kuropengin's Photobucket media

the shoes

kuropengin — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 07:03:29 MST

kuropengin posted a photo

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My shoes. They're black fuzzy leather, but do you see the blue coming through it? I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. (Also, skater shoes? Not so good for lots of walking, but I haven't worn Adidas, Nike or any other sport shoes for years now. These were perfectly fine for walking around campus and such, but I didn't know I'd be doing ridiculous hiking every day!)

the hole in my left shoe

kuropengin — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 07:02:37 MST

kuropengin posted a photo

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The right shoe just had a big hole in the first layer of fabric. This one though actually had the stuffing coming out of it, and my heel kept getting caught and making it worse.

mcnuggets

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:45:21 MST

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I was wrong; there ARE chicken mcnuggets in Japan! You only get 5 though, no other size choices or anything. They're good though (and cooked, which is more than I can say for US McDonald's).

cuteness

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:44:17 MST

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Elementary school kids wear certain backpacks, and usually a certain type of hat. You can tell those three are girls, because they get the red backpacks (boys get black). There are actually color options, but I don't know how many people actually use them (there's a commercial that advertises 24 different colors).

name magnets!

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:40:47 MST

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Red= out; white= in. My name is in the middle, on the bottom; there's a group of 3 white, Julie's in the middle and I'm on the right.

fountain

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:05:00 MST

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A fountain I found while trying to figure out how to get in the shrine.

where's the entrance???

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:51 MST

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On the right is the shrine. Sort of; I couldn't actually find an entrance anywhere!!! (Turns out I chose the wrong way to go when I came out of the subway; I knew where the shrine was the whole time, because of the wall and trees, but there just wasn't an opening anywhere!)

ume FAIL

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:43 MST

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These are plum blossoms, but my camera decided it ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT FOCUS. At all. So for the next few pictures, just understand that I was trying to take a decent picture of the pretty flowers.

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:34 MST

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:22 MST

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:15 MST

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old marriage hall

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:04:04 MST

kuropengin posted a photo

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The old guy I met said that before they built the new one (on the other side of the shrine), this was the marriage hall, and that he was married here. Not sure what it's used for now.

shrine

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:58 MST

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This is the entrance to the main shrine. The place where you actually pray is behind this. Wherever you see green on the roof (and generally the roof itself), that's copper. It was really sunny today too, so the new buildings were extremely pretty.

looking away from the shrine

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:49 MST

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Torii; water in Shintoism is equated to purity, so there's a small stream (from a spring on the property) on either side (that's what the ditch is). This is looking from the shrine end down.

goshinboku

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:41 MST

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A really old tree (1,600 years old, I think; can't find the source though). From what my guide said, people pray to the tree for a long and happy life. To the left are sake barrels; I think they're offerings to the shrine in general.

chickens

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:33 MST

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I have no idea why there were chickens at the shrine, but there were. They were kind of pretty too.

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:24 MST

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treasure hall

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:18 MST

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I paid 300 yen to see the treasure hall, and was not impressed. Maybe I would have been if I could read the placards. In any case, observe the pretty phoenix on this kimono.

more ume

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:12 MST

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I found more ume blossoms on the grounds of the shrine, right by more chickens.

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:03:05 MST

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kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:58 MST

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ninja pigeons

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:51 MST

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There are certain people out there who seem to think the pigeons in Japan are fearless ninja pigeons. They know nothing, for the true ninja pigeons live at Atsuta Shrine.

turtle rock

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:42 MST

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I guess this pond is supposed to be all pretty and stuff with irises later, but in February it's not particularly attractive. Note the grouping of rocks that looks like a turtle.

oldest stone bridge in nagoya

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:35 MST

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If you say so, promotional stuff. If you say so.

lantern

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:25 MST

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i feel dirty...

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:17 MST

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For some reason, I feel dirty because I took a picture of someone praying at a smaller shrine.

the lanterns are ninjas too; they're everywhere!

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:02:08 MST

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I don't remember why I took this

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:01:59 MST

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really big lantern

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:01:51 MST

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supposedly one of the biggest in Japan

see, Japan knows ice cream.

