Last additions - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Last additions

Seat backs and ad stickersThe train's seat backs had advertising stickers. When the Nagano Shinkansen reaches a terminal station (Tokyo and Nagano), the seats can turn around by itself? One thing less to do by the train's cleaning ladies.Jan 26, 2006

Nagano ShinkansenThe Nagano shinkansen has a duckbill snout.Jan 26, 2006

During the Olympics, the morning trains from Tokyo were always crowded. However, the last trains from Nagano to Tokyo were almost empty.Jan 26, 2006

Ad sticker on tray tableJan 26, 2006

A four-man bobsled.Jan 26, 2006

Amway at Tokyo StationAmway shows the way to the Nagano Shinkansen platform for people getting off the Narita Express train which comes from Narita Airport.Jan 26, 2006

An elderly couple are among a crowd of people who watched the men's hockey finals on the TV set.Jan 26, 2006

Postcard set (400 yen)Jan 26, 2006

Tokyo Station: Official postersThese were painted by Koji Kinutani and plastered everywhere in Tokyo Station. These were being sold to the public for about Y5,000. Jan 26, 2006

Yaesu underground mall: Speed skater outfits made by MizunoMizuno, an official sponsor, set up a nice Olympics exhibition in the Yaesu underground mall at Tokyo Station. There was a nice photo exhibit of past and current Winter Games and a souvenir shop as well. These three photos show part of Mizuno's exhibition.

A few speed skater outfits made by Mizuno. You may recognize the suits for China, Japan, and the USA.Jan 26, 2006

Tokyo StationJan 26, 2006

Recycle bins by Coca-colaJan 26, 2006

Even official Olympics miso pasteWould you believe the official miso? Hanamaruki Foods of Nagano was an official supplier for the Nagano Winter Games. Miso soup must have been a staple item for breakfast (and dinner) at the Olympic Village. I found this at my local supermarket.Jan 26, 2006

Olympics logo on official film (not FujiFilm)Kodak was the official Olympics film in a country where 70 percent of the film market belongs to Fuji Film. It must have been sweet revenge for Kodak because Fuji Film was the official film at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Kodak has been the official film sponsor for all Olympic Games since then. It will also be the official film for the Sydney Games in the year 2000.Jan 26, 2006

Olympics logo on official drinksBesides Coke, Coca-Cola also makes Aquarius (sports drink) and Georgia canned coffee. The Olympics logo and "Nagano 1998" figure prominently on the limited-edition cans. On the Aquarius can, notice the image of a speed skater. On the back of the Georgia coffee can, see the image of the torch relay runner. Georgia coffee was prominently advertised during the nationwide Olympic torch relay to Nagano. Jan 26, 2006

English programme (1,800 yen)Jan 26, 2006

Key chain (1,000 yen)Jan 26, 2006

IBM pins (my collection)The IBM pins were being sold for 1,000 yen each. Some people were selling them for up to 2,000 yen.Jan 26, 2006

Palm-size stuffed Snowlet (official mascot)Jan 26, 2006

Tokyo Station Olympics souvenir shopThis little space (operated by official sponsor Mizuno) in the Yaesu underground mall at Tokyo Station used to have shelves full of Olympic souvenirs. On the day before the Olympics, I saw that they were selling towels, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, mugs, postcards, Snowlets, key chains, and other things. I visited this place again on the last day of the Olympics (when I took this photo) and found a sign saying that they had sold out of Olympics souvenirs. According to the clerk, most were sold out about a week before.They only had a single rack selling expensive framed Olympic prints. The story was the same for the Snowlets House in Nagano and the Tokyo Branch at Mitsukoshi Dept. Store in Nihonbashi. I'm glad I bought my souvenirs early on.Jan 26, 2006

Fruit gelato standFruit gelato storefront with national flags and "Welcome to Nagano" signs.Jan 26, 2006

"Official No. 1 Pin Club" ShopShop selling Olympic pins. Prices ranged from 500 yen to 4,000 yen.Jan 26, 2006

