Tokyo

1. 360 Degree View of Tokyo Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. It's really overwhelming how is sprawls for miles. This awesome site is a 360 degree view of Tokyo from Tokyo Tower, one of the largest structures in the city. You can zoom in and out and swing totally around to see all the nearby skyscrapers, bridges, boats in Tokyo Bay and more. It's fast and easy to use. What a great way to preview this incredible city.

2. Tsukiji Market On our first full day we'll visit the Tokyo Wholesale Market, Tsukiji, where 450 types of fresh fish and shellfish are processed by 929 middlemen in small shops that supply 40,000 retailers for the Tokyo region. See photos and learn more details.

3. Science Museum includes five floors of exhibits and hans-on experiments for our Friday May 18 morning.. Check out the floor plans.

4. National Museum of Modern Art and Crafts Gallery for more information about another option for Friday May 18.

5. Tokyo Dome City check this out for more information about ou Friday May 18 afternoon excursion.

6. Edo-Tokyo Museum is packed with dioramas, models, full scale reconstructed shops and artwork that vividly displays the growth of Tokyo from the life of the common people to the richest samurai and on to the modernization of Tokyo and the 20th century. We'll visit this fantastic museum on Saturday May 19 for a lecture on post WWII Japan, a tour in English and then time to explore on your own.

7. Ueno Park Museums and Attractions Check out many of the possibilities for Saturday afternoon May 19.

8. Sanja Festival On Sunday May 20 we'll join thousands of people as they celebrate Sanja Festival. Teams of people in matching happi coats carry one hundred mikoshi (portable shrines) through the streets so that the Kami (gods) can bless the neighborhood. Also click on the link to Taito City to learn more about the area.

9. Asian Historical Architecture Click here to access photos, diagrams and site layouts of many famous Japanese temples and shrines. Check the Tokyo section for these sites we'll visit: Ginza District, Meiji Shrine and Sensoji Temple in Asakusa.

10. Tokyo City Guide is packed with information for tourists, including information on major sight seeing areas, a little history, information on hotels and other typical tourist stuff.

Hakone-Mt. Fuji

1. Hakone Guide is a brief introduction to the Hakone area, with maps and links to some of the many attractions in the area. If you click on "Hakone Hot Springs" you'll see a local map - we're staying at a small hot springs resort near Owakudani..

2. Hakone Free Pass Here is information on the pass that we will buy in Odawara. It will cover all our transportation in the area for three days and admission to the museums that we will visit. It's a great money-saver.

Tajimi

1. National Living Treasure, Takuo Kato We will visit Mr. Kato's museum in Tajimi. He is the uncle of our host and artist, Ikuhiko Shibata. This web site shows his work from 2004, one year before he died. The museum is very interesting and also includes Mr. Kato's personal collection of middle eastern ceramics, which he greatly admired.

2. Tajimi Ceramics click here for more information about ceramics museums and areas of interest to pottery production in Tajimi.

3. Tajimi Map Our Tajimi Boss, Kanako Shibata, created this customized map just for us. Map freaks - have a great time!

Inuyama

1. Inuyanma Castle is described in a short article from Wikipedia. You can also search Google images for some lovely photos.

Kyoto

1. Ryoanji Temple Ryoan-ji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon, was founded in 1473 by Katsumoto Hosokawa. Within the precints of the beautiful temple is the famous Zen garden of Soami, completed in 1499. There is a nice photograph of the Zen garden, but unfortunately, not a close-up and there are no images of the beautiful, large landscape garden that surrounds it.

2. Asian Historical Architecture Click here to access photos, diagrams and site layouts of many famous Japanese temples and shrines. Check the Kyoto section for these sites we'll visit: Ninnaji Temple, Ginkaku-ji, Heian Jingu, Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu Temple, and Nijo Castle.

3. Welcome to Kyoto is sponsored by the Kyoto Prefectural Government Tourism Office. Click here for all your normal tourist information.

Kamakura

1. Kamakura Guide check here for information about the places we could visit while we are in Kamakura on Monday May 28. We will definitely see the DaiButsu, the Great Buddha.

2. Kamakura Wikipedia lots of history plus information about the main sightseeing attractions.