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:01:45 MST

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Why can't I get a twist cone in the US as anything other than chocolate/vanilla? Why, I dunno, can't I get a strawberry/vanilla? Because, you know, I got it in Japan, and it was really good. I even think they used real strawberries to make that part, because it was a little tart. Yum.

because a shinto shrine is not allowed to exist without buddhist representation

kuropengin — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:01:40 MST

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I don't know if it's actually a rule, but it might be. This is looking across the street from the shrine, and oh look! It's a Buddhist temple! Amazing.

outside the takarazuka building

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:24:09 MST

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I thought the TV Tower was pretty.

under oasis 21

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:24:04 MST

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Dinosaur. Why is there a light-up dinosaur?

Noritake

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:58 MST

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For my parents. I told you Noritake dishes came from Nagoya!

pretty tower!

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:53 MST

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The TV Tower from the top of Oasis 21.

looking around

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:48 MST

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See the ferris wheel? I was told it (and the one on the other side that you can't see) was attached to a creepy building, and not worth the 500 yen. It was moving though, which is more than I can say for the giant one near the aquarium. Oh, and this is still on top of the Oasis.

coke in japan

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:42 MST

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oasis 21

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:37 MST

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The Oasis is a weird building, and I have no idea why they decided to do this. In any case, like the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia has a random bunch of trees on its roof, this shopping center has a glass roof that happens to have a pond on it. This is from one end to the other (I'm at the tower end, looking back to the elevator).

remember the random blue dinosaur?

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:32 MST

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Same dino, but from above and through water.

reflections

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:26 MST

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I liked taking pictures of the water and the reflections from the various lights. The red thing is the Coca-Cola sign.

more water

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:20 MST

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As long as I didn't actually think about the fact I was walking on glass and could see whatever was below me, this was fine.

another dino

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:14 MST

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There's a green thing you can kind of see through this panel on the upper right; it's another dinosaur.

better picture of the ferris wheel

kuropengin — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:23:07 MST

kuropengin posted a photo

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I like the flowers; they were moving, I think. Also note the "brother" sign; brother, as in the typewriter company.

the end

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:30 MST

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Long shot, and I still think I missed one or two people on each side. This was the very end, but while I'm writing this I can't tell if they're bowing or not. In any case, for each encore, all those side people had to fold out, and back in again. The first time, the curtain tried to come down while they were still out, which was kind of funny.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:29 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:28 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:27 MST

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and then a light shone down from above...

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:26 MST

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The biggest (and happily last) feather accessory was saved for THE star of the show, the "male" star. ("Male" being a technical term...everyone in this whole thing is a woman, absolutely no men anywhere!)

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:26 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:25 MST

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Just in case you couldn't see it in the previous picture, this person not only had the peacock halo thing, but also a trail/back skirt too!

feathers

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:24 MST

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They came down, and I thought, no. You are NOT going to fan dance.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:24 MST

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um...

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:23 MST

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So then, I kept watchiing, and I realized this was the curtain call (with a mild case of fan dancing). What I didn't expect was the growing of the feathers...

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:22 MST

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ACK.

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:22 MST

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You can't see it too well, but the feathered monstrosity in front is the "girl" star; not only does she get a bigger fluff behind her, but she also gets feathers all over her gown.

end of the segment

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:21 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:20 MST

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men come back

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:16 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:15 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:14 MST

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attack of the girls

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:13 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:12 MST

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and then the girls.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:11 MST

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busby berkeley, you are not

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:05 MST

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...but Takarazuka choreographers just might have watched a few too many 1940s musicals.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:04 MST

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lining up...and...

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:03 MST

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chorus line!

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:03 MST

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KICK!

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:02 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:01 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:41:00 MST

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for god's sake, get me to the church on time!

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:59 MST

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And this musical number was "Get Me to the Church on Time," from My Fair Lady. Partially in Japanese, of course. (Highlight of the whole thing for me, I swear!)

more gm2tcot

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:59 MST

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The pink/black costumed girls actually sang, and these girls in orange were the chorus line.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:58 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:57 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:56 MST

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because fake flourescent pianos were meant to be stood on. worship the greatness that is, um, this person!

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:56 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:55 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:54 MST

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:53 MST

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new york, new york

kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:53 MST

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The other side of NYC, I suppose; everyone's dressed in black, with the notable exception of 4 "men:" they were magically transformed from hobos into very serious businessmen, with pink/purple/turquoise/some other color shirts. (Very professional) Also, note the totally fake piano that people are just climbing all over.

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kuropengin — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 09:40:52 MST

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