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Zena's Japan Picture Book

A group presentation at the Iwasa lab On my first few days at the Iwasa lab I gave an informal seminar to introduce people to my work. This is pretty much most of the lovely lab members!
View from my office in the 5th floor View of the campus from my office window on the fifth floor.
Fukuoka at night This is Fukuoka by night! Lots of little pop-up restaurants (called ya-ta-ees) appear by the river when the sun sets. No one knows where they go during the day but they are always packed in the evenings and the food is delicious!
Yatai (mobile food stall) Close up of a yatai (ya-ta-ee )with a lady dressed in Japanese traditional style (which seems to be becoming increasingly popular in modern Japan).
Kosmos Flowers Mesmerising Kosmos flower fields in October. The members of the lab organized a little trip to Noko island just off the coast of Fukuoka.
Lantern festival in Fukuoka I was lucky enough to be in Fukuoka during the lantern lighting festival. It was a beautiful surprise!
Visiting lovely Gyeongju in Korea I made good friends with Joung-Hun, a Korean PhD student in the lab who invited me to Korea with her for a long weekend. We went to  Gyeongju, a beautiful and traditional little city full of temples and gardens.
A volcano in Kyushu Kyushu, the island where Fukuoka lies, is the most volcanic in Japan. I climbed this dormant volcano (mount Yufu) just a 2 hour bus ride from Fukuoka on one of the weekends. I had some gorgeous views and autumn colours!
Autumn Colours in Kyoto I was lucky to be in Japan during the autumn foliage (ko-yo-o in Japanese). Kyoto is magnificent during this time of the year but also full of tourists. The colours were definitely worth the trip though!
Beautiful colours in Kyoto More autumn colours in Kyoto!
Kyoto Bamboo Grove I also visited the famous bamboo grove in Kyoto.
Osaka! While in Kansai I took the chance to pay Osaka a little visit. This was probably as surreal as a city can be!
Zena's birthday party in Fukuoka I was in Japan during my birthday that I celebrated with some delicious Japanese sake and food with my Kyushu University friends!
Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo I also visited Tokyo. This is a picture of Tokyo fish market – the world’s largest! Look at the size of that tuna and it’s not even meant to be a big one!
Sunrise on the very first day of the year I was in Tokyo during new years. We stayed up to see the year’s first sunrise as is the tradition in Japan.

Page last modified on 09 may 13 20:51