Franca's first taste of Sakura (cherry blossoms) on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Blinged out Hello Kitty fetches mega-Yen.

The next few are of Senso-ji, temple to the goddess of mercy in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.

The true reason we went to Asakusa. To visit our first cat café!

Of course, shoes are never allowed indoors.

There's only one way to get a smile that big out of Franca...

This is Ueno Park in during cherry blossom season. In addition to all the people walking about. There tarps under all the trees setup for people to have dinner underneath the cherry trees.

I was up at 5:30 on our second day in Tokyo specifically to visit the Tsukiji fish market. The largest in the world almost. Since tourists are only allowed in at 9:00, I had to dodge the cops to get in (and get ejected 3 different times).

Tuna comes into the market frozen and after the 5am auction, it begins getting processed.

What happens to frozen, second selection tuna is finally revealed!

Tools of the trade...

One of many vendors plying their wares to the buyers, most of which are agents buying on behalf of restaurants.

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. The Prince Sakura hotel near Shinagawa station in Tokyo sits in the midst of a cherry orchard.

This guy was my facebook profile photo for a while.

This random encounter was on the streets of the Shibuya district, Tokyo's answer to Times Square.

Our first bowl of ramen using my new chopsticks. Saving the environment one wooden stick at a time.

A sea of humanity in Harajuku...

This circular wheel sponge cake tastes as good as it looks.

Our Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kobe arrives and we're off, leaving the comfort and chaos of Tokyo

Why drink anything other than the Boss' sweet nectar? His vending machine are ubiquitous throughout all of Japan.

Spotted in a garage under the train tracks in Kobe. I'll just assume this is the right side of the tracks.

Another random wedding encounter. This time on the top floor of Kyoto station.

Upon entry to this temple, you're expected to wash you hands and mouth with the water in the fountain.

Our first look at the Kyoto river walk in full bloom. Absolutely gorgeous.

Our first glimpse of a Meiko, a Geisha in training. This was the reason to make the trip to Kyoto a day early. They call it the Dance of the Geisha and the crowds were massive!

This one Meiko had an entire phalanx of papparazzi snapping every move.

What follows are some shots of a meal of pure Kobe beef in the city it's named after. Worth every penny it cost me.

Just look at that marbling, just perfect. And only 5oz worth of beef. A perfect amount.

Another happy customer.

This is our room in the traditional Japanese "Ryokan" we stayed at in Kyoto. This one spartan room of tatami mats is our entire living space. At night the hotel staff lay out your futon on the tatami mats for a good night's rest.

Some of Japan's finest single malt...

The deer in the following couple of shots are famous in Nara. The roam the cherry orchards across the city and are completely fearless. Especially when you have food in your hands...

Franca getting bumped and bullied by the deer...

Gino getting ambushed...

Our first glimpse of Todai-ji in Nara. It is the largest wooden building in the world and houses a very special guest...

This is Daibutsu, the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world at 50 feet tall and weighing in at 550 tons.

This statue is a massive carved wood masterpiece. Quite breath-taking.

This tiny opening in one of the support beams of the Todai-ji is said to bestow good luck upon anyone who can squeeze through to the other side.

More frolicking with the deer of Nara.

You lookin' at me bum?

Plenty of women in kimonos out and about.

One of Japan's most popular bottled water with an unfortunate name. We couldn't bring ourselves to try it.

The macque found its way here all the way from India.

Arashiyama just outside of Kyoto is a national park of bamboo groves. Walking underneath these giants is an ethereal experience.

In Kyoto we attended a Tea Ceremony where Matcha (powdered green tea) is prepared in a traditional elaborate ceremony consisting of 20+ "movements". Unfortunately, photography was not permitted during the ceremony itself.

This is Chion-in, an expansive 17th-century temple. The headquarters of Jodo Shu Buddhism.

Camera FV-5

The following set of shots is at the Fushimi Inari Taisha temple complex, the biggest and most stunning in all of Kyoto. Part of the visit is supposed to be an hour hike to the top of the peak overlooking Kyoto. But we had a train to catch...

These foxes are the guardians of Fushimi Inari.

Kimono Kitty.

What breakfast at a ryokan looks like...

This was taken after our arrival at the Obuse train station's platform. We've finally arrived at the Japanese Alps in Nagano.

Say chees-zo!

The Sake "museum" in Obuse was very sombre and zen.

Obuse is the capital of chestnuts in Japan. First time I've had confections made of chestnuts.. YUM!

Toxic waste as art.... quite moving.

One of my favourite signs in this pictograph CRAZY country. Basically saying, "Don't be a dick".

What follows is a ten course meal we ate at the Toikanso Hotel in Matsushima.

Ahh, finally we arrived at Tashirojima. The whole reason for coming to Japan. CAT ISLAND !

This little guy with the double cataracts followed me almost the entire time on the island. I wanted to bring his little mangy ass home...

Of course if you're going to stay on Cat Island you have to stay in a cat shaped cottage.

Now THOSE are oysters!

When eating at the best Ramen bar in Tokyo, the louder you slurp the better it tastes.

Fish heads, fish heads. Rolly poly, fish heads!

This is what they mean when they talk about "fuck off shiny knives".

And finally on to Tokyo's best cat cafe: Nya-n in Ikebukuro. A fantastic way to spend a rainy day. We must've been here for 2 hours.

And to cap it all off, we had the absolutely fortunate experience to have an exquisite Sushi meal, after hours, when Yajima-san took us in. Him and his wife, Yoshiko, were the highlight of our trip, a perfect close to our last day in Japan. If you're curious about our experience here, it's pretty much summed up in the blog post that led me here: https://goo.gl/q4Xv7F

A true sushi chef has his own blend of soy and wasabi (and loads of other spices) that is rubbed onto every piece. Your only job is to hit the sushi... with your hands!