# My second trip to Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara)



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

I was from april 8th to april 16th in Japan again. 
I made 1400 pics >_<

I want to apologiese at first because i will post around 20 pics every weekend and i think it will take 3 to 6 month to post my best pics >_<
I think i will upload 200 - 300 pics. Maybe more.

Okay let me begin with Osaka. The pics are in order.

This is the view from my hotel room. I`m on the 5th floor. 



























I took this pic from the entry of my hotel. It`s in the middle of patschinko heaven 









This is the Namba station. It is the next station to my hotel. It has 33 underground entrys. I lost myself even on my 5th day >_<









I was very lucky with Sakura. I had it all 8 days long 









Beautiful isn`t it ?









A small shrine near my hotel. 









The view from the Osaka World Trade Center. This building is 252m tall. But the observation on top was under renovation. So i could use only a room 3 floors under the top. 









The Osaka skyline isn`t really impressive. The second tallest building is 200m tall. But i was satisfied with skyscrapers during my stopover in Dubai 









The big red bridge was a real surprise. I never seen it before. 









The view on this day was not the best, but the sun was shining.









I have a question about this pic. Do you like it? I am not sure if taking such pictures is nice for the viewer.









The streets around the WTC are very empty, but nice looking.









The Osaka WTC. Somehow it seems that this building stands on the wrng place. They should build it in the city center and not on the edge of the city.









I took this pic from a very large observation wheel. I was very afraid of the high. >_<









Sakura again.









Japanese celebrating a free day, the spring, the nice weather and sakura 


















I am glad i use only the public transport and don`t drive a car in Japan ^^


----------



## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

amazing as usual, where are the pics for other cities?

may i ask you what's your favourite city in japan? after you have spent so much time there.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Sen said:


> amazing as usual, where are the pics for other cities?
> 
> may i ask you what's your favourite city in japan? after you have spent so much time there.


They will follow. I post the pics in order. The pics here are from day one. 
It takes around 45 minute to make the 20 pics smaller and to upload them. It will take some time  

I love Tokyo the most, second is Kyoto.
During my next visit in the Osaka area i will stay in Kyoto.


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

Gret pictures Martin. Keep up the good work


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

About this picture:










First I can't refrein from saying that the lady in that picture looks GREAT!!!

Second, can any Japanese forumer tell me if Matsushita is still using the National brand in Japan? They've never used that in Europe and in Middle East they stopped last year, renaming all their household articles as Panasonic. Is this the case in Japan and the billboard is old perhaps?


----------



## coldstar (Jan 14, 2003)

Everytime I see the pics of Tom Green, I really admire your skill!
(I don't like Osaka, though)



Altind_Carnut said:


> Second, can any Japanese forumer tell me if Matsushita is still using the National brand in Japan? They've never used that in Europe and in Middle East they stopped last year, renaming all their household articles as Panasonic. Is this the case in Japan and the billboard is old perhaps?


From April 1st of this year, Matsushita runs away from *National* brand and uses only *Panasonic* in Japan, too.
(but *National* sounds very special to Japanese, especially Osakans, and people are attached to the name.)


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

^ Thank you Coldstar.

What about Techniks, have they already started using it for their high-end audio products?


----------



## Ashok (Jul 17, 2004)

nice pics


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

coldstar said:


> Everytime I see the pics of Tom Green, I really admire your skill!
> (I don't like Osaka, though)


Such nice comments motivate me to post faster 
I Iike Tokyo much more then Osaka and i like Kyoto more then Osaka.

The second half of day one. 
I travelled to Osaka castle and in the night again to Osaka WTC.



























This was really cute. The small kids performed a play. 









Osaka Castle









This was a holiday in Japan and the castle area was full of people.




































The skyline in Osaka is not very impressive but right now are more than 10 buildings over 150m under construction.









Osaka Castle has an observation floor. I was the only stupid person that walked the 8 floors to the top.













































The show from him was very nice 









Sakura 









During my last trip to Japan i was not abel to make night pics. 
The pics are from the Osaka WTC


















The second diggicam makes the better night pics but has only 3x optical zoom.


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2: 

Fantastic looking castle; amazing shot with the spring blooming.


----------



## InitialD18 (Sep 17, 2002)

great pictures ... i wish i could go to kansai during sakura season ... so nice ...


----------



## Wagahai (Nov 26, 2002)

Nice rare pics, please keep uploading


----------



## Urban Dave (Apr 18, 2004)

mg:mg: You are so lucky! The pictures look amazing!


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Wagahai said:


> Nice rare pics, please keep uploading


I know. I met a women in Kyoto she is 29 year old and she told me that the sakura was never so nice in her life before and she live since her birth in Kyoto ^^

BTW: if you want you can post my pics in the DAF


----------



## Urban Dave (Apr 18, 2004)

Pictures of the girl, Tom ? :rofl:


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Urban Dave said:


> Pictures of the girl, Tom ? :rofl:


Yes. But it would be rude to upload her pic without asking here.


