Japan – Tokyo and Hiratsuka (1 of 3)

I have been fortunate enough to visit Japan a second time, once again to present work at a conference. The first stop was Tokyo and a nearby small town of Hiratsuka.

This is just part of the big city of Tokyo.

I had a nice view from my hotel room here. This neighbourhood is very expensive to live in.

Streets in Japan are often much narrower compared to what North Americans are used to. This is most likely a two way street, though some areas are unpassable by two opposing cars at the same time. In these cases, drivers must simply look for traffic ahead before proceeding.

I viewed some academic seminars at the University of Tokyo. On campus, space is apparently very limited. In the foreground of this picture, you see two buildings, not one. The upper building is supported completely separated from the building below.

I had one day in the small city of Hiratsuka. It was very rainy and as we were walking away from the ocean, announcements came through the city over loudspeakers that a tsunami was expected in a few hours due to the Chile earthquake. Being next to the ocean in this location made me a bit nervous!

The Japanese train operators were also nervous because of the possible tsunami. The local train station was closed just before I was supposed to board one for Osaka. Although I did make it to another station by car farther away, my plans that day were delayed by several hours.

I have posted more pictures in my gallery, and am working on more blog posts to post soon!