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Mt. Fuji rising above the town of Kawaguchiko
BERRY sign above a city street
Stone statue of Christ among azaleas and brick
Islands in the sea beyond a lone tree
Two silhouettes at the ferry railing at dusk
Monkey sitting in the dirt among tree roots
Kokura Castle above stone walls and trees
Hiroshima Castle keep
Torii gate at the entrance of Fushimi Inari
Pink dusk over the bay islands
Map of Japan with the route from Tokyo to Nagasaki
The floating torii of Miyajima at low tide
Neon signs over a late-night food stall
Pagoda rising out of a misty forest
Tunnel of orange torii gates
Overlook road above the city of Nagasaki
BMX rider dropping in beside a building in Yokosuka
Monkey inspecting a watch through the fence on Miyajima
The floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine
Tokyo

Tokyo was everything that I expected. Small side streets. Amazing food. The culture shock was interesting. I've never been surrounded by so many people, but felt completely alone. I walked 20+ miles a day soaking it all in.

Yokohama

I was here as a day trip out of Tokyo. I met some Americans and went to a bar with tons of vinyl. Hearing Willie Nelson at a bar in Japan is a fun experience.

Mt. Fuji

Beautiful. Slow. I saw a family at a bonfire as I was walking to get ramen that made my heart happy. Mt. Fuji made my heart happy. The slowness was much needed after a few days in Tokyo.

Nagoya

The "dirtiest" city I went to, but it would be the cleanest city in America. I went to the bars with a few Americans that I met. Interesting to say the least...

Osaka

Huge. Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara all run together in my mind. I liked the bay, the food. I went to a bakery I saw on Instagram 5 years prior. It was worth the wait.

Kyoto

I need a redo. I had a blast walking around, but where is the "Old City"? I was hoping to see some more old stuff you know?

Nara

DEER!! That is all. Some tourists as well. Too many tourists in fact. Great little "hikes" and some amazing food!

Kitakyushu

My ferry landed here. It was a fun ride, but I am glad that I only stayed a day or so. I went to a church that had a goofy pastor that was helped by 3 little girls. Very funny. Maybe even more so because I couldn't understand anything.

The camera store street in Tokyo
Rippled clouds above the peak of Mt. Fuji
Snow-capped Mt. Fuji against a deep blue sky
Mt. Fuji appearing above neighborhood rooftops
Platform 2 sign for Mt. Fuji, Fujikyu-Highland, and Kawaguchiko
Cherry blossoms over a mountain road
Warm light on a hostel capsule bunk
Iron Heart sign on the factory building
Iron Heart The Works with a red Jeep parked outside
The Iron Heart garage stacked with boxes
Local train arriving at the platform
Ferry funnel logo against the Osaka skyline
Pier stretching into the dusk
Tram running through city traffic
Green streetcar at a Nagasaki tram stop
Sunset over the water from the ferry window
Shinkansen nose at the platform
Weathered debris on white stone
Open ocean from the ferry
Empty sleeping room on the overnight ferry
Two silhouettes at the ferry railing under a storm sky
Gilded statue seated in lamplight
Crowd around an outdoor wrestling ring
Monkeys on the roof of a hillside house
Feeding a monkey by hand
Statue couple on a bench under night lights
Small town streets under green mountains
Mossy stone shrine with small torii gates
Tram stop sign for Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum
Nagasaki

Powerful. This was the first "atomic stop". When I got off the shinkansen, I didn't know how to feel. Sorry? Embarrassed? Somber? I hadn't been stopped by anyone in Japan up until this point, but as soon as I got off the first tram an old lady came up with a big smile asking where I was from. Soon after, a man in a park flying a kite that said "PRAY FOR WORLD PEACE" yelled out to me, "Welcome to Nagasaki". I'm still not sure what to think.

Hiroshima

The second "atomic stop". I liked Peace Park and the overall scenery in Nagasaki better, but the museum was much better here. The hypocenter memorial in a back alley right next to an apartment complex is such a strange experience. To stand where the bomb went off was wild. Seeing shadows of humans burned into wood was terrifying. What a strange juxtaposition from Omaha Beach, where I would be standing one month later.

Tiled museum building in Nagasaki
Memorial pillar at the hypocenter in Nagasaki
Headless stone saints along the brick ruins at Oura

Christ and the Theotokos looking in the direction of the blast

Statue in a garden of blooming azaleas
The Nagasaki Peace Statue against the sky

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