When on my RTW trip, I landed in Osaka and took a train straight out to Kyoto (a little over two hours, the trains are amazingly fast and efficient and with a train pass, things were so convienent). Why can't public transit in the U.S. be as good as this?

There isn't too much interesting to me in Osaka, but then again I didn't look very hard. Here is one dramatic building I saw on the way out.

These are a couple views of the Higashi Honganji Temple, about 1/4 mile from the incredibly striking Kyoto train station. The temple was very close to the Ryokan that I was staying at.

Another view of another building in the same Kyoto temple complex. A beautiful pagoda.

Kyoto has lots of neon in their canals. I was quite impressed!

Himeiji palace is a 7 story tall wooden palace on top of a stone foundation. The top floor isn't all that big compared to the rest of the building, but the journey to get up there is fun.

Near Gion Corner in Kyoto (where the geisha culture is alive, more or less) is the Yasaka Shrine. Pictures can't really justify how pretty this place is at night. But I tried! Maybe I should fill my apartment/office with paper lanterns.

After spending weeks in Japan, finding a vending machine that actually sold Diet Coke was a big deal to me. Low calorie caffinated bevarages are really hard to find!

My Ryokan room in Takayama was the most elaborate place I've ever stayed in. It had a private garden (with running water and lanterns) outside a sliding window.

Shibuya in Tokyo is popular with the tourists. A huge shopping district with thousands of people running around and huge illuminated signs. All accessible from a bunch of train lines.

This is a traditional Japanese farmhouse I found in a Tokyo park. I don't know if any Japanese actually live in something like this anymore. I kind-of doubt it. No place to put one of those talking toilets.

This is the War Shrine in Tokyo. Nearby is a museum with some intriguing exhibits. I was especially interested in the room that had panels that tried to explain (in English) how World War II was the fault of the U.S.