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Our first trip to Japan (10-22 April 2008)! We arrived in Tokyo, and visited the Ghibli museum, Nikko, Kamakura, Nara, Osaka and Kyoto.
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Venus Fort is a completely over the top shopping centre in Palette Town, Odaiba, designed to look like a medieval European town.
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Mega Web History Garage is a museum located at the basement of Venus Fort and features historic cars, motorsports and nostalgia.
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Toyota Universal Design Showcase allows a visitor to "touch and feel" various elements of Toyota design and innovation.
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The Toyota City Showcase is probably the world's largest Toyota car showroom, and features exhibits and hands on experiences.
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Palette Town is a shopping mall and entertainment complex containing a giant red ferris wheel plus Toyota's showcase centre (Mega Web).
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Odaiba is an artificial island built from reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It has ultra-modern buildings looking like a science fiction film.
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Seiseki-Sakuragaoka was the inspiration for the location used in the animation film 「耳をすませば」 (Whisper of the Heart).
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Well, sad though it may be - eventually we decided we have seen everything and therefore it was time to leave Sanrio Puroland (sob!).
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The last show we caught was "Fairytale Under The Sea" - this one had lots and lots of dancing, and has an underwater theme.
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Sanrio Puroland's parade (Believe) is a homage to all those fans young and old who have "believed" in Hello Kitty for most of their lives.
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The next show we watched was a version of the Nutcracker ballet, but starring Hello Kitty and her family. This ends with a cabaret show!
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The first show we attended at Sanrio Puroland is a fairytale called "Someday II" (obviously a sequel to Someday I).
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Sanrio Puroland hosts musicals, restaurants, attractions, and theme rides based on Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and more.
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Today we decided to head out of Tokyo towards the sprawling western suburbs of Tama New Town. The commercial centre is called Tama Center.
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Today we leave Osaka to return back to Tokyo. We took some photos around Shinosaka station whilst waiting for the Shinkansen to arrive.
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After visiting Osaka, we explored various places in Umeda before heading back to the hotel and packing for our trip to Tokyo tomorrow.
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Osaka Castle played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. It has been rebuilt several times.
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By the time we arrived at Osaka from Nara, it was already evening. We had dinner at Umeda then explored Osaka at Night.
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The Kiddyland at Umeda is not as big as the Tokyo flagship store, but the goods are nicely arranged and it was easy to find things.
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The Donguri Republic is a store selling character goods and plush toys. We had a lot of fun here browsing and gaping at the merchansdise.
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The Kasuga Grand Shrine, originally the family shrine of the once powerful Fujiwara family, is the largest and most extensive shrine in Nara.
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Tamukeyama Hachimangu (手向山八幡宮) is a Shinto shrine next to Todaiji, dedicated to the Hachiman kami and established in 749.
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We explored other buildings in Toudaiji temple complex, including the Great Bell precinct and the halls named after festival months.
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The Daibutsuden in Toudaiji houses the huge bronze statue of the Great Buddha, and is apparently the largest wooden structure in the world.
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Toudaiji is one of the Seven Great Temples in Nara and part of the World Heritage Site. We entered it via the Nandaimon (Great South Gate).
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Nara is the ancient capital of Japan. We begin our visit at the Okumura Museum, with an interesting earthquake simulator.
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Kyoto Gyoen is a national park at the heart of Kyoto that features nothing less than an Imperial Palace, the former residence of the Emperor of Japan.
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Kinkakuji , also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion", is so famous that it is the subject of the novel by Mishima Yukio.
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Nijou Castle was commissioned by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu as the residence for the Tokugawa clan when they are in Kyoto.
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Today we are planing to do a day trip from Osaka to Tokyo via Shinkansen. We hope to visit as many sights as we can in a day.
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Umeda ("plum field") is a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district, and the city's main northern railway terminus.
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Our first trip on a Shinkansen (bullet train)! We travelled from Tokyo to Osaka, a distance of 515 km, in 3 hours.
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Sasuke Inari Shrine is a Shinto Shrine full of inari sculptures residing in miniature village on a hill reached by a path of red Torii gates.
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Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine is nestled deep in a mountain completely surrounded by rocks, so it is totally invisible from the outside.
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Kotokuin is a Buddhist temple renowned for The Great Buddha of Kamakura, one of the most famous icons of Japan.
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Hasedera, also called the Hase-kannon, is a Buddhist temple in Kamakura famous for its giant wooden statue of Kuan Yin.
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We visited Kamakura, a historical town. We discovered the Syuu Genji temple near the Hase station and some quaint shops.
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PENTAX SQUARE is a mix of photographic gallery (Pentax FORUM), users's education facility (Pentax FOCAL) and user club (Pentax Family).
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From Shibuya, we took train back to Shinjuku and explored the south side, as well as the side closest to our hotel.
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Shibuya is famous for the world's busiest pedestrian crossing, the statue of a loyal dog, and stylish fashion stores for young women.
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Akihabara is a suburb full of stores that specialise in electrical goods. Also known as Electric Town, it has everything an otaku wants.
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The Taiyuin Mausoleum honours Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651), the third Tokugawa shogun, and is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Futarasan shrine enshrines three deities: Ōkuninushi, Tagorihime, and Ajisukitakahikone, and is part of the Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Toushouguu Shrine is the most famous shrine in Nikko and the final resting place for the remains of Japan's greatest shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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Rinnouji Temple is a Tendai Buddhist temple in the city of Nikko. It is part of the Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Ghibli Museum is dedicated to the creative output of Studio Ghibli - an animation film studio featuring director Miyazaki Hayao.
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We had dinner at a ramen shop near the station. After dinner, we wandered around Shinjuku at night - particularly Electric Street (電気街).
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Harajuku has been epitomised in popular culture as a hang-out for rebellious Japanese teenagers with their own fashion style.
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The Hamarikyu Garden used to belong to a daimyo (feudal lord) during the Edo period and used for wild duck hunting and falconry.
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Shinbashi ("New Bridge") was a bridge built across the Shiodome River (since filled in). Today, it is a railway hub and commercial centre.
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The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁舎) is the tallest city hall in the world, with observation decks proving amazing views.
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Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative centre with many skyscrapers, and the busiest railway station in the world.
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Our arrival in Tokyo from Sydney was early in the morning. The Qantas plane landed in Narita Airport, and we took the express to Shinjuku.