The biggest city in the world

The first weekend in June Serenity & I flew to Tokyo for the weekend to meet up with my friend Jerry and my cousin Derek, who were coming in for a two-week visit.

The first morning we headed out to see the Imperial Palace, home of the Emperor. Here is Jerry & Derek posing in front of the moat.

We walked around the gardens inside the palace grounds, filled with azalea and iris around the Koi ponds.


But you can't visit Tokyo without seeing the Yasukuni-jinja, the controversial shrine dedicated to the many Japanese people who have died in wars of the past.

Derek, me & Jerry in front of a Kamikaze plane.

That night we went out on the town for some good food. Derek, Serenity & Jerry looking a little lost. No worries.

The next morning we visited the Asakusa Temple near our hotel, a famous temple in Japan.

That's Derek with the sunglasses on, cleansing his hands with the fountain water. You're supposed to clean your hands and sip a little of the water to cleanse your inner soul before entering the temple.

If you click this one to enlarge, you can see Jerry spitting back into the fountain. It turns out it wasn't the only thing he spit up while visiting. More on that in another post.


After visiting the temple, we looked for something to eat.

Here's Jerry, debating whether to feast on some endangered whale.


We eventually decided on this sushi place.

Derek wondering what he just ate.

Here's what Derek just ate...any guesses?

We ventured off through the city for some more sightseeing.

We came across this traditional ceremony, a bunch of people dressed up and playing music while hauling this shrine down the street.

Some of them really got into the ceremony, traditional dress and all. (buttcheeks were optional)

Visiting a garden by the Meji-jinja later that day, making sure to photograph the wildlife.


Serenity & I in Shibuya...yet another crowded intersection.


After dinner, we enjoyed some drunken Karaoke. In Japan, Karaoke is sung in private rooms...thank God.


The next day, nursing hangovers (was it from the beer or Serenity's singing?) we headed to Tsukiji Fish Market, where the sushi comes in fresh from the polluted waters of Tokyo Bay.

Us enjoying a bit of fried squid and fishcakes on the sidewalk.

Inside Tsukiji market...where they don't sell just fish.

Anyone for a stuffed endangered Panda? A nice stuffed osprey? Polar Bear? Sea Turtle? Lynx? Tiger? (Not all pictured here)

We visited another garden next to Tokyo Bay later that day.

Good thing Jerry was there to hold up this Tori...


After a three-day weekend in Tokyo, the guys were ready to visit good ol' Tachiarai...

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...Unite!

More photos from the rest of their visit later...