Image search results - "tour" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "tour"

Hinohara Village Tourist Info Office

Inside Hinohara Village Tourist Info Office

The airport has a huge shopping area full of gift shops.

G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit merchandise. They all seem to be unofficial goods. They don't bear the official logo.

June 9, 2011 (Day 6): Nagahama Port at around 8 am. This was the only day I accompanied the rowers on a motorboat to take pictures and videos.

Leaving Nagahama Port at around 8:30 am. Photos you see here are only part of the total number of photos I gave to Seta Rowing Club for distribution.

These blue boat landing decks are portable and were brought here by truck.

Leaving Nagahama.

Lead boat

Rowing past Nagahama Dome, a sports and event complex.

Rowing off Maibara in northern Shiga. The tall white tower belongs to an elevator manufacturer for testing their elevators. Maibara is best known for Mt. Ibuki and Shiga's one and only shinkansen bullet train station.

While they rested off Maibara, the lead boat played Lake Biwa Rowing Song (Biwako Shuko no Uta). Mt. Ibuki, Shiga's highest mountain in Maibara, was hidden by clouds.

Rowing to Hikone.

Rowing past Hikone View Hotel and the Japan Center for Michigan Universities or JCMU (green roof).

JCMU is an educational facility for college students mainly from Michigan to study in Japan. Shiga and the US state of Michigan are sister states. Many cities in Shiga have sister-city ties with cities in Michigan.

Approaching Matsubara Beach in Hikone.

Matsubara Beach in Hikone, a rest stop.

In summer, Matsubara Beach is popular with swimmers and a fireworks display offshore sees huge crowds filling the beach.

Leaving Matsubara Beach in Hikone.

Rowing past Hikone Castle atop a hill.

Heading for Takeshima, a small island about 6.5 km off Hikone.

Masaki "Follow Me" Unose on the lead boat going to Takeshima island.

Takeshima is a small island with only Nichiren Buddhist temple and the priest's family living on the island. Accessible by boat from Hikone, Shiga Prefecture.

The island is noted for its giant stone monument inscribed with the prayer words "Namu Myo-horenge-kyo" from the Lotus Sutra.

Takeshima means "Island of Many Views" because it looks dramatically different from different angles.

Rowing around Takeshima island. More photos of Takeshima here.

Approaching Satsuma Beach, the final stop for the day.

Approaching Satsuma Beach.

Satsuma Beach in Hikone.

Hot rowers in a cool Lake Biwa.

Shabu-shabu lunch in Hikone with Omi beef. People had questions about how to eat the food. Cook the meat, vegetables, and udon noodles in the little shabu-shabu pot of boiling water, then dip into the sauce. One sauce for the meat, another for the udon.

After lunch, the group visited Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden. Hikone Castle is famous for cherry blossoms and Hiko-nyan (see next photo).

Watching Hiko-nyan, Hikone Castle's official mascot which is wildly popular. He performs daily inside Hikone Castle Museum. He is a white cat with a samurai helmet.

Steep stairs inside Hikone Castle tower.

Top floor of Hikone Castle tower. Hikone Castle's last lord was Ii Naosuke, the Chief Minister of the Tokugawa samurai government. He was the one who agreed to open Japan to the USA in 1858 after Commodore Perry visited.

Going down from Hikone Castle to Genkyuen Garden. More photos of Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden here.

My video of the the group rowing from Nagahama to Hikone (Satsuma) on June 9, 2011.

June 10, 2011 (Day 7): Satsuma Beach in Hikone. Someone camped here overnight to watch over the boats.

Preparing to leave Satsuma Beach.

Leaving Satsuma Beach.

The Harry Potter Tokyo studio is conveniently located in central Tokyo, near Toshimaen Station (豊島園駅), about 15 minutes from Ikebukuro Station by train on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line.

Entrance to Harry Potter Studio in Tokyo.

Lobby and tour entrance straight ahead.

Great Hall’s head table.

On left is the costume worn by Ron and a chest of Quidditch balls.

Quidditch filming experience: We visitors could act as spectators at a Quidditch match between Griffindore and Slytherin.

Props for Goblet of Fire.

About Voldemort, The Dark Lord.

4 Privet Drive (Dursley residence)

Harry’s closet-like room in the Dursley home named Cupboard under the Stairs.

This compartment shows Ron and Harry feasting on a pile of sweets. That’s when the chocolate frog jumped out.

London Ministry of Magic, Atrium is unique to the Tokyo studio. (Not found in the London studio.)

Robotic Hagrid's head. The eyes blink realistically.

Realistic makeup on a Gringotts Bank teller goblin.

Hagrid’s giant half-brother, Grawp.

For the movie actors, the broomsticks were custom-designed and fitted for each person. The stick was a solid metal pole strong enough to support the actor sitting on it in front of green screens.

