I've put my pictures, with very minimal editing, up in this LJ gallery. They are rather peculiar, in that I mostly took pictures of (1) stuff that interested me that Chad wasn't going to take a picture of (he took many pictures and usually has a better eye than me) or (2) things in museums because my camera is supposed to be better for no-flash situations. So this is not representative by any means.
I apologize for the minimal editing and annotations, but I will never finish posting them if I don't do a hasty job. Feel free to ask questions about any of them and I will elaborate if I can.
ETA: now with cross-references to the relevant travel posts. Offer to elaborate still open.
I love the fact that both you an Chad are (inadvertently?) captured in the photograph of the bathroom mirror - are there separate rooms for the shower and toilet? (don't even get me started on the flush/light flush option).
I would not be that surprised if they did sell brightly colored Hello Kitty headstones. My sister would undoubtedly want one (being a Hello Kitty fanatic, even now).
I loved the tame deer, and I really loved the fat frog statues, but I really, really really love the fox guardian statues. Want. Also, I like how the fox motif is repeated in some of the train stations - what is the significance of the fox? Are they 'watchdog' type figures, or 'Herma' protecting travellers and issuing good luck inside? Both?
The signs are both awesome and silly - the feeding pigeons=dry cleaning catastrophe is cute, but the evil groping hand going after the impossibly cute little schoolchildren is very creepy, especially since there is that weird Adolescent schoolgirl/sexual paragon thing in that culture - I surmised that sign had something to do with child-snatching, molesters, right?
I want a print of that painting of the man in the red boat versus the whale/shark.
I also love the sword fittings - catfish, snails, and frogs, the snails being my favorites. I also thought the matching game, painted(enamelled?) inside the clam-shells was fantastic - I am glad you took a picture of those. Alternatively, the crab-applique bowl was hideous and looks like something you'd find on H.R. Giger's bridal registry.
HOEWVER, the most aweomest of all the pictures is the expectant little turtle, with one foot up looking at the camera!
Thanks, Kate for sharing. I hope you guys had a great time.
The stone foxes are messengers of Inari (Wikipedia), the Shinto deity of rice and luck. Aren't they fabulous? I bought a set and it's in the box we shipped to ourselves; metal not stone, because the stone ones were too expensive, but I am very excited all the same. (The ceramic ones were twee.)
I have no idea what was up with the evil grasping hand in http://pics.livejournal.com/kate_nepveu/pic/000t31c1/g78, but it stopped me cold in my tracks.
Oh, and I've gone through and cross-referenced travel posts & pictures, which I hope will be a little more helpful.
(Reposted with fixed link.)
The sculpture/fountain feature at the Jimbocho Matsu Building reminded me very strongly of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC, which I used to pass through almost daily, but I can't find any pictures good enough to let anyone else see the similarity ... .
I liked the juxtaposition of the underwear & socks vending machine with the celadon tray ... life is like that sometimes!
And the bowl with the bunnies was adorable and very lifelike - my buns would approve (especially if the bowl were filled with banana slices and frisee (a/k/a curley endive) - they are gourmet bunnies).
I liked the juxtaposition of the underwear & socks vending machine with the celadon tray ... life is like that sometimes!
Because sometimes you need something elegant, and sometimes you just need something that gets the job done.
I think Chad spotted the bunny bowl, but there are bunnies *everywhere* in Japanese art and pop culture; ditto owls. A quick Google says the first live on the moon (and make mochi!), while the second are messengers of the gods. Can't vouch for any of that myself, but I probably saw more bunnies and owls than dragons, and maybe as many as cats.