"I Return!"

Whelp.  I survived the vacation without any bludgeoning, starvation, robbing, irradiating, or ritual disembowelment.  So...

SUCCESS!

It was a great trip with many surprises and a literal cross section of Japanese culture and society.  It was good fun, and gave me a nice list of places that I will like to go back to, and dra-... err... "take" people with me.  For a three man trip, it was amazing, and all of us had a blast.

Rest is something I will enjoy while I can, for in a few days I am off for another week.  This time for Kendo Spring Training.  When explained what it was I nodded knowingly and responded that I am familiar with a similar practice in sports in America; "Ah, back home we call that 'Hell Week'."  But it should be fun, and is taking place at a special location! I hope I really enjoy it, more then get pummeled relentlessly by my peers.

I plan on telling you all about my Japan Super Mega Fudge Coated Trip in detail!  Buuuut not now.  Mainly because I promised pictures, and... my camera is junk.  Like... super junk. So... as a result I am relying on my comrade's photos which I will be getting shortly.  Hopefully.

But since I promised you photo's you get the ones that came out.  A warning... they... yeah.   Not so much Japan as simply... stuff that needed a photo of.  My camera had interesting taste for when it chose to work.
 

 Here are the first and last pictures respectively.  The irony is that after I took the first one the camera died for a few days, forcing my reliance on my friend's camera and phone respectively.   In return I supplied them with my map reading skills and a (roughly accurate) sense of direction.

It'sa temple!

Lots'a roofs, on an island, in fog!

  These are the two honored gentlemen I went on the trip with.  I'm grateful for their Japanese, and also the fact I could understand what they/others were saying.  It's just when I tried to speak in Japanese it comes out like a child watching Sesame Street.  I returned the favor by helping correct their English.  Our favorite words were: Authentic, Ambiance, and sit.  If you are wondering about the last one pronouce "si" with the Japanese equivalent "し" or "shi".

Yiton and Takayuki 

 But as I mentioned many of these few photo's that survived my camera were... well... some need explanation while others do not.  This one may.  I didn't run into as many Ninja as I was expecting, but I did run into these guys...

Half of you know they are called Xenomorphs; half of that group is terrified they are made out of bike chains and spark plugs.

They bleed battery acid.

Next is a Jet Boat taken in Kobe in the middle of the night.  It looked too cool not to attempt.  Note Camera did not take any successful photos of the city, Kobe Tower, or a really cool light up ferris wheel.

A boat, just at night, and not in water.  I swear.

If I had honestly seen this next one in real life, I would have begun vomiting and jibbering nonsense immediately.

My next D&D group should, at this moment, all suddenly have chills.

 And there you have it, there were only a few others of my own taking that surived the ordeal, but I will leave you with these last two.  I'm really not sure if I would have made a good Samurai.

"どや！”

..... Okay, the hat makes it work.