Empty Sawara

Either Sawara has a huge commuter population arriving by car every day or somebody just likes little, empty lots. They're everywhere around town, creating an eerie sense of displacement.

The Fabulous Floats Of The Sawara Festival

The little town of Sawara knows how to throw a big party and does it twice a year, in the spring and fall. The centerpiece of the parties is a set of massive, traditional floats, pulled by hand. If you can't make it to Sawara for a festival, no worries, you can stop by the Float Museum to see some examples and learn a little about the events.

The museum, the main section a warehouse to hold a couple of the big, multi-story floats. Impressive.

A traditional head from a float. The parades have been held for more than 300 years. At the base of the floats, elaborate wood carving. These floats ain't no disposable, Rose Bowl Parade variety.

Big straw fish.

A detail from the top of a float. Curious. The float of the big nose.

What all the fuss looks like.

Sweet Sawara Town In Japan

If you're in Tokyo and have a sudden urge to see what life in the Edo period (1603-1867) looked like, just hop a train for Sawara town, only about an hour away. The fine folks of Sawara have restored and preserved a section of the city, creating a classic Ye Olde Edo Towne experience.

The historic section is centered on a meandering canal. Sawara prospered as a rice transport hub.

The Edo architecture.

Many structures are built in a horizontal wood siding pattern, left unfinished to darken with age.

Details. Absurdly intricate, embellished drain pipe work. A little pedestrian alley.

Another look at life along the canal.

Small Details, Small Cities In Japan

What's up little Narita? How about a parking lot, retaining wall holding back a sea of bamboo?

Hey Sawara, nice wrapping of a building being restored. Why peek when the the building underneath is the art? The saddest sight in Japan, an empty vending machine. Impossible!

Tender topiary (big bonsai?) carefully isolated from construction. Japan, the neatest place on Earth.

Art Deco barbershop. Cute curtains (old sheet?) along a dreary alley.

Back in Narita, a gift shop selling, well, what is it selling?

Fall In Naritasan Park

Ahh, fall in Japan, nothing better than being in a country that is obsessed with organization, even when it comes to nature. Time to take a walk around Naritasan Park, near Tokyo.

Little lakes, lots of fall color.

A babbling brook and deep forest.

A meadow with buildings in the background, looking a little like a Japanese train set.

Slight augmentation to nature, monuments in a graveyard area and braces for fragile trees. All perfectly neat.

The setting, perfect for some historical fantasy re-creations.

Strolling Through Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

Who knew that a beautiful, ancient Buddhist temple is only minutes away from Tokyo's main airport, Narita? We know now!

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple was founded in 940 to celebrate the victory of the Heian forces over the Kantō region samurai, Taira no Masakado. Then there's something about a carving that was too big to take home so a new temple was built at the location of victory.

Main entrance gate, a promising start.

Ooh, insta-ops, make sure you're rocking your fancy kimono. As usual, the garden work is as beautiful as the temple buildings.

The biggest building in the complex, the Great Main Hall. Not so ancient, carbon dating only takes you back to 1968.

Details, one of the altars and a big, hanging lantern.

Up a hill, the daunting Great Pagoda of Peace (1984).

DaBong Town

DaBong is a sleepy village in Malaysia's interior, hemmed in by beautiful jungle, a muddy river and steep mountains. Not much going on in DaBong town, save for area agriculture and a little trekking tourism.

One of the streets with traditional wooden architecture, misty jungle looming.

Architectural details. Adding a little regal trim to your windows and splashy paint and tile to your entrance.

The huge muddy, the Sungai (river) Galas. The sediment moved during monsoon is awe inspiring.

Muslim sights, one of the mosques and a hilltop cemetery.

Jungle work.

Jaw-Dropping Jelawang Waterfall

Deep in interior Malaysia is Gunung Stong State Park and its highlight is a major mountainside waterfall.

First sighting from the approach road. The visible section is only the middle part, both top and bottom obscured by thick jungle.

At the base area of the waterfall, major trees and some old cabins, recently repainted. Quaint.

The pool area, fed by the waterfall. Time might have passed this attraction by.

Time has definitely passed by other cabins, which are either falling down or have disappeared.

Back to the main attraction, the view from the bottom of the fall. Steep.