Cherried Away

What is better than Hanami?



Hanami with a Rainbow!!

Typhooned Akihabara Vampire

Yeah, we're all going to die because of typhoon-strength winds. NOT! At least not in Tokyo. I had a really good time taking pictures of the empty streets of Akihabara. Thank you, mass-media (for proving my point to not trust you)! And next time, if there is a nuclear meltdown, please cause at least the same amount of panic as today. Way to keep things in perspective...



And here is some advice for the umbrella-destroyers in Tokyo: If it's raining and the wind is too strong to keep your umbrella open without damaging it, you're supposed to close it. Otherwise you'll be the proud owner of a damaged umbrella, a very unique item, offering no protection against rain or wind at all. I know, i know. "What good is an umbrella if I can't open it when it rains?" That's the wrong question. The right question is: "Would I rather use my umbrella when it doesn't get damaged, or would I use a damaged umbrella?"

Gundamned in Odaiba

Bonsai!!

Sometimes, it's the little things that make for great experiences...

A Message From A Friend In Tohoku

Once more I found myself in Tokyo, taking a break from the very predictable expectations of society and developing my newest master plan to prove them wrong. This was the perfect opportunity to accept an invitation from a very good friend of mine who lives in Ichinoseki. After the heartwarming welcome and the introduction to his lovely family, we hit the road. He wanted to open my eyes to the current predicament of the very same region that suffered through the tsunami last year. And he did.

The Tohoku region is dependent on tourism. After the tsunami disaster most tourists avoided the Tohoku region because, in their opinion, it's no destination for a vacation. But that's not true. The region has to be rebuilt by tourism. The people who live there are ready to move forward with their existence, but without jobs, without income from tourism, how can they continue? Donations are not a longtime solution. Trust in the region has to be reestablished. So my friend led by example and we had a great time.


We started in Ichinoseki and drove to Rikuzentakata. This was obviously not for fun, but for me to understand the situation of the people that survived.




These pictures show the most significant signs of destruction by the tsunami visible today. Not too far away from it, people are living normal lives.


Next stop was the impressive Kamaishi Dai-Kannon:




The view was incredible:




Then it was time for a break in Miyako:



The next morning we left for Ryusendo, Japan's three biggest stalactite caves:



The final destination was Morioka. The sakura that split the massive granite stone in front of the Morioka court house reminds us to never accept the impossibility of a situation:

After this awesome trip, my friend asked me to send a message to the world:  

The people of Tohoku are still here and they left the past behind for a better future. So if you think about visiting Japan, don't be afraid to have an awesome time in Tohoku!


Sometimes, doing something good is as easy as taking a vacation.

Thank you, my friend, for having a great time!!!

San Marino

Here are some impressions from San Marino. Most tourists leave in the afternoon, so we stayed for a night and were not disappointed.

Hedonistic Renaissance

Perhaps this sounds ridiculous, but Firenze is a magical town, like Disneyland for grown ups! It was built to last, and its foundations are multiple layers of art and science expressing the philosophy of humanism which lightened up the dark ages.

Maybe future generations will describe our time as the financial dark ages, a time when a creative combination of self fulfilling prophecies, scientific, mutilated explanatory modells (only accepted in lieu of alternatives that go beyond tradition), the ugliest human emotions (fear and greed) and the political obsession to make it work was realized on an abstract, technical level and became a new logos, enclosing the standardized ideas of economy, politics, religion or science.

But rejoice my friends, the light of Social \Networks is upon us. Well......no, I am missing the element of humanism in this advertisment-driven freakshow of a renaissance.

While walking the streets of Firenze, I got hope. If it happened once, it can happen again and it will look just as beautiful. Apart from that, the people were very nice, the weather was great and the Gelato would suffice as raison d'etre. But beware of the Pasticceria! You know the saying: If it's too good to be true... This time it is true and things get deliciously complicated, in a very sweet way!

Rejoining the Jetlag Club

For the last day in Japan we stayed in Narita. The chocolate-fondue at the hotel was delicious (so much for "How was the Sushi?") and the Narita-San temple was impressive. 

All good things come to an end, but at least I left through Dubai...

Another Great Weekend

Just when I thought it couldn't get any colder, she arranged a trip to Hida-Takayama and Shirakawago. Although it was quite cold, it was awesome to see the old part of the town and the tour through the Sake brewery was a nice addition. As for the old village of Shirakawa-Go: simply amazing! Thanks!

Hida-Takayama:



Shirakawago:

Afternoon in Hibya Koen

I started the day with a brunch at Espressamente Illy where I met with a friend. Then we continued to Hibya Koen near Ginza. It was such a great view, I just had to take some pictures.

Weekend in the snow

Hi guys!

I spent the weekend with a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very nice girl (I told her I'd do that). We went to Karuizawa and stayed in a part of the town that was very quiet. it was the first time I saw an empty vending machine in Japan. After our arrival in Tokyo, we concluded our trip with a Hello Kitty-tour through Ginza. Somehow I failed to understand the deep philosophy behind it, but at least I didn't have to venture into the heart of pinkness all by myself...

Akihabara, my one weakness

When I'm in Tokyo, I always end up in Akihabara one way or the other. But while the rest of the crowd goes crazy for arcade games, ufo-catchers and illustrations of girls, whose epic frontal dimensions are waging an eternal war with common sense, I simply eat some shabu-shabu, play a game of border-break and enjoy a gunpla at the Gundam-Cafe.

Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku

Normally I try to avoid the usual tourist-spots, but since I decided to post unique Tokyo-impressions, I had a hard time avoiding these places. I started in Shibuya, took a walk to Harajuku and finished in Shinjuku where I had a coffee with a very good friend of mine. Thanks again! ;-)

Enjoying Tokyo Decks

I spent a nice afternoon at Tokyo Decks and wanted to share the bayside-feeling with you. So I took a break at Aqua City's Cafe Monsoon (http://www.monsoon-cafe.jp/en/odaiba/home/location) and took some pix.