The road from Nagano Station to Zenkoji Temple.Lots of Olympics advertising.Jan 26, 2006

PolicemanPoliceman in special uniform designed just for the Nagano Games. The uniform supposed to make them look more friendly.Jan 26, 2006

Souvenir shop"Japanese dress Kimono and so on." Awkward or mistaken English is nothing new in Japan. They should've used a Japanese-flag motif instead.Jan 26, 2006

Olympics auction hosted by Emi Watanabe (left), a former Olympic figure skater.Jan 26, 2006

Pin sellerThis American woman was selling pins in Nagano at her seventh Olympics. Olympic pins proved to be very popular among the Japanese.

Apparently there are pin sellers who travel to all the Olympics and major sports events making a living as a pin vendor.Jan 26, 2006

IBM billboard busesThe decals covering the window portion of the decals have little holes in them and from the inside of the bus, the decals are transparent. IBM's Olympic pins and jacket were also based on these bus decal designs.Jan 26, 2006

Local busThis was not a "wrap" bus, but it still had a Kirin ad (made of cloth) on the front.Jan 26, 2006

More billboard busesCoca-cola adorned some of the local city buses in Nagano.Jan 26, 2006

Game ends with USA scoring 10 goals and Japan zero.The final score was 10-0. Japan went on to lose all five of their matches and the US team went undefeated for the gold medal. The US and Canadian men's hockey teams were not the only ones who were put to shame at Nagano.

Japan's women's ice hockey team must feel pretty rotten about their pitiful playing on their home turf.Jan 26, 2006

Japan team mates try to comfort the goal keeper right after the US scores.Jan 26, 2006

Kids gathered at Nagano Station.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Total winners beat the total losers...The U.S. team went on undefeated to win the first Olympic gold medal in women's ice hockey. Japan lost all five of its matches (they scored a total of 2 goals) putting them in last place among the six women's hockey teams.Jan 26, 2006

Japan's goalie takes a break at Nagano Winter Olympics women's ice hockey match.Her helmet is dotted with Print Club photo stickers.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Nagano Winter Olympics women's ice hockey match.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Face to face. Japan's goal keeper was busy, busy, busy.Jan 26, 2006

Frenzy in front of Japan's goal.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Nagano Winter Olympics women's ice hockey match.Jan 26, 2006

Resurfacing the ice during intermissionJan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

5-0 on scoreboard during 1st period.In the 1st period, the scoreboard shows 5-0 in favor of the US.Jan 26, 2006

Resurfacing the ice during intermissionJan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

A US player scores and celebrates to the dismay of Japan.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

A US player scores and celebrates to the dismay of Japan.Jan 26, 2006

Banging the glassI liked it when the puck slammed into the glass (BOOM!) in front of me. The protective glass, by the way, must have been at least an inch thick.Jan 26, 2006

The Nippon team huddles.The Nippon team huddle and psych themselves up before the start of the game.Jan 26, 2006

The crowd behind me.Jan 26, 2006

Start of gameJan 26, 2006

My Japanese and American flagsI tacked the flags onto the glass and proudly displayed them in front of my seat behind the goal. That's what you do when you love both countries. Since I was sitting at rinkside behind the goal, the flags (and my face and camera) could be seen on the TV broadcast.

On the left of the photo, you can see the goal referee who was sitting in a glass box. She wrapped herself in a blanket. As you can expect, the place was not warm like a coffee shop.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Cheering section for Yuiko SatomiCollege cheering section for Yuiko Satomi, a defense player for Japan.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Aqua Wing ice hockey rinkMost of the women's ice hockey matches were held at a stadium called Aqua Wing which is actually an indoor swimming pool with a sliding roof. It seemed like we were in a huge oil drum cut in half.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Aqua WingJan 26, 2006

