early impressions

I would guess that in most minds, Japan elicits images of ancient shrines and castles built and preserved throughout the centuries. Samurai with top buns and geisha fill the castle streets while imaculate tea ceremonies are carried out within paper walls. These kinds of images definitely fill my mind. The top image, taken in Kyoto, relays my initial impression of the pagoda-lined landscapes and tourist filled streets I expected to see in Japan. Besides a modest understanding of Japan's rich history, an image of its ever-advancing technology and arcade entertainment comes to mind as well. I can't help but think of the video game-like scenes from Lost in Translation with glittering signs and endless sounds of change dropping into piles. The second image, taken in Osaka, of a little boy in an arcade with his father portrays this flourescent world of pachinko and pixels that also dominates my new understanding of an ancient country.