Rippongi Hills

Basically the most exciting part of the trendy, upscale mall that is Rippongi Hills, Tokyo.

Shabu shabu in Ginza

Pat took us for a lunch of shabu shabu in Ginza, Tokyo. We dipped thinly sliced beef, pork and vegetables into boiling broth and peanut sauce.

Posing with Sumo wrestlers in Asakusa

During our day-time trip to Asakusa, we bumped into a few friendly sumo wrestlers getting their fortunes. Ellie posed with them too.

Getting Cody home from the bar

After the Firemen parade, their vehicles were available for photos. We were mostly in line with small children who wanted to pull levers and honk horns. It took three takes to get this picture just right. While we were trying, an old Japanese man had walked around from the back. He assumed I was merely a dummy, and nearly had a heart attack when I finally got up.

Meditation benches in Engaku-ji, Kamakura

Engaku-ji has several sites officially noted as national treasures and international heritage sites. Although they weren't as picturesque as the simple arrangement of benches in the temple.

Toshogu Shrine in Nikko

The Mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, which took more than ten thousand artists three years to complete. Unlike most Shinto shrines, which are simple and minimalist, every facet of Toshogu is ornately decorated. This is also the site of the original Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil monkeys.

Moat House of Hiroshima Castle

Rebuilt to original specs after the atomic bombing in 1945. The Japanese Army used the castle for modern military purposes, mistakenly thinking the Americans would not bomb a historical landmark.

Samurai Cody in Hiroshima Castle

The inside of Hiroshima Castle had been remade as a museum, including a few kid-friendly exhibits. Ellie tried on the whole Samurai outfit, but I opted simply for the helmet.

Watercolor outside Osaka Castle

Outside the steel gates of Osaka Castle, a group of artists had gathered to paint the castle. The creator of this piece had taken a break to discuss the work of his friend.

Old Meets New

The view from the top floor of Osaka Castle. The golden figure on the roof is a guardian fish. The blue skyscraper in the distance is the headquarters of a Japanese TV station.

Japanese Couple

Posing in wooden cutouts in front of the castle. Owners of a gift shop nearby had put them out to attract customers.

Ellie in Osaka Aquarium

The Osaka Aquarium's main tank is the largest in the world and houses the world's only captive whale shark. The acrylic walls of the tank are roughly a foot thick. And the total amount of acrylic in the walls is equivalent to two years of global production.

Ellie on the path in Tenaku-ji, Kyoto

Long, covered walkways characterized the temples in Japan. We figured this was to avoid having to take off and put on one's shoes over and over again.

Ellie in the Flying Pig Irish Pub, Kyoto

More than most other bars we'd visited, the Flying Pig had a fair selection of beer and whiskey. We talked for a while to the manager, Ahi, who had an Irish accent even when speaking Japanese.

Deer of Nara

The deer of Nara are quite tame. I took this picture to prove how close we got. The deer do get a bit cranky when you have food and aren't sharing, which Ellie discovered in this video.

Ellie squeezes through Buddha's nostril

Legend has it that whoever can pass through the hole in this pillar in Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall in Nara, Japan) is sure to achieve enlightenment and an afterlife in paradise. The hole is exactly the size of the Great Buddha's nostril. Ellie squeezed through easily.

Cody doesn't fit through so easily

After failing to squeeze through twice on my own, I asked for Ellie's help. Wedged as I was, she managed to pull me through. Of course, the whole thing was caught on video.

Resting in Nigatsu-do

This temple at the foot of the mountains around Nara. From here we could see the whole city.

"Cookie?"

Before I fed the deer in Nara, I handed Ellie my camera. One of the young ones thought the camera was a cookie, and started following Ellie instead, trying to work the doe eyes.

Path to Himeji Castle

The approach to Himeji castle zigzagged up the hill. As signs inside explained, this structure provided strong defense. And the defense must have worked, because Himeji's is one of the few castles in Japan that has never fallen.

Ellie and Hippo in Himeji Kokoen

The gardens next to the castle were equally spectacular. We wound through the gardens over foot bridges and stone paths.

Catching water in Fushimi Inari in Kyoto

A fountain and creek wind through a small cemetery along the path of Fushimi Inari.

Gifts for the dead in Fushimi Inari

Gift shops along the path sold mini-torii of various sizes, which visitors leave by the grave sites that line the path.

Ripples in the sand in Tofuku-ji in Kyoto

Tofuku-ji is one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto. These sand patterns are the defining characteristic of the temple's rock garden.

Karaoke with Pat

Drunk on the unlimited drinks, we sang karaoke for hours. Journey and Queen were the favorites, but we touched on a few obscure oldies as well. For instance, Ellie and I sang a duet of A Whole New World from Aladdin.