Nagasaki, Japan.

These paper cranes are seen on statues, shrines and just about everywhere in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The story behind this tradition is just so incredibly sad.

Photos from Kumamoto, Japan.

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Aso mountains, Japan

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Beppu, Japan.

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Fukuoka, Japan.

Evangelion-themed Pachinko machines. You play these weird games by starting out by buying a bunch of metal balls/marbles, which you can do either get at the register or sometimes by inserting coins straight into the machine. Then you feed the machine these balls, pull this handle and watch as they slowly flow thru the machine. If the balls fall into the right slot you win more balls. There is no skill involved. Only luck. The balls make a loud rattling noise as they fall thru. It is noisy. Notice the rubber bands btw? They are there so you don’t have to pull the handle constantly. You just strap the band around the handle and then all you need to do is sit there and watch the balls flow thru the machine. Since it’s illegal to gamble for money in Japan you can’t exchange the balls for money if you win. However, you can exchange them for cigarettes. Clever enough there is usually a shop next door which buys cigarettes for money. Japanese legal system fail. Some people sit there for hours, smoking, of course, watching the balls rattle on thru.

Hiroshima, Japan.

This building, known today as the “Atomic Dome”, has been preserved as a memory of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

Pictures from Himeji, Japan.

Himeji Castle. Known as “the White Heron”, it is probably the most beautiful samurai castle in all of Japan.

Kobe, Japan.

Capsule hotel. 40 men stayed on this floor.

My very own “capsule”. I was quite surprised to find it quite a lot bigger than I had first expected.

Photos from Nara, Japan.

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Kyoto, Japan. Hometown of Nintendo and home to hundreds of temples and shrines.

The former headquarters of Nintendo. I was surprised to find it just lying there, inconspicuously in the middle of a residential area.

Just a short walk down the river I found Nintendo’s current offices. It lies in an industrial area but it’s not without charm. There are several tiny little lunch restaurants scattered about and behind the building lies a baseball field bustling with activity.

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Pictures from Osaka, Japan.

My room in Osaka. Small but cosy. My first time sleeping on the Tatami-floor.

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