Today is a holiday in Germany so i have time to ulpoad 
Here is part one of day 2. 
I spent this day again in Osaka.

Early in the morning. The streets are empty.









My favorite motive, a shrine.









I love Japan but this love is not a blind one. I can see the ugly sides, too but i still love this country.


















During this trip i learned the difference between a shrine and a temple. This is a temple.


















That`s the probleme with pictures, you can`t see the movement. You can`t see that the cheery bloosems falling and the child runs to catch them. But i hope you can imagine it 



























This is the 4000th pic fom the HP Photosmart 850.









This is a shrine.



























My next stop for a overview of the city.






















































Something beautiful inside the urban chaos.


----------



## SUNNI (Sep 20, 2002)

you're an excellent photographer tom


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

SUNNI said:


> you're an excellent photographer tom


Thanks 

Its time for new pics.
This is the second half of day 2.

More people should write, all pics on one page is much, even for DSL ^^`


I was on this rollercoaster but i was the only one^^










The center of Osaka









Umeda Sky Building



























170m over ground.









In Japan is space very rare 









^^









Osaka castle


















12 buildings over 150m are right now under constrcution in Osaka.









Guess who this is 









You shouldn`t be afraid of high when you go to the top of the Umeda Sky Building.









Nice 


















No comment^^










First small highlight in my thread.


Near Osaka Castle.









At first i was disapointet because so many people walked through my pic but i think the "ghosts" are okay.


----------



## Rupmulalauk (Jul 29, 2002)

great quality pics and what a great experience!


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

baqthier said:


> great quality pics and what a great experience!


Thanks 

First part of day 3. I visited Kyoto.

Yeah! 









Streetscene




































Okay, the light was not good but this building was really dark.




































The tallest observation tower in Kyoto









Overview of Kyoto.




































The view was very nice during the day. The skyscraper in the distance are from osaka. 









Kyoto station.









No words can describe how beautiful this is.


----------



## ArchMadness (Feb 29, 2004)

awesome thread...don't stop posting please!!


----------



## Nick (Sep 13, 2002)

What a terrific set of photos.You did a great job of caturing the spirit of Hannami in Osaka Jo park.


----------



## Vapour (Jul 31, 2002)

Hey Nick, that's my favourite picture too ^^ Indeed Tom is a gifted photographer, there're about 5 or 6 pictures which get 10 out of 10 points


----------



## sages (Apr 20, 2005)

Hey Vapour ,Nick~
I love that picture,too~
It's so........graceful...


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Second half of day 3. I walked to the southeast of Kyoto 






















































































































This is the beginning of a long journey >_<









After some meters there was a small lake.









I walked from the city level to this place but this only the half of the way to the top.









This is on the highest point but you couldn`t see the city from there.









The whole way was like this.









Back in Osaka on top of the Umeda Sky Building.
Osaka Castle in the night.


----------



## Bahraini Spirit (Dec 14, 2002)

Man great pics, thanks for sharin, keep em comin as the others said .


----------



## demanjo (Dec 9, 2003)

This is the most beautiful thread i've ever seen.
I am absolutely in debt to you.


----------



## M.Poirot (May 8, 2005)

You Lucky Bastard... :jk: 
But Really, Great pics! I was just in Kyoto a few weeks before you. When I was there, the Sakura was not blooming yet. The day that they started blooming was the day I had to leave. :rant:


----------



## ramiretto (May 2, 2004)

Nice pics Tom, thank you very much!!! Keep posting them.


----------



## Kaplan (Jul 29, 2003)

Absolutely GREAT pics!! So beautiful!! Really inspired!!


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

This is day 4. I travelled to Kobe. The wheather was ugly. It rained all the time and it was cold. Because of the rain and the bad view the pics are not very good.




























I think everyboddy know what this is.































































It`s time for my next observation tower 









The location of the city reminds me very much of Hong Kong.
Kobe








Hong Kong








The weather was similar, too


----------



## muchbetter (Dec 28, 2003)

what is this geogeous building, temple or something else?


----------



## M.Poirot (May 8, 2005)

muchbetter said:


> what is this geogeous building, temple or something else?


That's Osaka Castle, one of the many Medieval Castles in Japan (This one was reconstructed, though). It was the catle of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the most powerful warlord during the Warring Period of Japan. He succeeded in uniting the entire country (excluding Okinawa and Hokkaido).

This guy (looks like a monkey :rock: :lol: )


----------



## skyscraper03 (Feb 12, 2005)

*Thank you for good pics*



NEGRO said:


> Absolutely GREAT pics!! So beautiful!! Really inspired!!


I think so, too.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Thanks 

Let´s start with day 5
I travelled to Nara ........
Nara .... ahhhhhh...... nice memories.
This was the second best day during this trip. 

