Going To Market In Miri

Miri has a nice local marketplace, a classic example of area vendors selling what the surrounding land has to offer. Seems convincing.

Sign and shed, time to head in and shop.

One of the market sections. Van, now a storage locker.

Enticing peppers.

Fish, by the package or by the kg. Homemade? What's the other option?

You want your chicken white or black skin? The black skin isn't charred or burned, it's just a specific species thought to have a certain, er, taste.

Not the real things. Thankfully, durian trees without smelly durian. An ad for pre-mixed spices for classic Malaysian fare.

Paying it forward, the seed man.

Around Miri Town

Small town, big pleasures? Certainly a nice variety of discoveries in Miri town, Borneo.

Bus station.

Queasy mural. Sure, it hits the stereotypes, not sure quite the right tone. Queasy medical advertisement, definitely not hitting the right tone.

Chickens lined up for the lunch prep.

Lunch #15, done. Aggressive ad.
Central meal arcade with stage. Dinner and a show in Miri.

Paying Respect At Yanaka Cemetery In Tokyo

If you want to see a classic Japanese graveyard in Tokyo, head over to the beautiful, sprawling Yanaka Cemetery. It oozes patina and contains several graves of the Shogun, including the last one, Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Yanaka is big, containing about 7,000 graves.

Of course, a Gothic, moody feel to the place. Traditional wood ancestral tablets.

Blooms breaking out. The cherry trees flowering in the spring are a major attraction.

Going for the classic Japanese rock garden look.

Add a torii gate and plenty of moss and you've got a classic mixture for an old Japanese cemetery.

Strolling Around The Hakone Open-Air Museum

There's no better setting to enjoy big sculpture than a large, meandering outdoor location. In the United States, Storm King is the gold standard. In Japan, head to Hakone Open-Air Museum.

The space is the first of its kind in Japan and it opened in 1969. The collection numbers more than 1,000 pieces, of which 120 of the sculptures can be found on display at any given time.

A view of some of the spread.

Hairy head and lawn maze. Many of the works are site specific.

One of the major pieces, Woods of Net.

Ahh, yes, the net part. Inside the wood hive is a wonderful, kid climb friendly net experience by Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam. Back outside, major bag woman and friend.

We're fried, time to lay (on) an egg. Sorry.....

Warning! Japan Rail Warnings

Japan has a great way with standard warning signs. Animated, graphic, extreme. You can see some of the signs here. Another trip to Japan, another new round of warnings. Stupidity never takes a break.

Selfie stick electrocution. The Instagram post was so worth it.

Luggage can be a major problem, from becoming a runaway escalator projectile to demanding a good sniff.

Please let momma duck get her chicks through!

1950s era alien alert. Pushy strollers. Of course, dad has no idea how to use such a complicated machine.

Back to bad cellphone behavior. The squinting woman is a nice detail.

Nezu Shrine In Tokyo

You can get a nice respite from urban Tokyo by popping into the atmospheric Nezu Shrine. It's a garden escape, an authentic retreat dating from the 17th century.

Pass under a commanding Torii Shinto gate and head in.

Lush gardens and a signature feature, a series of Torii gates that create a tunnel effect.

Head in, get overcome by the red perspective.

Shrine details, wood prayer plaques and stone guard cats.

Entering the main temple.

Tokyo Silliness

So much cute stuff in Japan, from over the top packaging to neat environments to cartoon everything. Sometimes, things are just silly.

Japan version of the Dollar store.

Fun signs. Tough rowing ahead and do not let your dog dig there.

Special eggs, really special.

Oh boy. Maid outfits and socks with crouching instructions. Japan has some serious fantasy fetishes.

Care to have this anime doll tell your fortune?