This is my last post before I move on from my Japan travel nostalgia (and straignt onto the upcoming J-Pop Summit Festival that’s coming up soon). I started with a long overview, marveled at Japan fashion, and shared my favorite shopping spots. By now, it’s really obvious that our Japan March 2013 travel carved such beautiful, lasting impressions. We cannot wait for the next chance to go back to Japan, explore even more, and take more pictures. But until such opportunity comes, we have hundreds of images to feel nostalgic on (yes, it’s only been 3 months).

For this closing post, I’d like to share 100+ pictures that I think provide the glimpses of life we encountered in our Japan March 2013 travel. From the exciting, almost manic Tokyo scene, vibrant night life of Osaka, the almost-mystical yet extraordinarily warm Kyoto, the always-hungry deers of Nara, the onsen and black eggs at Hakone, to the glimpses of wonder in Ghibli Museum at Mitaka.

Aside from the things I already shared on my previous three posts, it’s very much worth noting how Japanese people design things meticulously (just in case you don’t know that already). They maximize functions in minimal spaces, such as having can-be-opened-from-either-side refrigerator, putting thin container area beneath restaurant tables for menus, having  baskets underneath seats to put your handbags, non-obnoxious bicycle locks that these parked bikes all appeared unlocked…OK, you get the idea.

Moreover, their alleys. Oh man, how we love walking down those alleys. Free of cars, super clean, and quiet. Cannot get any better than that. Even the alleys at Harajuku that are full of shops; people are so mindful of their voice volume so that you can soak up the atmosphere and vibe of walking down those alleys and window-shopping without being disturbed by someone else’s loud voices.

When it was time for us to leave, it was especially a hard time for us. On that day, we went to Ghibli Museum at Mitaka hours before our plane flight back to San Francisco. We enjoyed Ghibli Museum very much, but looking at the pictures now, I can feel our sadness seeping through the pictures’ vibes. Maybe it’s because of the cloudy sky that day. But I still remembered how I unintentionally dragged my feet that day, as if trying to delay our departure from Japan.

I hope when you browse these pictures, you will see not only the wonderful glimpses of Japan, but the different shades of energy each places we visited projects. Their shades are all in different levels, but it’s no doubt they are all amazing. Enjoy browsing through the pictures, and please leave comments if you like (the album is in Google+).

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Feel free to browse the whole album by clicking the picture below:
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Until next time, Japan,
Musank

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