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).

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.

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?

Blooming Bonsai

Sarah and James accidentally ran into a lovely blooming bonsai show while strolling in a park in Tokyo. Who knew the little plants could pack such a springtime punch?

Time for a gaze.

The display was impressive, many tents devoted to bonsai plants. The prolific blooms, unexpected.

The plants gave off an almost intoxicating, Blue Velvet type of impression.

The Wonderful And Terrifying World Of Anime Figurines

Or are they Manga figurines? Who knows? One thing is universally true, the figurine stores in the Akihabara area of Tokyo are a riot to visit, places to gawk and enjoy the wide range of appropriate to wildly inappropriate dolls for sale.

A typical section, options from small to large.

Tough boys with banana-spiked hair. A lot of banana hair.

Oh boy. A surprising amount of over the top sexual figurines.

Really, it's what's on the inside that counts, right? The pig had about 50 parts, incredibly detailed.

You know what stinks? When you are trying to save the universe and a flying rat thing comes at you and starts to bite your bikini. Day ruiner!

Godzilla, clearing his throat. "Hock it, big lizard!" Nasty Gundam with cute sidekick.

Not finding what you want? Your fetish too rough for off the rack? No biggie, just buy a starter figurine and get customizing. Just keep it in your basement, OK?