Kita Nagano StationTo get to Aqua Wing, the ice hockey rink, we had to take a local train from Nagano Station for a short ride to the next stop at Kita Nagano Station. This Kita Nagano Station was a tiny little train station certainly not meant for large crowds. It was unbelievably small. It took some minutes before we could get out of the station which was not much larger than a normal living room. The door was also small, enough for only two people to get out at one time.Jan 26, 2006

Jan 26, 2006

Aqua Wing ice hockey rinkJan 26, 2006

Jamaica's bobsled team in Kodak PavilionThey introduced Jamaica's bobsled team. They are very popular in Japan, largely due to the comedy movie "Cool Running" which was aired in Japan before the Nagano Games started.Jan 26, 2006

Snowlets House, ticket availabilityJan 26, 2006

Kodak's Kodak-yellow pavilionOn the day I went in, they introduced Jamaica's bobsled team. They are very popular in Japan, largely due to the comedy movie "Cool Running" which was aired in Japan before the Nagano Games started.Jan 26, 2006

Snowlets HouseIt was packed. This is part of the checkout line. There were four checkout lines and each one was about 30 meters long. The line went pretty fast though. They had all kinds of souvenirs: T-shirts, sweatshirts, flags, postcards, pins, key chains, necklaces, stuffed Snowlets, mugs, and even jewelry. I went on the 6th day of the Games and it still had everything well in stock. But I later heard that the shelves were laid bare well before the Games ended. Jan 26, 2006

Entrance to Snowlets House at Olympic Plaza.The official store for Olympic souvenirs. There were a lot of ticket scalpers (all foreigners) hanging around the entrance. Inside, there was a ticket counter for events which still had seats.Jan 26, 2006

Pavilion by Kirin Brewery.Notice the "wrap" bus passing in front. Jan 26, 2006

Olympic PlazaSnowlets House and Kodak's pavilion behind it.Jan 26, 2006

To Olympic PlazaJan 26, 2006

Nagano Station, East Exit to Olympic PlazaAt the East Exit of Nagano Station, this bridge, lined with advertising banners, led the way to the Olympic Plaza which featured ten tent pavilions made by official sponsors.Jan 26, 2006

JR Nagano Station festooned with Olympic logos.Jan 26, 2006

Welcome sign at Nagano StationJan 26, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Bentenjima island near Tomonoura.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Sign for Tomonoura. Tomonoura is a National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Ferry between Tomonoura and Sensui island.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Fukuyama Station (shinkansen)Jan 24, 2006

Fukuyama Castle from the trainJan 24, 2006

Fukuyama Castle towerJan 24, 2006

View from castle towerJan 24, 2006

Fukuyama Castle towerJan 24, 2006

Onomichi Castle (tourist facility). The castle was finally dismantled in 2020-21. A very slow process since heavy duty equipment cannot access the structure.This is not based on an actual castle, but built as an amusement attraction. Now closed.Jan 24, 2006

Onomichi Castle overlooking Onomichi Station. Sadly, the company that owned the castle went bankrupt and the castle museum closed and became an abandoned building in 1992. Abandoned for almost 30 years. Jan 24, 2006

View from Onomichi Castle. A lookout deck will be built on the Onomichi Castle site.Jan 24, 2006

View from Onomichi Castle.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

View from Miyajima island's Mt. Misen.Jan 24, 2006

View of Seto Inland Sea from Miyajima island's Mt. Misen.Jan 24, 2006

Mihara Castle tenshu main tower foundation and moat. No buildings remain.Jan 24, 2006

A park on top of the Mihara Castle site.Jan 24, 2006

Hiroshima Castle towerRebuilt after World War II.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Showcase of gifts from Honolulu, Hawaii, Hiroshima's sister city.Jan 24, 2006

Children's Peace Monument before they built origami crane shacks around it.Jan 24, 2006

Peace Flame and Hiroshima Peace Memorial MuseumJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Atomic Bomb Museum and Statue of Mother and Child in the Storm.Jan 24, 2006