I have never seen so many professional photographer in one city. 








































































































































Staff only 




































Feeding the deers is a nice idea, but not in Nara. 10 seconds later the women started to run.


----------



## coldstar (Jan 14, 2003)

great addition, Tom. 

unlike nasty dirty Osaka, I really enjoyed the pics of Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

coldstar said:


> great addition, Tom.
> 
> unlike nasty dirty Osaka, I really enjoyed the pics of Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara.


You don`t really like Osaka, don`t you ? 

Second part of day 5

Nara































































Humans and animals peaceful side by side 









Not really peaceful if you have something to eat in your hands 


















The biggest wooden building in the world.









Long ago on the left and on the right side of the building there standing 2 pagodas with a high of 100m.









Like snow


















It was funny to watch the children doing this 













































From the WTC in Osaka










If you can`t see one pic, click right on the red cross and click on "show picture"


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

It`s time for a big highlight. This are my favorite 10 pics from this day.

It is allowed to fall in love with Japan 









And this with autofocus.
I really love this pic.


















It was diificult for me to get the money for the trip but seeing such beautiful things repay you for trouble.


















Don`t forget the reflections in the water 



























If i someone ask me why i love Japan i would answear him with pictures. And this pic would belong to them that i show him.

















I hope everyboddy know now why i love this country more than my own.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

No comments ?^^
This isn`t very motivating. >_<


----------



## mlm (Sep 11, 2002)

Awesome photos, thanks a lot for showing them. You really visited some wonderful places. kay:

I also enjoyed your Dubai shots very much. :yes:


----------



## noRTH1212 (Jan 30, 2005)

I must say WoW. Japan is definitely one of the most amazing place in the world.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Okay next day. This is the first part of my second Kyoto visit.

I met a women in kyoto. We spent the whole day together. She showed me parts of Kyoto i would never find by myself. It was my best day.

We started in the northwest part of Kyoto




































The next 10 pics are from one shrine.

















































































The pics are peaceful and quiet. But it was really difficult to make such pics because this is the truth:








The place was full of people























































I know this is a skyscraper forum but i hope you like such pictures, too.


----------



## Vapour (Jul 31, 2002)

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:


----------



## acrux (Mar 20, 2005)

wow, nice pics !!


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

This is the second part of my second Kyoto visit.

I walked with the Japanese women around. An later we drived with the bus through the city. 










She is so beautiful but this is not the women who showed me the city.













































Kaori(that`s her name) showed me a place where Kimonos are made. She talked with the people there in japanese and i couldn`t understand one word ^^









A Kimono worth 20.000€




































I love the next 2 pics. Geisha and Sakura. I took the pics from a bus.









I learned on that day the differences between Miko, Meiko and Geisha.


----------



## ramiretto (May 2, 2004)

Thank you again Tom, I really love the Geishas+Sakura photo!!


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

The rest of this day.

Kyoto in the night









It was difficult to make this pic, therefore it is not perfect.









I hate autofocus.


















Old buildings in Kyoto.













































The most famous sakura tree in Kyoto. 









I was so angree about the cars.....









Now some pics from the theater i was with Kaori.




































This is comedy. I couldn`t understand one word but i understand that they fought over Sake 


















Meiko San dancing >_<
It was just too beautiful ....


----------



## mybach (Sep 18, 2004)

:rock:Beautiful pictures!!!:applause:


----------



## Mike-Hammond (Jun 6, 2005)

Ya

These pictures are great.Good work.

My brother went to Kyoto(or was it Osaka) for a zipper convention.He was very impressed with the quality of zippers used on Japanese jeans.


----------



## Urban Dave (Apr 18, 2004)

Amazing pictures!


----------



## 6fran (Sep 11, 2002)

TRuly amazing pics, so beautifull!


----------



## scorpion (Sep 14, 2002)

hi Tom: beautiful pictures  i too share some of your wonder at details of nature--i actually become inspired by such ethereal moments and transcend them into vision filled with words and sound and story...

looking forward to more tour from you~~


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Thank everyone for the nice comments.

This is the beginning of the last day. I spent the whole day in Osaka. So you will see urban pics again.
Enjoy 

From the 20 pics is this the only one i haven taken with the big diggicam . I had problems with the batteries so i was forced to use the small one. But i think the pics are good, too.









Some interesting buildings in Osaka.








































































I like this pic very much.



























I had cherry blossom from the first to the last day. I was very lucky.


----------



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

This are my last 20 pics.






































From the 8th floor of the Namba station shopping center.









From the top of the Swissotel.


















I was abel to make 5 pics with the better camera. The batterys worked again for a short time.








































































I am again on the Umeda Sky Building.




































Bye Bye. 








I don`t know if you feel the same but it makes me very sad if i close my hotel room for the last time. The great time is over and you have to go home.

I hope you have enjoyed my tour.


----------



## Chad (Oct 10, 2002)

U r just too great Tom!..kay:


----------

