It's a RHINO!!!!

       :) :) :) :)

      Now here is something interesting—a slice of a tree, 4 years older, than the United States:

      I have no idea:

      High views:

      For a long time, now, I have been OBSESSED—with taking a picture of Tokyo, from the outside.  Quite unexpectedly (I had actually given up—on that ever happening, during this trip.), my dream came true:

      (If you can believe it, I used to think, that the buildup of "haze"–due to excessive coal burning–was bunk.)

      ( :p :P )

      A high view.

      At first, I thought that this was a warning about bears.  Grea-t.

      But no—it's a warning about (potentially) escaped monkeys.

      Seriously.

      Apparently, this looks like an octopus, or something.  There were plaques to the "octopus god," or spirit, or some such. . . .

      Shortly before this restaurant (NOODLES! :) ), there was this STEEP incline, up to who know what.  Well, feeling adventurous, I took the climb, up to the what:

      BOOBIES!!!!

      The SCALE of these trees (I was to learn that they were cedars, over 400 years (!!!!) old—and a national treasure.) was EXTRAORDINARY.

      There aren't many things in the world, more cute than Japanese schoolchildren.

       :) :)

      A high view.

      I couldn't help, but notice the "cleared area."

      Rice fields. (??)

      And here is a tengu-dude.  I don't know much about them—except that in nethack, eating them, can yield intrinsic teleport control—a significant late game plus.

      ( :) ;) )

      A whole buncha' buddhas.

      I can see how this is the culture, that spawned Pokemon.

      ( :P ;) )

      A shrine—dedicated exculsively, to a potential bigfoot visit:

       :p :P

      This picture, doesn't do this scene credit.  (When do the ever?  :p :P ) A fallen tree, with a pool of water, in it.  –'T'wouldn't've been out of place—in "Princess Mononoke. . . ."

      This is one of my all-time favourite photos, of the entire trip.

      –Like a painting. . . .

      A high view (on the way back).

      I didn't notice the young Japanese woman, "signalling the photo," until I set the HTML.

       :) :)

      On the way back, we suddenly found ourselves . . . by ourselves.  Laura commented, how creepy Japanese forests became–and suddenly–by finding oneself alone in them.  I don't know about that—but this was quite a sight (an effect only partially captured).  While the other trees were darkened by sunset, this one patch was still bright.  As with the photo mentioned above, this pic doesn't do the scene credit..

      A high view—with the city peeking though.

      Again, Japan, the constrast(s). . . .

      Another tengu. –Just LOOK at that SCHNOZ.

      (!!!!)

      Very cute. There is a "legendary flying squirrel of Mt. Takao."  :) :) –Rocky have "penis envy?"

      :p ;)

      More tengu-dudes:

      If I turn this wheel, am I whisked away—to the Japanese Hogwarts??

      Taken with the grain.  I think I might've been completely off the trail, when I took this one.  Laura: "What are you doing?"

      The grade on the way out of here, was EXTRAORDINARY.  (Just LOOK at. . . .)

      Walking out, we were passed, by all the vehicles, that FED, this tourist trap.  (That, and there were some really cool (weird?) dams, 'n stuff.  Regardless, the journey was tough on Gaijin knees—and stamina.  :p :P

      A cool pic. I thought this conveyed both time, and life.  ( . . . )

      Just some cool moss, growing on a tree.  ( . . . )

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