Japan 2024 - Day 4 Aomori again

 Came back to Aomori.  On their last day, they flip the script and do it in the daytime as opposed to the evening.  That leaves the eveining free for fireworks while some of the Nebuta are floated around the bay.  Paid seats line the shore which had the best unobrtructed close view.  I overindulged in the street food before realizing this would be my last chance for nokkedon.  In 2011, I ran into this market, primarily selling seafood, and observed people walking around with bowls of rice and getting select items from the vendors.  The items were exchanged for x amount of tickets.  The line to get in was unfortunately long and they only had the 1 sheet of 10 tickets.  They used to sell a smaller sheet.  You get a bowl of rice, an extra ticket if you want a large serving.Typically everyone likes to customize their kaisendon.  I went down a different aisle.  I got 2 cooked shrimp, fried fishcake, a piece of grilled whitefish, and a slice of wagyu .  The wagyu was so much better than the meal from the other day.  Wolfed it down so I could get some pics of the parade during the day.  By the time I got to where it all happens, I was pretty muc too late and it was over.

4 hours before the fireworks show and I was prepared.  There was a stepped cirular area where there was a patchwork of tarps and coverings of areas that had been reserved.  I looked for the highest point with the most unobstructed view and put down my towel on a small sliver of ground to let people now this spot was no longer open.  With that, I went to get some drinks, yakisoba, ebi katsu, and a sausage.  Not sure why the sausage.  I had not taken in a good show in quite a while.  I always skip the shows back home because of the congestion afterwards.  Everything seems different when you are on vacation.  There were maybe 4 spots around the wharf where they were being fired from.  The largest, biggest, and loudest were always coming from the right.  Beautiful displays of colors and streamers and the concussive force of the larger explosives.  Smaller shots helped filled the sky closer to the water.  Although enjoyable, my pet peeve was the pauses in between times when they shot them off.  I am used to one pretty continuous display with a few small pauses to change the mood or song the fireworks were choreographed to.  There was no music so it would just stop then a few minutes later, start up again.  At least we knew when the end was happening because they saved the best for last.  A massive firework that filled the visible sky.  It was really impressive. We were really too far from the shore and blocked by trees to make out any of the floating floats.  

Japan 2024 - Day 3 Aomori

 Its Friday night and Im sittig in my room in Kabukicho recalling events from a few days ago instead of dippingmy toes into the swirling pool of energy that is Shinjuku nght life.  It is as cold as the hottest days in Aomori.  The direct train on th eOu ilne takes about 45 minutes.  I have wanted to come back since that visit in 2011 to revisit the Nebuta Museum and to experience the parade.  This is the second to last day but the last time they will march about the streets at night  Inexpensive admission to the displays.  Many of which I remember like the create your own nebuta face near the entry.  Afterwards it opens up to a black room with a few floats and exhibits of partials to demonstrate how they are built up from a wire frame structure.  The black room helps to simulate the atmosphere s they are pulled around the route at nightfall.  For the longest time, I kept a picture of a head as it develops from, left to right, fully contrusted and painted to the wire structure with the wired lights.  It always made me think of how its pahsing from nothingness to coming to life.  Aother row of heads adorn above the pathway to the exit.  I didnt have the patience to take a picture of each and everyone as I did when I was younger.

Japan 2024 - Day 2 Hirosaki

 I fly in and out of Haneda a majority of times through he International Terminal.  The last time I came through Terminal 1(domestic) was way back in

Japan 2024 - Day 1 Tokyo

First full day in Japan during the summer month of August.  For the first few

Meeting at the airport gate, no more

 There is a generation of people who do not know the joy of waiting for someone as people deplane at the airport.  A long time ago, visitors to the airport could freely walk up to the gates without a ticket or screening.  This included the international and domestic terminals.

Due to 9/11, security measures were put into place that have cause long wait and headaches for the flying public.  Unless, you are willing to pay for the privilege of avoiding the masses.  Its added hours to the margin for arrivals especially during the heavy travel times.

At some point, the world will be a better place and we can arrive at the airport 30mins before boarding and make it on time