Image search results - "minato-ku" |
Before 8 am: Women do a warm-up lap.It wasn't exactly warm, but they had wet suits. Odaiba's water is not exactly crystal-clear clean either.
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Women at the starting line for triathlon
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Starting line
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8:10 am: And they're off, taking about 30 min. to swim 1.5 km.
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Entrance to Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Gardens, a real oasis in an urban jungle. Another waterfront garden with classic Japanese-style elements with a pond, pine trees, rocks, and stone lanterns.
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Kyu-Shiba-rikyu was first built in the 17th century and used as the residence of a number of nobles. Purchased from the Arisugawa family in 1875 by the Imperial Household Agency which made it the Shiba Detached Palace.
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Bird's eye view of Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Gardens as seen from Hamamatsu World Trade Center
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Turn-around point for another lap.
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The buildings were destroyed in the Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and the property was donated to Tokyo in 1924 to commemorate the start of Emperor Showa's reign.
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Out of the water and racing to the bicycles.
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Pine trees and pond
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Taking off the wet suit and getting on the bicycle.
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Bicycle the pavement for 40 km, taking about an hour.
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Main entrance to Aoyama Cemetery during cherry blossom season in early April. Gaienmae Station (Ginza/Hanzomon Line) and Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda Line) are the closest subway stations.
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Cycling for triathlon
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Koi carp fish
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Aoyama Cemetery office near the main entrance where you can obtain a map of the cemetery and ask where particular people are buried. The maps they provide do not show where the most famous people are (such as prime ministers).
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Main thoroughfare, lined with cherry trees, cuts through the middle of the cemetery where cars whiz by. Quite irritating.
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Bracing a pine tree for winter snow.
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Cherry blossom tunnel at Aoyama Cemetery.
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Spare wheels
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Aoyama Cemetery is one of Tokyo's noted spots for cherry blossoms. However, having hanami picnics is not allowed.
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Cherry blossoms are so fleeting. They last for only a short time, like life itself. And so cherry blossoms are often found at cemetaries in Japan.
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These trees stood out.
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Cherry blossoms and graves.
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Aoyama Cemetery map. Quite complicated system to find grave plots.
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Yukimi Stone Lantern
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Signs tell you where you are. Quite bewildering mapping system.
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Aoyama Cemetery has over 123,000 graves occupying 125,000 square meters within the cemetery land area of 263,564 sq. meters.
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This is the Foreigner's Cemetery where many foreigners who helped to modernize Japan are buried.
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Dry waterfall
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A monument erected in March 2007 by Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro in appreciation of the foreigners who helped build Japan.
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Stone monuments
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List of foreigners buried in this Foreigner's Cemetery. Note that there also other foreigners buried in other parts of Aoyama Cemetery.
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Baskets for running shoes
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Foreigner's Cemetery 外国人墓地
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Changing from bicycling to running.
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Bridge to Nakashima island
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Foreigner's Cemetery 外国人墓地
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Changing into running shoes.
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Nakashima island
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Grave of Edoardo Chiossone (1833-1898), an Italian who introduced printing technology (for money and stamps) to Japan. He loved Japan and amassed a huge collection of Japanese art, especially woodblock prints. The collection is donated to a Genova museum.
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Gravestone of Edoardo Chiossone
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Statue of Liberty replica
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Grave of Joseph Heco who was born Japanese (as Hamada Hikozo) but naturalized as a US citizen.
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Grave of Joseph Heco
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Running a few laps.
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Grave of the family of Robert Walker Irwin (1844-1925), Hawaiian Minister to Japan. (Iron gate has since been removed.)
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Graves of the family of Robert Walker Irwin (1844-1925), Hawaiian Minister to Japan.
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Grave of Robert Walker Irwin (1844-1925), Hawaiian Minister to Japan and his Japanese wife Iki. Eldest child Bella Irwin is also buried here.
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Gravestone of Robert Walker Irwin (1844-1925), Hawaiian Minister to Japan and his Japanese wife Iki.
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Grave of Robert Walker Irwin Jr. (Robert Walker Irwin's first son) and his first wife Fusako.
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Grave of Richard Irwin (Robert Walker Irwin's second son) and his son Takeo and daughter Yukiko Irwin.
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Grave of Mary Irwin (Robert Walker Irwin's second daughter).
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Grave of Tsuneko Irwin second wife of Robert Walker Irwin Jr. and her son John.
