Kofu was super nice. I stayed at a very expensive and totally awesome ryokan there for two nights. I’d been hiking through tokyo all week, so I mostly hung out at the ryokan (with a side trip to kofu castle). They had this incredible traditional japanese dinner made from their own kitchen by these old ladies that worked there. It included all sorts of differetn stuff: a single shrimp maybe 7 inches long, really good sashimi, like 5 kinds of meat, fried fish, different kinds of mushrooms, fresh fruit, tofu, and stuff I’d never seen before and don’t know what to call. I wish I’d taken picture.

Kofu is nestled in chubu’s mountains, which are absolutely bueatiful. It is probably only a little bit smaller than seattle population wise, but has a small town feel at least on the outskirts.

It takes too long to add subtitles to images on wordpress, so here’s a quick summary in rough order of the pictures below:

1. Looked at anime crap in Akihabara. They had life sized dolls of asuka that I’m sure brian will drool over. Also astro boy! Atomu!

2. Notice that black guy with a huge pachinko ball afro. Inside this establishment are many people throwing their money away.

3. Manga.

4. The wise and inscrutable Colonel Sanders. He is worshipped as a household god in japan.

5. Electronics crap from akihabara.

6. The advertisement on the front of what I *think* was a house of ill repute right in Akihabara! When I took this photograph, the japanese guys studying the ad jumped out of the way *real quick*.

7. Various statues from the western art museum in ueno.

8. Shrine stuff from Ueno.

9. The night stuff with lots of glowing signs is from Roppongi, and includes Roppongi crossing. Roppingi is basically party central for japan.

10. No!!!!!!!!! Drugs

11.  The super azusa to kofu was awesome, so It took a picture. I got a reserved seat (equivalent to first class on an airline, but since it’s a train it doesn’t cost that much). Almost my entire cabin was empty, I had plenty of leg room, and a chair I could lean way back. Plus, they sell snacks during the trip. This is way different than the tokyo metro trains that are usually standing room only. I’ve been on the trains during the hours when people nearly need to get packed in, and it is *not* fun.

12. Lots of moutains from the train, as well as rice paddies. There are whole towns full of houses where everyone’s backyard is a rice paddy that the family that lives there maintains part time. I’m not sure how this works.

13. Kofu castle was alright, but the main attraction was that after I hiked to the top I got an awesome view of all the surrounding mountains, city, and countryside. I regret I didn’t get to go hiking up the mountains, but it was raining like crazy on and off, and I didn’t want to get caught out there in my short sleaved shirts.

I hung out in Shinjuku today, shot some pictures of tokyo from a 45 story building, went to a jazz show, and ate at some thai place.