Broomstick flying experience. It looks like a ride, but the broomstick is just a stationary prop you sit on and be filmed in a green screen booth. They charge ¥3,500 to download the broomstick video (without watermarks)..The staff tells you when to sway left or right, when to wave, when to reach out your hand to catch the Golden Snitch, etc. The resulting 70-sec. video shows you flying fast on a broomstick amid different background scenery like city streets, Quidditch field, and Hogwarts Castle.

Gringotts Bank (with goblin workers) has a facade, but we cannot enter it like at the Harry Potter London studio which has a full-size replica of the bank’s interior.

Owls for sale at Diagon Alley.

You can also engrave your name on the wand. When I was there, the Slytherin wand was sold out.

Dragons

Bottled “Tokyo Special” butterbeer (¥1,000).

JAL (Japan Airiines) offers free tours of their maintenance facilities and their Sky Museum at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. You can see planes in a huge hangar being serviced. You have to make reservations at their website, but everything is in Japanese. They have four 90-min. tours almost daily, but only in Japanese. You should reserve weeks or months in advance because tours get booked up quickly. However, when people cancel their reservations, tours may open up. You have to keep checking. Children must be at least elementary school age. Shin Seibijo Station on the Haneda Monorail. JAL's maintenance hangar is a 10-15 min. walk from Shin Seibijo Station on the Haneda Monorail running from JR Hamamatsucho. http://www.jal.co.jp/kengaku/tour/

Go to the JAL Maintenance Center 1 Building and show your reservation to the reception. They will give you a pass. You can arrive 30 min. before the tour starts. Use the time to see this Sky Museum.The tour pass is on a JAL cell phone neck strap that you can keep.
*Note that if you take the tour and take pictures and want to post pictures online, you will need JAL's approval. They don't allow photos of JAL personnel and tour guests in online photos. All these photos have been approved by JAL for posting here.

JAL's "Sky Museum" shows JAL's history, interactive exhibits like a cockpit, first-class seats, and a special room showing special plane seats used by the emperor before Japan got its own Japanese Air Force One. In Japanese only though

A visitor tries an interactive exhibit for directing a JAL plane to a gate.

Cabin attendant uniforms throughout JAL's history (including TDA aka Japan Air System that merged with JAL).

JAL's first cabin attendant uniform appeared in Aug. 1951.

TDA's (Toa Domestic Airways) cabin attendant uniform (left) and JAS (Japan Air System) cabin attendant uniform. Bot TDA and JAS merged with JAL.

JAL's cabin attendant uniform worn in the 1970s (left) and 1980s (right).

History of JAL planes.

Historical model planes in JAL's Sky Museum. The museum is quite big, and we didn't have time to see everything.

Model of JAL Boeing 747.

The same type of happi coat the Beatles wore when they got off the JAL DC-8 ("Matsushima") at Haneda for their Budokan concerts in 1966.The back has the kanji for kotobuki (寿) meaning "celebration." Famous story behind how a JAL stewardess got John to wear the happi coat. "Wearing a happi coat when you land in Japan would make the fans really happy!" "Good idea!," said John who then wore it. The other Beatles followed and wore one too. A major, historic PR coup for JAL.

Vintage JAL luggage tags.

JAL's tour also started with a 30-min. talk and slide show in Japanese.

Wore hard hats and toured JAL's maintenance hangar for about 40 min. JAL's airplane maintenance hangar at Haneda Airport. Huge facility.

JAL Boeing 787.

Photography was permitted, but no videos. You can post photos online, but cannot show personnel (I assume faces) and the other tour participants. Also cannot show any plane from another airline which might be taxiing or flying outside in the background.

The lucky treat of the JAL tour was seeing Japan's Air Force One (actually, Air Force Two). The Japanese government plane that carries the prime minister or emperor.They are normally parked at Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. Flown by the Air Defense Force, but maintained by JAL. Japan's Air Force One/Two will be retired in 2019, to be replaced by Boeing 777. The new Boeing 777 will be maintained by ANA. Photos were allowed, but not allowed to be posted online.

One corner of the hangar preserved the cockpit/lounge section of the JAL "Fuji" DC-8. This was Japan's first passenger jet put into service in 1960, replacing prop planes. This plane had 104 seats, 36 first class and 68 tourist class.

About the JAL "Fuji" DC-8.

First class section of JAL's "Fuji" DC-8.

Tail of the JAL "Fuji" DC-8. Looks like they are restoring the plane.

JAL plane parked outside the maintenance hangar.JAL sent out an online questionaire afterward for feedback about the tour. I told them that many foreigners were also interested in the tours so they should provide foreign language info too. I'm told that there are no tours like this in the States.

Sports Recreation Shiga 2008 was held in Shiga during Oct. 18-21, 2008. Various sports tournaments were held all around Shiga. The aerobics competition was held in Maibara. Maibara Station had this sign.

