This was shortly after we arrived at the Shiba Park Hotel on our first night in Tokyo: January 2, 2005. Considering that we had all woken up that morning on January first and then spent a horrific amount of time on various planes and in various airports, I think we look pretty genki (healthy, energetic), don't we?
Here we all are again the next day at a shrine near our hotel. (The linked image is a closeup of everyone.) Here we befriended a monkey. We were there for the traditional first shrine visit of the New Year. We went to a couple more later and wow, were they packed. Lots of the people were wearing traditional dress. I know this is blurry, but I think this picture, of a young woman on a keitai (cell phone) wearing kimono is pretty representative of the country we're in right now.
Bright and energetic, Shibuya is my favorite part of Tokyo. Directly behind you as you look at the first picture scene is Shibuya Station, right in front of which is the sign that you see in the second picture: a countdown until Expo 2005! There are also signs like this in the centers of the Shinjuku and Ginza districts (and perhaps more that I did not see myself).
We took a bus to get from Tokyo to Hikone, Shiga prefecture, 5 hours' drive away. Along the way we passed through Aichi prefecture, where we stopped at a rest stop. Wow: just look at all the Expo 2005 merchandise they had there! From this and the central Shibuya countdown billboard, you can get some idea just what a big event this is here. Many of us Guides bought Expo souvenirs here (which will surely be the first of many). When we went to check out, we explained in Japanese to the lady who sold us some pins that we were working at the Expo ourselves. She was quite surprised and impressed. That's right, we're the U.S. Pavilion Guides, live and in person and descending upon your rest stop! :D
Here I am outside the same rest stop, beside one of the Aichi Expo flags. Some of the other guides stopped to get pictures with the flags too, so I think I can speak for more than just myself when I say that seeing the row of these blowing in the breeze built on what's already a great sense of anticipation. We're on our way to something really big! Back on the bus and on to Hikone....
