Heiwadai Hotel Tenjin Fukuoka

... I've been to a couple of other aquariums (most notably the Vancouver Aquarium and the New England Aquarium in Boston) but this place definitely took the cake. Not only was there a good dolphin and whale show but the massive shark/ray/tuna/whatever-else-kind-of-fi sh-you-can-imagine tank was unbelievable. Apparently the main viewing area houses one of the largest single panes of plexi-glass in the world. There are a couple of pictures that I've posted here that should ...

... been conscripted to work as nurses for the military hid in caves during the U.S. assault on the island. Unfortunately, these young girls were told by the Japanese military at the time that they should be wary of surrendering to the U.S. forces. The girls would not come out of their cave hiding place and the U.S. soldiers were unfortunately forced to gas them out, killing them.

Taking a tour like this is a very sobering experience. On the one hand, you ...

Today we arrived at Naha City in Okinawa. We flew from Tokyo in an ANA 747. It has bee a really long time since I've flown in a 747 and (other than landing which I hate with a passion) it was a pleasure. The service on ANA is impeccable and the 747 (despite Airbus' development of the A380) is still the granddaddy of all airplanes. It was a pleasure to once again be on a 747.

Upon disembarking from the ...

... did all of our shopping in fast forward. On our way home, we stopped at the military exchange, the small American-style mall on base. My mom and I went inside to buy silk robes, like the one Julia gave me for Christmas. We also got books for our respective plane rides, and then went to dinner at Macaroni Grill nearby. It was absolutely delicious, and Riley was very funny. While Julia packed at home, my mom and I took Riley ...

... it was a hot day made even worse by humidity.

The aquarium was very cool (especially since it had A/C, ha ha). There were lots of little exhibits to look at in addition to several big tanks that were chock full of fish. Since we were in Japan, everyone had a camera and crowded around to photograph every fish. Luckily, I was taller than almost everyone there, so I got some pictures too. The big tank with the whale sharks, rays ...

... and a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO. The garden had some Okinawan tastes and it was more like Japanese garden than Chinese one. There were twin limestone bridges on the pond: one bridge on the pond was interestingly rock-made and the other bridge was beautifully stone-made, which may have some meaning I don't know. Finally, I encountered Deigo, the Okinawan prefectural flower blowing in the spring. Usually I am not ...

... flops and they all have their shiny, slicked hair tied up in a rather girly-looking bun (not that I'd ever say that to them face-to-face, of course). Fukuoka must be some sort of sumo stable town. Either that or it's a favoured hang-out for larger than life, robe-wearing Japanese. And to finish here are a few quick observations, confirming observations I made the last time I was here. · Still as wacky as ever The Japanese are still quite ...

... to Japan as the hydrofoil headed out to sea. Denouement - Looking out at the perfect blues that make up the horizon at sea I tried to put my trip in perspective and not hate Japan. What did I learn? I learned that I don't like being alone for too long and that it's very strange to not speak aloud more than a few times in a day. I was upset with myself that I let feelings of loneliness overwhelm me and that I was in JAPAN and only ate Western style food... but really, it's ...

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... the water pressure always is pretty powerful. But some fossets also contain a soap foam dispensing unit. So first you hold your hand under the left side of the fosset, and soap comes out, then after rubbing in the soap, then you put your hand under the right side of the fosset and water comes out. Toilets, now this is where things get really interesting. In one location, I noticed that their was no button to flush a toilet ...