Mount Fuji

The one package trip we did in Japan was to Mount Fuji and the nearby Lake Ashi, as these aren't easy to get to without driving.

At 12,389 feet (3,776 meters) high it's an impressive sight even from a distance.

But as you get closer you realize how big it really is.

The road ends at the Fifth Station, where there are some tourist facilities and a small shrine which I'll show you next week.

Here's a final shot from later in the day just before the clouds moved in, near Lake Ashi.

Our World Tuesday

1986 Olympics!

The Olympic Mountains in Washington State, that is, from a 1986 visit. They're not far from Seattle.

High Elevation Winter

Here are a couple of leftover February Skywatch Friday photos of Pikes Peak taken from our house.

Tokyo Streets

For Our World Tuesday, here are a few random Tokyo street scenes.

Meiji Shrine

Here are a few shots of Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) on a very rainy afternoon last summer. I can't believe I'm still posting photos from that vacation, but there was so much to see!

Hopefully they can figure out how to get Our World Tuesday to work without requiring a login, as I don't do Facebook and don't want to sign up for another random website.

Cute Laika

Since she loves to snuggle so much, it's easy to get cute photos of little Laika.

Pets Forever

Saturday's Critters

Rainy Shrine

Here's a Skywatch Friday photo of a very rainy sky at Meiji Shrine.

And here's a screen shot of the forecast from yesterday - I won't be able to update it today but I thought it was amusing. A high of 72 °F (22 °C) on Tuesday with wildfire warnings (there was a small one near town Monday), to a low of 15 °F (-9.5 °C) on Wednesday night with an expected blizzard. Welcome to Colorado!

Meiji Shrine Approach

After visiting the Skytree we headed over to the Meiji Shrine (明治神宮).

This shinto shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, who lived from 1852 to 1912, and his wife, Empress Shōken.

It was raining the whole time we were there.

All these photos are of the approach to the shrine. Next week I'll continue the series.

Our World Tuesday

New Orleans 2002 (3)

Stormy Copper

Skywatch Friday

Tokyo Skytree

After visiting the  Sensō-ji shrine, we walked across a bridge to the Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリ).

This 2,080-foot (634-meter) high structure is the world's tallest tower, and world's second-tallest building.

There are observatories at 1,150 feet (350 meters) and 1,480 feet (450 meters). From the lower one you can stand on glass and look straight down.

The views are spectacular.

On the day we were there, it was cloudy.

It started to rain once we left the tower, and our next exploration was very wet.

Hopefully the folks who manage the wonderful Our World Tuesday meme can figure out how to get the linking tool to stop asking for a signup.