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Grave of Tsuneko Irwin second wife of Robert Walker Irwin Jr. and her son John.
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This stone monument gives the biography of Robert Walker. His birthdate, descendant of Benjamin Franklin, his move to Japan, companies he worked for in Japan including Mitsui Bussan, supervision of the immigration to Hawaii,founding of the Taiwan Sugar Co., and the decorations he received from the Japanese government. Died in 1925 at age 81.
ロベルト・ウォルカー・アルウインは米国費府
の住民にして西暦千八百四十四年一月七日
に生まれベンジャミン・フランクリンの後裔也
慶應二年十一月来朝し海外貿易又は日本海
運の開発誘導に貢献するところ頗る多く三
井物産会社其他に勤務し後ち日本駐劄布哇
国公使に就任して日本移民の布哇渡航を企
画成功す蓋し之れ日本移民海外発展の基と
なれるものにして実に日本移民事業の開祖
たり明治三十三年台湾製糖株式会社の創立
発起人となり日本糖業の為めに尽くすとこ
ろ又尠なからす勲一等に叙せられ瑞鳳章を
賜ひ後ち又旭日大綬章を賜ふ大正十四年一
月五日永眠す行年八十一才也
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Monument dedicated to Bella, built by the Irwin Gakuen (formerly Gyokusei Gakuen) alumni association (Gyokusei-kai) for the school's 70th anniversary in Nov. 1985.The bottom has a bio of Bella.
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This originally was for grave visitors to leave their business cards, but it does not work. (As of this writing, there is no receptacle to collect the cards.)
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Running in triathlon
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World Trade Center in Hamamatsucho overlooked the garden. World Trade Center Building (世界貿易センタービル) in Hamamatsuchō was a 40-story commercial skyscraper. It was once Japan's tallest building in 1970.The building closed for good on June 30, 2021 and was torn down during Aug. 2021 to March 2023. The building will be replaced with a new World Trade Center building to be completed in March 2027.
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Graves of Robert Walker Irwin (rear, on the right) and his family. (Old photos of the graves.)
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Akiko Sekine who later won the women's triathlon.After cycling, they ran for 10 km. About 30 min. later, this woman, Akiko Sekine won the triathlon. She was one of athletes who went to the Athens Olympics (placing 12th).
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Grave of loyal dog Hachiko and his master, Professor Ueno.
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Grave of Yoshida Shigeru, Japan's first postwar prime minister.
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Finish line
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Grave of Yoshida Shigeru 吉田茂の墓
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An unkept grave.
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Men's triathlon starting line
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Hirokatsu Tayama, he wasn't the first to finish swimming, but he won the triathlon.
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Same route as the women.
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Running shoes
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Finish line
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Hirokatsu Tayama, winner
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The tower is 333 meters high, with two observatories. The lower one, called the Main Deck, is 150 meters high. The higher one, the Top Deck, is 250 meters up.
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Tokyo Tower has a number of evening illumination themes. This is the "Diamond Veil" illumination.
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In early May for Children's Day, Tokyo Tower was festooned with colorful koinobori carp streamers.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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A real crowd pleaser. Beautiful and photogenic.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Elevator for the Main Deck.
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Ticket for the Main Deck.
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It wasn't a long wait for the elevator.
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Inside the elevator.
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Main Deck had a cherry blossom-theme projection mapping on the windows.
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Main Deck at Tokyo Tower. Despite the opening of Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower is still holding its own with innovative attractions.
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Tourists loved to pose with the projection mapping imagery.
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Long line for the down elevators.
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Tokyo Tower celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018.
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Restaurant on the Main Deck.
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End of the line on the Main Deck for the Down elevator.
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1st floor elevator.
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Near the elevators on the 1st floor is this exhibition space.
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A mysterious baseball was found on the top of Tokyo Tower.
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Tokyo Tower in the daytime.
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Tokyo Tower
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Foot of tower
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Foot of tower
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Memorial to the dogs who served in Antartica.
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Main observatory
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Zojoji Temple
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View of Hamamatsu-cho
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Too hazy to see Mt. Fuji
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Roppongi Hills at center
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Special observatory (250 m high). When the wind blows, it sways.
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Main observatory
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Main observatory
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Main observatory
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View down from a glass floor on main observatory
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View from Roppongi Hills.
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Tokyo Tower lit up as seen from Shiba Park at night.
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Tokyo Tower in its Diamond Veil illumination.
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