After six months in Japan, I am now back home. It's been a roller-coaster ride and it will take me some time to digest everything and figure out what my next step should be. Either way I have no regrets about going to Japan, nor do I have any regrets about coming back. I hope it will stay that way.

Here are some pictures from Hiroshima, for those of you who have been interested in my previous Japan threads:


View from our hotel room.





The A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima's last remaining building from the great crime of 1945. Still today, there are some people who believe the bombing was "justified" or "worthwhile". Such human beings make me physically sick.






A "fast food" restaurant with plastic versions of everything on the menu on display.






A shopkeeper on Miyajima Island outside Hiroshima.








A local hipster preparing the local specialty for me: okonomiyaki with extra everything.






"Oh wonderful ground! I'm never getting up in a tree again!"







I gave him a bite to eat and he immediately became my friend for the rest of the evening. Almost tried to get on the boat with me, but turned around when we entered the terminal building.







Fire works festival.





And here are a few more experimental pics from other places in Japan:




Kyoto by night....reversed.








Might just look blurry to some, but kind of looks and feels like a painting to me.








Rust wannabe.








A waiter on the loose, shot from the 8th floor in Nagoya.

phat!

great photos as always Retina, what a great life experience you had!

Thanks boo.

Great picks.

I agree about the murderous events that took place and how anybody could have justified it as being necissary. It would have been just as effective dropping it in the ocean or some place remote to prove our might.

God, Peter! You posted such wonderful pictures!

I wish I had prints of some of them besides just on my computer!

alwayslate said:

The fireworks picture looks like a picture in LIFE magazine.

Beautiful.


M

These are just AMAZING photos!

And I didn't even know you were in Japan. I thought you were MIA.

jerseykrs said:

Thanks jersey! And yeah, I do feel like these experiences have enriched my life on some levels. Even the bad ones that felt pretty damn awful at the time.

Great photos.

When I hear Hiroshima I think "atomic bomb"

How much is that a part of their daily life?

Imago said:

Thank you.

CortestheKiller said:

Thanks! And that can be arranged.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Thank you very much!

I really love your photos, as always.

I love the waiter one.

Heck, I love them all.

minneapolisgenius said:

Thank you! And no, you're the one who's been MIA from time to time. I've popped in here pretty regularly.

You should spend more time here. Who needs dancing and life in Amsterdam?

.

Amazing pics!

I like the shopkeeper one, lots of detail! I like!

..
[Edited 8/31/06 15:57pm]

retina said:

Actually, you're right. I leave from time to time but I'm almost ALWAYS in Non-Prince Music forum.

And I'm actually in Den Haag, Netherlands. AND I'm not dancing because of a chronic injury.

So yeah, judging from my 20,000 posts, (and my thread I started about that ) I'm here WAY too much it seems.

NDRU said:

Difficult to say since I was just there for a few days, but I'm sure it's hard to disregard the memories brought back to life by the enormous A-Bomb museum, the A-Bomb Dome and the huge A-Bomb Memorial Park - all centrally located. On the other hand, it is a big city full of night life and shopping, of culture and communication, so I'm sure the shadow of the a-bomb can seem very distant at times.

CarrieMpls said:

Thank you!

I'm glad you like the waiter one. Most people just look at me in a weird way when I say I like that one.

retina said:

That's what's cool about your photos. To me Hiroshima is a name from history, but you show it to be a city that is very alive, and with more than just people, too.

LleeLlee said:

Yay, thanks! I'm so proud of that one. Her expression and the clutter she lives and works in tell a million stories.

minneapolisgenius said:

Sorry.



Chronic injury! Oh no! Is this the neck strain you were talking about ages ago? Does it really mean your dancing career is over?

retina said:

Oh yeah. And yes. Well, for now anyway. It's been over a year and a half now.

But whatever. It's ok. How cool though! Japan is HIGH on my list of places to go next.

Am I the only one who thought this was going to be a really sick thread with photos of dead nuclear bomb victims.

Hiroshima + Experimental in my head = baaaad shit.

Instead I was very pleasantly surprised.

retina said:

I like this one, I imagine it would look amazing HUGE

NDRU said:

Thank you! I was just as clueless before I went there, if not more since I was almost expecting it to still be in ruins. I was pleasantly surprised.

retina said:

She looks like a peacock, hair done and wearing pearls sitting in a heap of clutter. I also like the Dear one, the lighting behind him.

minneapolisgenius said:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll be back on stage next year. I'm sure the right doctor/chiropractor could work wonders.



Then you definitely should go. But try to be prepared for anything. No matter what people say about the westernization process in Japan, it is still very very very different from anything we're used to.

Absolutely grand! I really like the clarity and atmospheric feel to the "A shopkeeper on Miyajima Island outside Hiroshima" photograph

Byron's going to love this thread

Spookymuffin said:

I'm glad to hear that.