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Japan: Kanto |
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Japan: Kanto |
Kanto, "East of the Barrier", is how the Japanese refer to the eastern half of Honshu, dominated by the coastal plain surrounding Tokyo and the great volcanic cone of Mt. Fuji. Much of it is simply suburbia, but two hours on the train will get you out of the concrete jungle and into the mountains, temples, hot springs and coastal resorts that dot the periphery of Tokyo.
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Atami
A dull coastal resort that just happens to house the esoteric edifice known as the MOA Museum of Art. Shown: Entrance escalator, MOA Museum of Art |
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Chichibu-Tama National
Park
A dull coastal resort that just happens to house the esoteric edifice known as the MOA Museum of Art. Shown: A waterfall along the trail to Mitsumine Shrine, Chichibu |
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Mt. Fuji
The quintessential symbol of Japan. And yes, I did climb all 3776 meters of it. Shown: Shinto torii, the summit of Mt. Fuji |
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Hakone National Park
A national park with volcanic springs, pirate ships and views of Fuji. Shown: Steam from a sulphuric hot spring, Owakudani |
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Kamakura
A former capital turned sleepy temple town... and one of the first places where I tried out my digital camera. Shown: The Daibutsu (Great Buddha) of Kamakura |
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Kawasaki
An industrial slum squeezed between Tokyo and Yokohama which happens to house a few interesting temples and shrines. Shown: Porcelain kitty holding a mobile phone, Kawasaki Daishi temple |
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Kinugawa
A tourist ghetto devoted to the Japanese pastime of soaking in hot springs, where the natural surroundings compensate for the hideousness of the architecture. Shown: Anne on a bridge above the Kinugawa River |
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Nikko
The pompous burialplace of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, set within peaceful groves of cedar. Shown: Entrance gate, Taiyuin-byo Shrine |
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Shirako
A Chiban holiday resort known for its tennis courts and named after fish sperm, picked as the site of a lab retreat one rainy October afternoon. Shown: Footprints in the sand, Kujukuri-hama Beach |
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Yokohama
Theoretically Japan's 2nd largest city and a major international port, in practice mostly just a large Tokyo suburb. Pictures taken during the IEEE Virtual Reality 2001 conference. Shown: The ferris wheel of Cosmo World at night, Minato Mirai 21 |
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Yokosuka
The photographic record of a visit to NTT Docomo's Yokosuka Research Park, devoted to the next generation of mobile phones. Lots of pictures of phones and an angry duck. Shown: Anechoic room with phone testing dummy |