Japan Photos 2

We didn't leave too early this morning. Since things generally open until 10:00 a.m. there was time for breakfast, which Lisa was kind enough to make. There's probably going to be a lot of comments on how kind Lisa and her family were. Here is their apartment building. They are on the top floor.
The Stewarts live in an area of Urayasu called Shin-Urayasu, which means New Urayasu. The reason it is new is because that area was built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. They included some straight rivers like this.
It was about a twenty minute walk from the apartment to the Shin-Urayasu train station.
Bicycles are a popular mode of transportation. At the train station there are some large bicycle parking lots.
There are lots of vending machines in Tokyo. This one has a video display showing what is available.
DUPLICATE PHOTO WARNING Tokyo Station on a Sunday morning. I do like the old facade on the outside of the large modern station.
We were heading over to the gardens on the grounds of the Imperial Palace when we passed a small police station. If you see any of these wanted persons, please contact the Tokyo Police Department.
DUPLICATE PHOTO WARNING There are probably going to be a crapload of duplicate photos coming up. I was here eight years before.
Most of the palace grounds is off-limits to visitors.
That's why these guys are here. That big guy looks ready to tackle someone. Although I'll bet he'd be easy to outrun.
Old Tokyo with new Tokyo in the background.
I thought I knew which direction I was going to get to the East Garden, the part that is open to the public, but it turns out I wasn't where I thought I was.
By going the wrong direction I got to see some other things.
I don't really know what this guy and his friend on the other side was guarding, but his uniform is much fancier than those other guys we saw before.
Hey, it's a Japanese guy in an FSU hat and sweatshirt!
In Japan the National Diet is their legislature, not all the rice they eat. This is the National Diet Building. It's not a very catchy name.
Okay, so we ended up going the long way around to get to the entrance to the East Garden. There were lots of runners on the pathway around the palace grounds.
There is a large moat that surrounds the palace grounds.
Three naked guys with birds on their heads.
I cannot read Japanese or Hebrew, but I would assume this olive tree was some sort of gift from Israel to Japan.
This is either a statue of a woman playing some sort of flute or jamming large chopsticks into her mouth.

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