Pictures from Aomori and Hokkaido, if you want them

Yes, I am finally getting around to posting my pictures from my trip to frozen (well, slightly cool) northern Japan. Enjoy, if you like. All pictures should be clickable so you can get the large versions.

Well, it was time for our trip to northern Japan, a trip I've always wanted to take with my son. Since he was going to be a jukensei or test student, studying for his high school entrance test, it was now or never. High schools are not required as in the U.S. and there's competition to get into good high schools.

We took an overnight highway bus up to save time, since driving the 9 hours up Japan would have left little time to do actual stuff while there. Here's the world famous gaijin in Japan with his laptop, cookies and some chu-hai, computing during the drive up via his iPhone with the 3.0 tethering hack. I was having loads of fun in that bus, let me tell you.

Arrived in Aomori City too early to do anything useful. Even McDonald's was closed. Here's the Prefectural Office of Aomori that we decided to check out.

They have Japan's most pathetic Animate branch, a tiny shop on the 4th floor of a building.

Aomori is a slightly more rural area than Gunma, although the city itself is larger than our city of Isesaki. Here's a roadside stand selling scarecrows, something I've never seen before.

Have I mentioned that I love Japan? Always something to entertain you. Happy drug!

Driving around in a rented Mazda Demio around the tip of northern Tsugaru, the penninsula on the left of the prefecture. Incidentally, the penninsula on the right is called Shimokita, and there's supposedly a lot of rivalry between from the two people, or so enka singers on TV say.

This is Hirosaki Castle, a beautiful castle in Aomori. Although it started out as a small castle town, it's grown to a very large city. Interesting to see the mix of modern and very old in Japan.

We took the ferry across the Tsugaru Straights, the scene of so many enka songs. The most famous of these songs is Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu-geshiki or Winter View of Tsugaru Straights. Another really famous song is Kaikyo sung by the famous Yoshi Ikuzo, whose hometown we visited while in Aomori.

Now that we were in Hakodate, Hokkaido, we had to enjoy some real sushi. We found a great kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) place that was fabulous.

This being a Japanese city, it must have a tower, since everyone knows Japanese cities all need towers. This was near a star-shaped former fortress that played a historical role in the formation of modern Japan at the beginning of the Meiji Era. This is my son, who was trying to take in all the Meiji Era history I was throwing at him.

The fort as seen from inside the tower. It was pretty amazing, as far as 150 year old Japanese forts go.

This is Perori-kun, a cutified version of Admiral Perry, who visited Hakodate as one of the Japanese cities that were to be opened by treaty.

Hakodate is a really nice city if you like San Francisco. The two were clearly founded near each other and have the same kind of feel.

Awesome Hokkaido sunset is awesome. We were freezing up there while we waited for the sun to set.

This is the "Million Dollar View" as seen from the restaurant up on Hakodate-san. Incidentally, they could have charged an arm and a leg for the the food here, but it was very reasonable -- $13 for curry with pork cutlet, $5 for beer. Japan is amazing that way. The food was even outstanding.

The view, after dark. It was breathtaking, and there were hundreds of people there snapping photos.

The day we were to leave we woke up and took in the asa-ichi or morning fish market. I had tuna bowl and beer for breakfast and my son had crab bowl.

This is the Seikan Tunnel, and the Tappi Undersea Station. While I expected a normal station with little shops, the reality was slightly less fun, since the station is really there for evacuation in case of a fire or other disaster.

We walked and walked through these tunnels. It was interesting, and a little clausotropobic. I was sure I was being crushed by the weight of the air around me, but they said it was about the same pressure as on the surface.

The sign for Tappi Kaitei Station is quite famous. I gather densha otaku types make their way down here, since that's what I'd do if I were a train otaku.

Mm, want some Nazi Beer from Hokkaido? Actually this mark denotes Buddhist temples and has nothing to do with the Nazis. Just another one of those little curve balls that Japan throws at you.

Last picture. This was me and my son, and two girls who happened to ask us to take their picture at the top of Mt. Hakodate. We were like, what are the chances of the two girls we met on this mountain taking the Tappi tour with us, hundreds of miles away? Japan and coincidences go hand-in-hand for some reason. Like me learning Japanese from the Touch baseball manga, then happening to come to live in the city Adachi Mitsuru was born in, and marry a woman from here who shares the artist's fricking birthday.

Well that's all -- hope you enjoyed the pictures!