Just to Clarify...

I'm alive and unscathed. My area wasn't affected to badly and my building is only about 2 years old, so it's got the latest earthquake proofing.

Not to mention my room is on the second floor, so I won't even sway that much.

Packed Subway

This was the subway on the way home from the zoo.

I've seen worse.

Armadillo Antics

Ueno Zoo

The gorilla, flaunting his finest wares.

They match!

These are called jackass penguins, seriously.

Stripy horse

Deities and Squirrels

Behind the Buddha statue, on the same grounds, was a small petting zoo type thing specialising in squirrels and rabbits, with enclosures you can walk into and run around with fuzzy critters to your heart's content.

There were a few other animals on the way in, including this squirrel monkey.

And this boar looking thing, which was labelled in Japanese a "mini pig".

Not shy these squirrels!

A friend of mine feeding one.

INSIDE the World's Largest Buddha Statue! (Pt. 2)

A view of the entrance (including the pond and gate from the earlier posts) from the feet of the Buddha, on a sort of pedestal thing.

The entrance from the highest point climbable within the Buddha.

A size comparison between the daibutsu in Nara, an ancient capital of Japan, The Statue of Liberty, and The Japanese Diet Building.

Some construction models.

A replica of a toe from the Buddha's right foot.

INSIDE the World's Largest Buddha Statue!

Firstly one more shot from outside the statue, and then a few from inside. I think I'll have to do a third post for some more of the inside.

The koi pond outside

On the left is how the statue will look in 50 years, and on the right 100 years.

A picture of how the outside would've looked if it wasn't winter.

Within the Buddha was a circular room with hundreds of tiny golden Buddha statues from various places.

Here's one up close.

Outside the World's Largest Buddha Statue

This statue here is a Guinness Book of Records record holder, as the largest statue of Buddha in the world, standing at 120 metres. Which is 3 times the size of the statue of liberty.

It seems I can only put 5 pictures per post, so here's the Buddha from the outside.

The sign reads "Ushiku Daibutsu", Ushiku being the place, and daibutsu being a Buddha statue.

The view from the front, with a replica bust.

The entrance gate.

Koi fish from the pond out front.

Freezing Beach in Chiba

Went out to Chiba on the east coast of Japan ... It was the end of December, so I didn't swim or anything, so there's not much more to say, but here's some pictures from my phone.

Sunrise over Tokyo Bay.