Apothecary Shed

Sunrise in Hakone

October 26, 2026

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Getting up early in Gora can be worth it. Watch the sunrise in the land of the rising sun.

Twilight.

Early onsen

And up she comes

Morning has broken

Hakone Open Air Museum: World Class Sculpture and Yayoi’s White Pumpkin

October 26, 2026

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Through the looking glass, into a world of art.

We made our way to the Lille Cathedral first thing before the buses arrived.

And then we arrived, in perfect morning light, to a tower just for us.

Well, there were three business guys who played through, stopping just long enough to take some pictures of us.

Another UFO

And then back down in the light.

We skipped Picasso and went straight to Yayoi-land.

Time for some coffee at Tomo’s Truck

Peace and birdsong

A stunning day

Something fishy

Icarus at the top of the stairs

Digital water

Alignment

Chagal? No Lille! Same striking blue.

One of the highlights of our trip.

Lunch as Art: Yanmo Tokyo やんも南青山店

October 26, 2026

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Food is art in Japan, where presentation often outstrips deliciousness. Sometimes you get both. Yanmo やんも南青山店 is outstanding.

A Tale of Two Levis

October 26, 2026

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One of Romey’s Tokyo goals was to procure some customized Levi’s only found in Japan. We did this in two attempts, which led to two very different experiences. At first we thought the Tailor shop was the “wrong one” but it turned out to be the right one in the end. It was the flagship that was the wrong one!

We did end up with two pairs—one perfect, the other perfunctory.

Our reviews on Google maps say it all:

Sunset from the Mori Tower Tokyo

October 26, 2026

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A visit to the Mori Tower at sunset is a Tokyo highlight. Watching the red lights blink on from the 54th floor is magical. Bring your own soundtrack so you can block out the loop. I listened to Phillip Glass piano works.

The Tokyo Tower (we are the first people to ever take a picture from up here…for sure).

As the sun began to set, we moved around back and secured a bench,

Romey was patient with me.

Lets unroll the sunset in 11 frames:

Fin

On go the lights

teamLab Borderless Tokyo

October 26, 2026

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Our first art in a Japan trip filled with art.

Tourist trap though it is, teamLab borderless in Azabudai Hills, Tokyo is a sight to see. Or maybe an experience to experience. Or a ticket to punch? A fee to pay? Romey and I had a great time wandering through with hundreds of our closest friends.

Here are the bits in chronological order. We downloaded the app and controlled a few of the rooms. Seems nobody else did that. If you go…do that.

Tokyo Streets (including that infernal crossing of the bronze dog)

October 26, 2026

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Walking down from Maiji Jingu first thing into the morning toward Shibuya Crossing is something not to miss—from Empress koi ponds straight to olympic architecture. The crowds grow as you move closer to Hachikō (eternally waiting in bronze).

Not there yet…

Here we are. First person view. The three-thousand person scramble.

Static.

More street views from Tokyo.

Outside of Ginza under the bridge—approaching a Krispy Kreme. Because of course there is a Krispy Kreme in Ginza, and you should skip it!

Views from Hamariku.

Walking towards Ginza can be accomplished on multiple planes.

Ginza

A pedestrian tunnel of trees.

The Tokyo tower.

Tokyo Metro: Chiyoda vs Ginza

October 25, 2026

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First thing in the morning, during rush hour on day 1 in Japan, the orderliness and silence of the chiyoda metro is astonishing. It was just after 8:30am when we slipped into the stream of commuters through a side entrance, and filed down the steps, walking on the left side in perfect order, reached a door line, waited 45 seconds, boarded an entirely silent car and made our way in 15 minutes from the Peninsula basement to Meiji-Jinga. There were even seats on the train.

Welcome to Japan, where rumors of smashed commuters confront the reality of perfect order.

Contrast this with the day 12 Ginza line metro ride (unplanned until after breakfast) back from Sensō-ji on the last day…which was packed with unruly tourists who were noisy, uncouth, and didn’t follow the rules (simply because they didn’t know the rules and didn’t have enough cultural awareness to find out that there even were rules). Take a cab instead of the Ginza line.

We did meet some nice people at the end of the line who snapped this picture of us.