One of the Japan's best-designed memorials.Jan 24, 2006

Atomic Bomb DomeJan 24, 2006

View from trainJan 24, 2006

Industrial zoneJan 24, 2006

Kokura StationJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Shopping arcadeJan 24, 2006

Uwajima StationJan 24, 2006

Fighting bull statue in front of Uwajima Station.Jan 24, 2006

Main road in UwajimaJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Uwajima Castle on the hillJan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

View of Uwajima city from top floorJan 24, 2006

Castle towerJan 24, 2006

Inside castle towerJan 24, 2006

Uwajima Castle tower (Important Cultural Property), Ehime Prefecture.Jan 24, 2006

Inside Uwajima Castle tower.Jan 24, 2006

Iyo-Hojo StationJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Swimming beachJan 24, 2006

Due to falling rocks, the waling path around the island has been closed.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Kashima island, small, but very scenic island 400 meters off the coast of Matsuyama.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Path around the islandJan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Matsuyama CastleJan 24, 2006

Entrance to castle towerJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Shimanami bridgeJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Shimanami bridgeJan 24, 2006

Main road from the train stationJan 24, 2006

Shimanami bridge. Imabari is on one end of the Shimanami Kaido Expressway and Cycling Road that goes across the Seto Inland Sea to Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture.Jan 24, 2006

Street near waterfrontJan 24, 2006

Near the waterfrontJan 24, 2006

Shopping arcade with Shimanami bannerImabari is on one end of the bridges linking Shikoku and Honshu.Jan 24, 2006

Shopping arcadeJan 24, 2006

City HallJan 24, 2006

Imabari StationJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Imabari StationJan 24, 2006

Roof of nearby shrineJan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Top floor balconyJan 24, 2006

View from top floorJan 24, 2006

Castle tower entranceThe castle tower is a local history museum.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

Imabari Castle 今治城Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

My bicycleJan 24, 2006

Originally built in 1604 by Lord Takatora Todo, Imabari Castle today is still a very good castle complex with great views of the city and Inland Sea. The castle tower was reconstructed in 1980. 今治城Unfortunately, my camera lens had a fogging problem.Jan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

HonmaruJan 24, 2006

Hirosaki Castle towerJan 24, 2006

Castle towerThe castle tower is so small that it looks more like a turret.Jan 24, 2006

Gate追手門Jan 24, 2006

Kubota CastleJan 24, 2006

Inside Kubota CastleJan 24, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

MonkeysJan 24, 2006

Monkey Island (Sarugashima)Jan 24, 2006

View from Rabbit IslandJan 24, 2006

Boat to Rabbit and Monkey islands (no longer in service)Jan 24, 2006

Monkey Island (Sarugashima)Jan 24, 2006

Rabbit IslandJan 24, 2006

RabbitsJan 24, 2006

Rabbit IslandJan 24, 2006

Sign for boat going to the islands (no longer in service)Jan 24, 2006

Feeding a rabbitJan 24, 2006

JR Gamagori Station. In the foreground is my bicycle.Jan 24, 2006

My bicycle somewhere in Gamagori.Jan 24, 2006

Torii on Takeshima islandJan 24, 2006

Takeshima island is connected by a bridge. The island is uninhabited, but has a Yaotomi Jinja Shinto shrine (八百富神社) dedicated to goddess Takeshima Benten. Designated as a Natural Monument for its flora which greatly differs from that on shore.Jan 24, 2006

400-meter long bridge to Takeshima island near JR Gamagori Station. The island is made of granite. Circumference is 680 meters. There's a walking path around the island.Jan 24, 2006

Yoshida Castle turretJan 24, 2006

Bridge to caslteJan 23, 2006

WisteriaJan 23, 2006

AzaleasJan 23, 2006

Okazaki Castle towerThe castle was dismantled during the Meiji Period and the area was made into a castle park. The castle tower was later rebuilt in 1959.Jan 23, 2006