konnichiwa,
check my travelogue page at the Philippine thread.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726

domo arigato gozaimasu

check my imperial palace and odaiba pics
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=5

I did, nice work mate :okay:

Odawara castle looks nice, but how come they have an elephant over there? :lol:

^^maybe to attract more tourists hehehe. anyway thanks for vsiting my travelogue.

what is this dish called in japanese?
nagutom ako kapapasyal
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL252/1891404/18052585/283062199.jpg
fresh ground salmon meat in hot rice
its so good!

konnichiwa,
check my travelogue page at the Philippine thread.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726

domo arigato gozaimasu

Great pictures and great report of your trip :okay:

^^thanks for visiting

tokyo tower pics
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=7

what is this dish called in japanese?



I'm guessing, (salmon)negitorodon?

check my Roppongi pics
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=8

sea paradise pics at yokohama
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=8

yokohama ramen museum
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=12

Hi ,benchjade

Great pictures...

Hi ,benchjade

Great pictures...

hi thanks for visiting my thread.

anyway, check the latest from enoshima island
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=12

my videos in Japan
http://www.youtube.com/user/jadebench

comments is welcome!

taken today, May 26, 2008

Kawasaki, Ikebukuro and Shibuya May 26, 2008

Kawasaki Lazona Plaza
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01430.jpg

bus station at Kawasaki
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01431.jpg

Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro (池袋, Ikebukuro?), a part of Toshima ward, is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. It is the location of the Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station and several extremely large department stores.

At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Main Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station is the second busiest subway station in Japan, second only to Shinjuku Station. Approximately one million people pass through the station each day.

Around the station are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison, stands Sunshine 60, which was Tokyo's tallest building at the time of its construction. Otome Road, a leading shopping area for otaku products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui and Mitsukoshi also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera.

The old village of Ikebukuro stood to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known as Sugamo. In the Taishō and Shōwa periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro. Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independent municipality of Ikebukuro-mura (池袋村).

The kanji for Ikebukuro literally means pond bag. Outside the west exit of Ikebukuro station near an entrance to the Yurakucho New Line is a small plaque explaining three origins of the name Ikebukuro. The first is that in the northeastern part of the village there was a lake shaped like someone holding a bag. The second is that there was once a large number of lakes in the area of various sizes (thus implying a bag full of lakes). The third is that long ago a turtle came out of the lake carrying a bag on its back.

There is a small statue of an owl located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (いけふくろう像), meaning lake owl statue. It may be a hint of the true origin of the name given to Ikebukuro, but it was more likely constructed as nothing more than a joke, a play on words and as a point of interest by the city administration. The play on words arises from the alternative meaning of 'fukuro' as 'owl' (although owl is pronounced with a long final 'oh', rather than a short 'o' in the word 'fukuro' for bag). Perhaps because of this, the owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue of Hachikō located outside of Shibuya Station.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01433.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01434.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01435.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01436.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01437.jpg

Sunshine City Complex
The Sunshine City Complex in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district is in a constant state of self-renewal. It is a modern business, shopping and entertainment complex that features the 60-story "Sunshine 60" building, the World Imports Mart, the Culture Hall with a theater and museum, International Aquarium, and the Alpa Shopping Center. Sunshine City Prince Hotels is at the heart of this complex.

With its stylish new look, the 1,166-room hotel rises 38 stories above the ground and dips three basement levels below. The Sunshine City Prince provides all the comfort, functionality and genuine hospitality you'd expect from an international hotel. (http://www.princehotelsjapan.com/SunshineCityPrinceHotel/index.asp0)

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01438.jpg

sky garden
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01439.jpg

Sunshine City International Aquarium
a zoo and oceanarium at the top of the building.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01440.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01441.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01442.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01444.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01446.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01452.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01453.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01454.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01455.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01456.jpg

Sunshine City Observatory 60th floor
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01466.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01467.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01468.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01469.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01470.jpg

T-shirts exhibit at the observatory
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01476.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01477.jpg

teabags
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01478.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01479.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/jadebench/Ikebukuro%20May%2026%2008/DSC01480.jpg

more pics at http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=586726&page=18

my Sunshine City Aquarium videos

19Lc-xju5AY

9lYZITzHhmI

Ed1qOYL7sWo

r56aRPogjNg

KoEdeOP8SEA

Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ　ありがとうございます。
Thank you very much benchjade for this kind contribution
（ ＾＾）Y☆Y(＾^ ）

Great pics :cheers: Thanks for sharing benchjade :okay: nice work!!