And so ends the first half of my free travels. Everything from here on out is from my journey to the East towards Tokyo. Along the way, I stopped at other major cities such as Kyoto (finally had time to photograph it!) and Nagoya, as well as my mountain hideaway, Hakone.

I very much enjoy the colors surrounding the moat.

It's unfortunate that the massive size of these walls and the stones that form them are not shown with another person in the picture to emphasize the gargantuan scale they are on.

These were all taken from the front courtyard (a huge expanse, really) - alas, I arrived in Himeji too late to enter (nearly everything touristy closes early, leaving most tourists with no idea what the hell to do after 4pm). I was free to walk around the perimiter, though, so I made the best out of what I could do.

Don't be too suprised, the rock declares "Himeji Castle."

Head-on view of Himeji Castle, largest and most popular in all of Japan. Unfortunately, this is probably one of the least magnificent views of the structure. Check here for a few nice ones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_castle

Okayama Castle, on the bank opposite that of the garden.

Walking around (and in an attempt to dodge the oncoming tour group), I happened upon another stone path - this one leading to the mouth of a waterfall. From this partly hidden vantage point, I was able to capture one of my favorite shots from the Enyo-tei garden.

Underneath the pink veil.

This sakura was easily the most spectacular sight to grace the garden. At this time, the other trees like it had mostly begun to shed their flowers, but this one remained in a defiant, full bloom.

A bamboo grove flanking the valley below.

Curious island with a lantern and waterfall concealed by brush.

Every step I took in the grove was another unique view with a beautiful smattering of colors.

Okayama castle overlooking the path to another flower-covered lunch area.

Some people enjoying their seasonal "obentou" lunch under a tree. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obento)

A view of the forest of color that surrounded the far end of the garden.

The open room with a stream passing through it. The signs reminded you to take off your shoes.

Another interesting bridge leading to a roofed spot for meditation. A variety of colorful trees are at the far end from here.

A view of the central, open area from atop the stone-bridged island, looking back at the wood-bridged one and a few others that cannot be reached but by boat. The colorful area at the far right is a giftshop and tea hut.

A different island, this time linked to by a wooden bridge and hosting a small hut.

I love seeing stones being used as bridges and stairs - something about the pure, natural feeling it evokes. Unfortunately on that note, Japan doesn't usually cater very well to the needs of handicapped people. The rest of the garden could be enjoyed equally, but this little island would pose a problem.

The following morning, I headed to Okayama for the privelidge of viewing the expansive garden called "Enyo-tei." This view represents a mere fraction of the property, which seemed to take up all of the peninsula between the two rivers near Okayama castle.

And before heading out to find my net cafe for the night, I took this Night-scene (aka blurry) picture of the outer wall and moat.

At this point, my camera battery had fallen to one remaining bar of strength, so I was trying to conserve as much power as possible. There weren't many varied angles from which the castle was worth photographing, so this is all I took.

South and I were finally dropped off at the station (having stayed out much later than I anticipated), and we talked in the waiting room for a long while until our Rapid train finally arrived. I got off at Matsue and headed straight for the castle as dusk was rapidly approaching. I made it in time to get some nice pictures of it illuminated, and was able to walk around the castle grounds freely. I ran into one person walking their dog, but it was otherwise a perfectly still night.

This was some nice woodwork at the entrance to the temple also on the property. South knew there were some artifacts inside, so North asked the guy if we could come in and look, which we were allowed to. Most of these had been reduced to twisted piles of rust, so I didn't bother to photograph them.

Later, we stopped by a shrine which at first didn't seem too unusual, but after walking back through rows of headstones, the cave we had come to see was visible. This cave had a tomb in it (pictured here) that was for some important figure and his family. The catch? He was Korean. North explained that the design and style of the tomb was traditionally Korean, etc. I asked what was the problem this time, and he said that outside the government had dug away much of the larger hill to make way for a road. "They wouldn't have done it if it were a Japanese tomb." To tell you the truth, there was a lot of hill left, and I personally wouldn't care whose hill it was, the important part was still intact.

The scene at large.

Of course, this mock "dig" was roped off, but the Koreans had no reservations about ignoring the signs and climbing all around the setup. I was hesitant to go, but we were at the end of the giant field and secluded by brush, so I went in as well.

Continuing from before - the Korean travel saga. North drove us out to a seemingly random empty field, but after walking a little while back, I noticed the museum and trail markers guiding pedestrians back to a replica of an excavation. The place was called the Archaeological Museum of Kojindani. Here's what it's all about: "Kojindani Ruins
(Izumo City)
In 1984, an important archeological discovery was made at this site. A huge trove of 358 copper swords was unearthed, testifying to the power of the Izumo region in ancient times. The next year, 16 other copper pikes were found, along with six copper bells; these have been designated as National Treasures. Research at these ruins continues apace, as scientists seek to unlock the mysteries of Japan's ancient past."

ただいま！

While not yet continuing my series of pictures from ages past, I thought it was worth mentioning that I'm actually alive. Not to suggest that Fate didn't test me with it's old tricks...

The 747 I was on had to make an unscheduled stop in Seattle, WA because our "fuel wasn't balanced." This may be pilot-speak for "OH MY GOD AN ENGINE DIED", but I'm not up to date with such technical matters, but two hours of fuel-balancing later, we finally made it back in the air. Since we were an international flight, they wouldn't let us off (customs issues, etc.) - not like I was actually expecting them to - so the grand total time I spent on the airplane came to a grand total of fifteen hours. I'm not going to complain, because I'd much rather sit on my ass another 120 minutes (once it's numb, it stays that way) instead of being sucked out into the air when the plane broke in half somewhere over Montana.

Such are life's compromises.

So I'm sitting in my house on the computer at 6:44 AM (EST is important to note), not having slept in anything other than two-hour bursts. Note: this isn't because of jet-lag, but because I'm finding out that in 4 months of absence from my house/belongings, they need some severe attending to. It was refreshing to have Taco Bell, I must say!

Without derailing the original intent of this blog too much, I'll end it here and say that I've got some catching up to do. Whether it takes priority over all of the other catching up I have to do or not is a different question ;) Hopefully, I'll be able to comment and upload a day's worth of pictures each day this week.

(the flight attendants really loved the Astro-boy shirt)