Iwaki - Day 1

LATOV, the Iwaki commercial plaza.

Iwaki is home to many urban shrines like the one below. Finding them is like searching for Waldo in real-life. It's a great way to enjoy the city and to get to know its alleys.

Sout West view of Iwaki.

Tuesday Morning

Yesterday was not a day for traveling or any kind of outdoors activity. It was wet and cold. Early in the morning we had a light rain which quickly turned to a heavy and consistent downpour. Fortunately this country is so used to heavy rains their drainage and flood control systems almost eliminate the threat of floods.


Today is looking much nicer. To the East, nothing but clear blue skies. There was a thick fog this morning due to the earth warming up quickly and evaporating what water it held. There are some nonthreatening clouds over to the West. They won't prevent me to exploring another city today. The only threat that exist today is the humidity. It warmed up so quickly this morning the air is now thick and causes one to break into a sweat very easily. I guess I'll have to dress very casual and walk slowly. Great for taking photos.

Turtles in Japan are not so different from those in the US. They all love to hang out on a log an a warm spring day.

Matsushima Bay

Matsushima is incredible. Definitely one of the most beautiful national reserves that exist anywhere.

Tomioka Temple

Japanese society is very modern and its culture is best descirbed by the word respectful. This country has many traditions that would take a lifetime to explore and understand. The historey of its people and the traditions that exist today are very remarkable. I am making my best efforts to learn and experience these traditions in a responsible manner that respects the local culture.

Above is one of the buildings at the temple in Tomioka. The building is hundreds of years old however it is in pristine condition. The roof is in solid condition. The artwork over the entry still shows every detail of the dragons sculpted in wood. The only sign that point to its age are a few holes in the siding and some decay at the base of the columns.

Sendai Visit

Welcom to Sendai. According to Wikipedia is the capital city of a Japanese prefecture. It's a major japanese city and one of the largest in the country.


A tree-lined boulevarde is nothing new but I was extremely impressed by the boulevardes lined by giant ferns. Downtown Sendai is base of operations major American, European, and Asian firms. The city skyline resembles midtown New York. The ferns are four to five stories tall and beautify an already spectacular town. Befor leaving Sendai I had to visit its shopping district. All the top luxury brand retailers have stores in the Sendai shopping center. There are also many restaurants, boutiques of all sorts, grooming and personal products stores, and much more. Most importantly, on rainy days like this one can still have fun, spend a little, and enjoy casual moments without much concern over for the weather.

Narita to Tomioka, JP

A fourteen hour direct flight from Newark, NJ to Tokyo, JP. I was tired. I was thirsty. Most importantly though, upon clearing customs and boarding the first of two trains I was focused on simply getting above ground and seeing this amazing country.

Shot of me on the Kesei Skyliner to Ueno station in Tokyo.

Welcome to Tomioka-machi, Fukushima. Loveliest place in the Northern Honshu.

Les âmes des deux gamins

My gift for Ms. Abigail Fay on her birthday.

Hopefully a reminder of how much she means to me.

Flowers that she will soon have in hand, I hope.

Les deux gamins

26.69

Samedi 1ere Mai, 2010

A fabulous day for a bike ride. The missision was to complete 27 miles in under 2 hours. Here are the stats.

Temp: 86 F
Wind Speed: 2mph
Total distance: 26.69 mi
Total Time: 1:55 hrs
Top Speed: 30.1 mph
Avg spd: 13.8 mph
Odometer: 175 mi

Result: An excellent day of riding and personal records in speed and distance travelled.