Japan

**Click Link to See Pretty Video**

I don't really have much to say myself other than it's interesting however knowing a bit about Japan it's an impressive compilation of images. I must say as they went almost everywhere or at least to the more tourist-focused locations.

Damn. It really makes me want to save up a few grand and go there for a while myself.

Even based on the number of different shinkansen, and the number of different locations, it certainly does appear that they covered quite a bit of Japan. A bunch of them might have been touristy, but probably more for Japanese tourists than non-Japanese tourists. There was Tokyo, Kyoto, everything in between, and everything on either side. Some rural, some sea-side, and some mountains.

You'd need probably $10k to cover what they did, and probably at least a month. And either the ability to speak Japanese or a guide. You can't do 1/10th of what they did if you don't know at least some Japanese. Tokyo has a lot of english signage, but once you leave Tokyo, you better be able to read some kanji and/or speak with the locals to figure out how to get around.

Interesting video, but ~5FPS is too quick for a bunch of stills.

Chris

It's a sad truth. Oh well, I guess it is more of a dream vacation then. I'll put it on my mid-life "to do list".

You could do it for a lot less if you go over there to teach English for a year, and make a bunch of weekend trips to various points across the country, but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. And you'd still need to know some Japanese to get around.

Not sure if the fallout from "Nova" going, well, nova, has settled yet, though. I'm sure it's not _too_ hard to get an English teaching job in Japan at this point, but it might not be quite as easy as it used to be, with Japan also being in a recession.

The trick is to do this sort of thing before you land a permanent job, and before you buy/rent somewhere to live.

Is that before, in lieu of, or after the crisis?

Just before.

I have heard of going over to teach E nglish but I really don't think I'm that good at teaching other people how to speak it, let alone write it.

Those who can't do, teach.

Agreed, I think it has a capital E.

the video rate was ok for me, the audio was tiresome after the first couple of minutes though...

thought i saw some places recognize from around Shinjuku.

LOL, I had the volume turned down, so I didn't notice.


Yep, that multi-way intersection next to hachiko and the train station, with the huge white bands all over the road, are unmistakable.



And the shinkansen... Trains and subways are simply a way to get around Japan, but the shinkansen is an experience in and of itself... And we were on one of the "slower" shinkansen that only had to go from Tokyo to a "suburb" about 37 minutes away (_average_ speed of 110 miles per hour) by shinkansen or 100 minutes by standard train.

When we go back, we're planning on flying in to Narita and taking a shinkansen to Kyoto, primarily so we can experience one of the "faster" shinkansen. (That would allow us a few days in Tokyo, and the cost actually works out to about the same anyway.)

that's the intersection at the top i believe.


can't wait to go back!