Banners guide the way to the Shiga Prefectural Cultural and Industrial Exchange Hall (Shiga Kenritsu Bunka Sangyo Koryu Kaikan) 滋賀県立文化産業交流会館

Shiga Prefectural Cultural and Industrial Exchange Hall (Shiga Kenritsu Bunka Sangyo Koryu Kaikan) 滋賀県立文化産業交流会館

A Caffy doll in front of the hall. Aerobics participants from all over Japan gathered in the hall. The Sports Recreation event is held annually in a different prefecture. It is open to adults of all ages.

Inside the hall with the aerobics competition which started at 9:30 am on Oct. 20, 2008. The hall was filled with energy and cheering. Thirty-nine teams of 3 to 5 people competed, totalling about 190 competitors. Three South Korean teams also competed.

The highlight and newsmaker was this group called the Tokimeki Silvers consisting of women in their 80s and 90s. They were from Shiga.

Tokimeki Silvers ときめきシルバーズ

Tokimeki Silvers

Each team had to have 3 to 5 people performing 90 sec. to 120 sec. long. The routine was required to include jumping jacks, kicks, and push ups.

The contestants had to be at least 20 years old, but I think most people looked middle-aged.

Audience in the seats.

Local children watch aerobics behind a "Welcome to Maibara" sign.

Aerobics team from Hiroshima.

Aerobics team from Shiga.

Aerobics team from Tokushima.

Aerobics team from Miyagi.

After the aerobics performances, there was a one-hour lunch break at noon, and a group picture-taking session of all the aerobics teams and officials.

Group shot

Maibara's official mascot, a family of fireflies.

Posters for aerobics teams made by local school children.

Poster for the Tokimeki Silvers

The hall lobby had posters showing Maibara's major sights.

The hall lobby also had articles and snapshots of the aerobics event the day before.

Outside the hall were a few food booths and Spo-rec mascot Caffy walking around.

After lunch, everyone participated in a joint aerobics session at 1 pm with a well-known instructor.

This one-hour joint aerobics session was called the "Memorial Program."

At 2 pm, all the teams sat in the front to listen to the announcement of the winners.

As each winner was announced, the respective team cheered and went backstage. The senior group was of course a winner.

The MC was an NHK Otsu TV newscaster.

The winning teams performed their routines again.

Aerobics team from Hiroshima.

Awards ceremony with the winning teams on stage.

ときめきシルバーズ

The three South Korean aerobics teams were awarded with the International Exchange Award.

During the closing ceremony, Maibara Mayor Michio Hirao offer congratulations.

People from Miyazaki Prefecture which will host the next Sports Recreation meet in 2009, do some PR.

Banners line the way back to Maibara Station.

JR Maibara Station with a Spo-rec welcome banner.

Green Park Santo was the site for the Ozumo Maibara Basho or Maibara Exhibition Sumo Tournament on Oct. 17, 2008. It was nice sunny day. Banners with the name of famous sumo wrestlers (rikishi) were up. グリーンパーク山東

Gate to the sumo arena. The gate opened at 8 am. The last exhibition sumo tournament held in Shiga was in 1999 in Nagahama Dome.

Tickets please. We all got a sumo booklet with pictures of all the wrestlers.

Arch to the sumo arena. 大相撲米原場所

Two sumo wrestlers near the gate greeted spectators. The sumo contingent's stop in Maibara was part of their autumn exhibition tour. The day before, they were in Noto, Ishikawa Pref.

Taiko drummer added atmosphere.

The sumo arena was under a large tent. The ground was covered by a blue, vinyl tarp.

Arena layout and ticket prices. The cheapest ticket was 4,000 yen and the most expensive near ringside was 14,000 yen.

Sumo souvenir shops and food stalls.

Sumo souvenirs

Zabuton cushions with "Maibara Basho" imprinted were also sold for 1100 yen.

Day's bouts.

Miyabiyama stands near the entrance gate to sign autographs.

Outside the tent arena was a grassy area where the rikishi warmed up. About 160 rikishi were in the tournament.

Push-ups

Mt. Ibuki in the background.

Baruto from Estonia and Tochinoshin from Georgia chat with each other (probably in Russian).

First the lower ranking Makushita wrestlers practiced on the ring.

Banners above written with "Maibara Basho" and "Full House." It actually wasn't sold out.

Later, the top division Makunouchi wrestlers started practice. They wear white mawashi belts.

Ozeki Kotomitsuki practicing.

One benefit of exhibition tournaments is that the rikishi are able to practice with different wrestlers from different stables.

Baruto practicing.

Kotooshu

Maibara basho zabuton cushions

Ozeki Chiyotaikai

Ozeki Chiyotaikai works out and gives a great photo op.

Ozeki Chiyotaikai works out.

Ozeki Chiyotaikai 大関千代大海

Ozeki Kotomitsuki signs autographs.

Ozeki Kotomitsuki 大関琴光喜

Baruto signs autographs. This is something we cannot do during official sumo tournaments.

Kisenosato signs autographs. He's quite popular with the ladies.

Finally, Yokozuna Hakuho appears. At first, his tsukebito attendants declined autographs. But when a lady following him asked for an autograph, he stopped and said okay.