Kanagawa, Japan

Kanagawa was a surprise. I expected it to have a beautiful garden (ranked as one of Japan's three best), but the geisha quarters, samurai quarters, and trendy shopping districts were worth the trip. Some of the trees were so old they needed crutches to hold up each of the branches. Kanagawa is also the home of Japan's oldest water fountain (100+ years old) and home to the world's coolest elevator in one of the best designed museums I've ever been to. It might rank as my favorite stop on our Labor Day weekend road trip.

And, speaking of road trips, one reason why I'm happy I don't live in Japan is that I don't have to pay to use the highway. Yes, the US has its toll roads...but in Japan, every expressway costs money. And it ain't a couple bucks or yen. It's $30 or more depending on the distance. Then again, their highways are well paved, landscaped, and litter-free -- so I guess, you get what you pay for.

Additional bonus points go to Kanagawa for having it's own Starbucks mug. In the big cities across Japan, Starbucks commissions local artists to illustrate coffee mugs with local scenery. We're collecting them in our travels throughout Japan. Wait until you see them before you judge. These things are nice. We'll be drinking coffee in style for years!

Big Buddha

The large building that originally housed this Buddha was destroyed by a tidal wave hundreds of years ago, leaving the giant statue untouched and exposed to elements, which is how it's stayed ever since.

Amanohashidate, Japan

Japan likes to package their country in groups of three: three best gardens, three best temples, etc. Well, the next stop on our road trip was one of the three "most beautiful scenic views." Amanohashidate, whose name I butchered countless times when trying to remember/pronounce it, means "bridge in heaven." It is a sand bar a few miles long, covered in 8000 pine trees, with mountains on both sides.

While certainly the stroll on this narrow strip of land as well as the view from up above were lovely, I will mostly remember this place for two things: 1)the town's pine cone mascot and 2)seeing everyone bend over to see the land bridge upside down.

The mascot came out of nowhere on a very hot day. I was first drawn to it when I heard about 50 middle aged Japanese tourists shriek in delight upon seeing it come to greet them. Indeed, they had good reason to because I think it's one of the top three "cutest things Brian's ever seen." Of course, I had my picture taken with it and was giddy as hell. And this brings me to a point I'd like to make about why I love Japan...because Japanese of all ages take incredible delight in the fun of animation/cartoons. Anything that can have a smiley face on it, does. Even a indigestion poster on the train shows a picture of an animated stomach. It's never cynical, rarely sophisticated, and always childlike. I wish America was as playful.

And, after the mascot, the "bend over" was everywhere. Tourist after tourist perform this goofy exercise and graphic illustrations of it are all over the town. It's imprinted on pastries, printed on storefront windows, anything you can think of. I loved it.

Tottori, Japan

Another stop on our road trip: Tottori...the land of sand dunes and very good makan (orange) pastries. Supposedly, there are camels here...but that will continue to be a myth since we only saw horses.

Obama City, Japan

While taking a road trip in Japan, we decided to swing by the small town of Obama.

Bali

Simply put...I want to go back. A month here would be sublime. But, I'll take five days for now. Eat, pray, love indeed.

Climbing Fuji

Less than 24 hours after I landed in Tokyo, we were off and climbing...to the top of Mount Fuji! We saw a man dressed as a penguin; we heard what sounded like weapons training from a US military base (yes, the US has a base here); we walked through the clouds; we danced to The Jersey Shore soundtrack on our way up; we spent over $20 getting stamps burned into our walking sticks; and we stayed overnight in a room the size of a closet without any furnishings.