Yokohama, Kamakura, & PUFFY

On the 10th of April 2002 I went to Kamakura by bus and then that evening and through to the 11th I went to Yokohama where I met a pen pal of mine whom I've been writing to for a couple of years. And then on the 12th I came back to Osaka to fulfill my long time dream of seeing PUFFY in concert. It was a good time for me and I enjoyed being able to have some time off from work where I could actual travel around and see some new sights and faces.


Kamakura


Kamakura is one of the many places
in Japan that was once a capital. There
are a lot of Shrines & Temples there
including the huge outdoor Buddha (which
is pictured on the left here). It is also famous
for it's beach which is good for surfing,
but as I found out, not much to look
at. I visited a lot of the temples and
shrines (another temple is pictured on
the right) as well as the beach. It was
a spur of the moment trip (I had only
planned on going to Yokohama), but
one the paid off.



LEFT: Yet another shrine.

RIGHT: The super filthy
shores of the Kamakura
beach. Needless to say
I didn't stick around to
build sandcastles or bury
myself up to my head in
sand and rotting debris.


Yokohama & PUFFY

Yokohama is one of the 3 largest cities in Japan (along with Tokyo and Osaka) and pretty much spills into Tokyo. It has the world's second largest Ferris Wheel [it was the first until the one was built in London] and it is also home of Japans tallest building [Landmark Tower]. Both of which are pictured on the left. Yokohama also has the largest China Town in Japan and is a large bay city with a strong international presence and atmosphere. It is also home to the Yokohama Bay Stars who are in the same league as the Hanshin Tigers.



LEFT: I had the chance to
meet my pen pal for the 1st
time. I also met her aunt.

RIGHT: There was an entire
expanse of subway wall
dedicated to graffiti in
Yokohama. This was
one of my favorites.



LEFT: This is the giant Monkey King in
the sky in Yokohama's China Town. I went
to a restaurant called Ten Gai Ten (Heaven
Outside Heaven) here that was really super.

RIGHT: This is how a satisfied Phill looks.
This is me after the PUFFY concert on the
12th. The concert was at Zepp's Osaka
(which is a small live house) and I was no
more then 10 or 15 feet away from them.
PUFFY played for about 2 hours and even
sang one song in English, so I was happy
as pie. I also picked up that strange
"Granny Takes A Trip" T-Shirt at the
concert.



And finally I'd like to thank my new friends Michiko, Takaaki, Ryouya, and Yuune for letting me stay at their place, eat their food, and for showing me around. Thanks a lot!




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