Ghost Stories

Denver Botanic Gardens

Truck Stop

Limon, Colorado 

Science Pyramid

Denver Botanic Gardens

Glow

Denver Botanic Gardens

Break Stuff: Piat Thor

While walking through Namba, Osaka with a friend I saw a sign. It was a sign for something I had always wanted to do. At Piat Thor (ピアットトーラー) you can purchase plates and break them by throwing them against a wall. The premise is you write things you dislike on the plates with a marker and by throwing the plate and breaking it, you get ride of that thing in your life. Additionally on the last plate you break, you write a wish you hope to come true.  

The one catch with both types of plates, is you have to break it on the first throw for the wish to be granted. The owner also offers air soft guns and targets as well. Packages start at 1000 yen for 5 plates. The most expensive package is around 7000 yen for 100 plates. You can also do mixed plate and airsoft packages. 

For saftey you wear a jacket, mask, and gloves. On the wall there are concrete slabs that you throw the plates against.

 The broken plates fall to the bottom or you can recover a plate that did not break when you threw it.

The owner was really nice and of all the things I've spent money on, this one was well worth it. 

Osaka, Japan

Fountain

Denver Botanic Gardens

Rocky Monday

 Chatfield Botanic Gardens

 Baby Western Diamondback Rattlesnake / Crotalus atrox

 Dinosaur Ridge

Dinosaur Ridge

Colorado

Pareidolia

Denver Botanic Gardens

Moboshot: Full Moon Over Toyropolis

Musashikoyama, Tokyo

おさんぽ

Meguro, Tokyo

Godzilla!

Kabukicho, Tokyo

Puroland

Tama Center, Japan

駅のまい

Ikebukuro, Japan

Into Dystopia

Tokyo, Japan

Toyropolis: ゴジラ!

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Tsūtenkaku 通天閣

Osaka, Japan

ホルモン

Horumon is a dish that was devised and trademarked in Osaka during the 1940's. It is made from pork/ beef offal, aka organs and entrails. 

While walking under a bridge leading out of Kamagasaki, I came across several restaurants specializing in this dish. It seemed fitting to conclude this adventure here. 

Osaka, Japan

Kiyomizu-dera

Kyoto, Japan

Direct

Tokyo/ Osaka, Japan

釜ヶ崎: 2015

Osaka, Japan

Abenobashi Terminal Building

                            

Cyberpunk Tomorrow: Abenobashi Terminal Building

Osaka, Japan

Kamagasaki

Kamagasaki, infamously known as "Japan's largest slum". However since 2012 the area has been significantly cleaned up. A walk though the area today is rather mild. There are fences along the sidewalk in many places to keep people from setting up cardboard box shelters. The area's streets also contain a number of older men who either work as day laborers or live off of welfare. While some of the the buildings are old, most are clean and well kept. 

Keeping with the area's reputation, one doya did have animal excrement smeared all over the hallway and outside nearby an old guy was peeing openly into the street. However since Japan is relatively drug free, the area was safe. Its merely a place where lifetimes of accumulated mistakes are collected and housed. 

Osaka, Japan

Taro Okamoto's Tower of the Sun

Expo Park, Osaka

Dolphins

There are two things I've learned about dolphins over the years. They typically do not like swimming with humans, but they love swimming alongside boats.

Knowing this I was able to jump-off the still moving boat and for just a moment watch them swim underwater.

Kosrae, FSM