In front of a restaurant in Matsumoto (what a great way to advertise!)
I just wanted to give this cat a big hug!
Goofing around in Yamanote
A view of Kyoto and the Kiyomizu temple (the porch shown in the picture is built completely without nails!)
Me, trying to peel eggplant without peeling myself
The food we made in our cooking class: Clear soup with eel "peonies", jade salad with sesame dressing and sushi
A street scene the night before the Gion Matsuri parade- the entire city of Kyoto was out to buy good luck charms from the floats, eat street food and be seen
One of the street food stalls, selling... something
A close-up of one of the parade floats
A mieko (an apprentice geisha) out to watch the parade. Sorry we couldn't get a better photo- she was amazing to see, not beautiful but very graceful, poised and elegant
One of the parade floats in the Gion Matsuri parade- the floats are pulled around town to ward off sickness
Another float (traditionally these floats were carried but now they have wheels under them)
David and I in our yukata (summer kimonos) 
Avoiding the sun the way Japanese women to- with an umbrella
The main gate of Nijo castle in Kyoto
David outside of Nijo castle (his shirt apparently says "I drank, I was drunk"). We weren't allowed to take photos, but Nijo castle is known for it's beutiful screens (an example: http://collection.aggv.bc.ca/explore/detail.aspx?item=12832). They are currently being restored and are more beautiful than ever
The Zen water garden at Nijo castle. We also saw dry Zen gardens (with the sand and rocks) but weren't allowed to take any photos.
An "Engrish" sign. It's kind of small... It says "Notice" in enlish and then has a line of japanese characters and then says "Thank you for your cooperation" in english
In the bamboo grove outside of Kyoto, where we went for a day to escape the heat
Another photo of the bamboo grove
Me with some statues of gods meant to protect travelers
A baby and mama snow monkey
A reverse zoo! David is in the cage and the monkey he's feeding is outside
Sunset over Kyoto
The Kyoto tower... in a kimono...?
And there's the real thing, reflected in the windows of the Kyoto train station
Sushi train!
David and I at the Golden Pavillion
A picture-postcard view of the Golden Pavillion
Another view (and yes, that is real gold)
Believe it or not, I think this is an ad for a telecom company
Da-nah, da-nah da-nah! We're gonna need a bigger boat!
David petting sharks and rays at the Osaka aquarium
David holding up Osaka castle
Some funky trees in the park near Osaka castle
A really great example of "Engrish" 
Nope, not what you're thinking. This turned out to be a yakiniku restaurant devoted to James Brown
Some of the great wall art at the Bonsai Guesthouse, where we stayed in Osaka
I think these cars were for sale! They're Mercedes Benz's covered with sparly fabric
The sign above a fugu restaurant
The crush of commuters coming off a train (just one) in Osaka. The main train loop around the subway had ground to a halt just before rush hour earlier that day when someone threw themself in front of a train (it was actually a train that we were on...)
Just a few of the bonsai treess on the roof of the Bonsai Guesthouse. David was in heaven!
Speaks for itself
Yup, that's a shark guitar
Me, napping through the heat of the afternoon in Tokyo
Minh, the friend of a friend who was kind enough to meet us out in Tokyo, Jeff and Jeff's friend Licia
Fireworks in Chofu, outside Tokyo, to celebrate the end of the shool year. Not a great photo of the fireworks but a good crowd picture. You're never really alone in Japan.
All our trip souvenirs
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