TOKYO 09 - Day 03

This was our first day to run around with the students. It's Sunday, so our conference rooms aren't booked until Monday. Today we go Meiji Shrine! Here we are going down to the subway (that's Stan looking back):

Before we enter into the shrine, we have another heart-to-heart with the students.


Here's one of the many entry archways:


Once into the shrine (after a little walk through some nice nature-y stuff), we come upon a traditional Shinto wedding. There's some of the kids posing while they're dressed up so nice:


Wedding processional:


Here's another kid posing:




Here's Jason and I (Joe Cocker and Phil Collins):






This fellow rakes the leaves into lovely piles:


Bamboo garden:


There's an archery dojo:


Tokyo has the cutest little trucks:


Jason's been acting like a fancy photographer:



We make our way back to the tea room/garden:




Fishes in the pond:





Lunch at the Wendys in Harujuku with Ray, Dove, Kyle, Jason, and Bernard...


Graffiti in Harajuku:



Ray and I wandered around somewhere... I forget where:

There was some bridge with lots of cool characters painted underneath it. Here's Atom (Astro Boy)

Tomorrow we're in the conferences room, then running around some more. In the rain perhaps!

TOKYO 09 - Day 02

Here' what drink machines look like:

Here's me and Ray.

Here's me and Jacques:

And of course there's Dove:

We took the train to the airport to pick up visiting artist and students. It's a little over an hour to get there by train.

Ray films the train:

Here's what it's like when you have to visit the restroom:

Lot's of buttons that make things squirt at your back-end:

Baby Warnings (if you need to change your baby in the bathroom):

More warnings:

We sent the kids to their rooms after we got back. We brought them back to Ginza (where we're staying) by bus. It's about and hour and a half... I think.

Stan Sakai taking pictures before dinner:

Fancy dinner with the guest artists:

Where we had fancy dinner:

Tokyo Station:


Train ride:



Here were are (most of us) at the airport... Loud Americans.

TOKYO 09 - Day 01

My feet are so tired from yesterday--we walked forever, and you know that I'm not in shape at all.

Ray on the computer in the morning (that's Andrea on Scype, there):

Breakfast aftermath (I love that cereal--Fruits Granora, they call it):


After getting Pasmo cards for all the students and artists (almost 50) and checking on the conference center rooms, we went to Nakano:
My camera is crazy, see:


The we went to Akihabara:

I'll have to remember the name of where we had a late lunch...
I had a burger with egg and some sort of gravy and fries with cheese, tuna salad, corn and mayonnaise. You have to understand the when ordering food, I'm mostly just pointing at something and hoping that it's not too gross. I really had no idea that was tuna salad. Who puts corn on their fries? Maybe this is why I weigh almost 25 more pounds than I did when I was here 2 years ago.

Here's what was on TV this morning:



Here we are in Nakano:


And a bit oc Akihabra.


I'll get better at the video thing...

TOKYO 09 - Day 00

It was a long trip to Japan this year. Flying out from ATL it took like 15 hours... Rough.

Here's Ray (Goto) in ATL I think...

Dove (McHargue) slept well on the plan (and watched all the bad movies).

Arrival to Tokyo:

Ray again:

Met up with Jaques Khouri (animation professor) and Matt Lemond (animation guest artist):

My camera is a little funny--still trying to figure it out...
Tempura was great last night across from the hotel...

More tomorrow.