Building Decoration Taiwan Style

I thought it time I should keep up with our travel pics, after all it has been a while, and the next trip is well into the planning stages.

This photo is of one of the buildings in the grounds of Marty's Shrine in Taipai, Taiwan. It shows beautiful building and roof decoration. On the ridges of the roof line we can see little creatures guarding the roof, and on the points are other decorations different to those that we saw in Japan. The roof lines may be similar, but the decorations are very different.

On the building itself, there ore other decorations. They are a little fuzzy, but they look like dragons.

Overall, the effect Looks like a mix of Japanese and Chinese architecture.

Another Gusrdhouse

This building would have told me what this complex was all about. There were signs, notices and badges all depicting what this area was, it was such a shame I couldn't read them. We were still behind on our tour so no time to stop and ask anyone either. There were still lots of guards present so my theory of something important still stands.

On The Road to Taipei Pt 3

Just another view out of the bus window on our way to Taipei. Just your typical high rise buildings, even with roof top gardens, and potted plants on balconies if we look closely. Nothing to much different from home.

On the Road to Taipei Pt 2

Another of the buildings that we saw out the bus window on our way into Taipei. This one had roof decoration to the max, and there was an elaborate gate down in the grounds. Possibly a school or a hospital perhaps? I am not sure, but it is different than the last one I showed you and more Asian to look at.

On the Road to Taipei

This is just one of the many buildings that we saw from the bus window as we drove into Taipei. I am assuming it is multi story housing.

A Building

Okinawa is one of those places that is a mix of old and new. Shattered by war, some new modern buildings have risen from the rubble.

Okinawa Shop Front

A shot now of one of the shops on the tourist strip in Okinawa. I actually think it may have housed a number of businesses including two cafes. Once again we see that Chinese influence in the building decoration.

Another Roof Line

This was one of the roof lines that we found in the main street of Okinawa. It was certainly interesting, with a Chinese influence. It certainly made for interesting viewing up against the modern buildings in the same street. Lots of patterns once again to use as inspiration for my stitching.

Shurijo Castle Grounds

One of the buildings inside the Shurijo Castle grounds. The castle was originally built over 500 years ago, but was destroyed by fire in WW11 , and  restored in the 1980's. It has housed kings, government, and the Ryukyu University. Now it is one of Okiniwa's main tourist attractions.

Osaka Aquarium

As we slipped into dock in Osaka, we passed this  colourful building which I found out later was the Osaka Aquaruim. We had booked a tour today, before we left home, but the tour had been cancelled. This gave us a day free but we decided that we would have a rest today after all the sight seeing we had done over the last few days. We were only in port for a few hours. As it turned out, this aquarium was within walking distance of the ship, and we could have easily had a look. Though I was quite happy to put my feet up and just look from our  cabin balcony.

A Gorgeous Building

Back on the tour bus now and we were headed back to our hotel. On the way we passed this gorgeous building. Knowing a little more of Tokyo's history, I would guess that this building was only built in recent times. Going by the posters under lights at the front and up the side, I would guess that it is a thearter of some kind.

Sumida River Cruise Pt 12 - Tokyo Skytree

The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest building in Japan. Here we can just see the tower behind another building. It is a broadcasting tower, complete with restaurants and observation decks the same as most city towers these days. We were still gliding past on our cruise up the Sumida River, so there was no opportunity for a stop over.

The weather was still clear and sunny but the cloud strip forming might be a promise of something to come.

Sumida River Cruise Pt 6 - Residential block

Further along the Sumida River now and we pass by a residential block. Some have air conditioners, some do not, most have washing out on very small balconies. This is what I would call a "dog box", very small living quarters. On the up side they would have great views of the river. We can also still see that levee wall running beside the river, this time constructed in brick.

Sumida River Cruise Pt 2

Along the banks of the Sumida River there were many buildings and not much parkland, at least not on the section the we travelled on. This building was a little different to most that we saw, but in reality very similar to some  that we would find at home. Those lovely large windows would capture an amazing view of water craft as they travelled up and down the river. A club perhaps, or a restaurant maybe? Hopefully it is something that the public could go to to enjoy the view.

A City View

This is the view across the park towards to city of Tokyo, as taken from the car park for the Imperial Palace. Notice the lack of windows above a certain height? we were told that this is so the occupants of these buildings cannot look down upon the Emperor. Mmmm......... Interesting.

Note the blue sky, the typhoon had gone and the day was beautiful, warm and sunny.

Imperial Palace - Tokyo

The next stop on our tour of Tokyo was The Imperial Palace. This is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. We did get to walk up the pathway to the right in this pic, but the views were actually better from the grounds on this other side of the moat.

The Palace is situated in approximately 3 and a half acres of garden in the center of Tokyo. We could only view it from  outside the grounds, and was surrounded by a moat.

I just loved the bridge over the moat. It reminded me of the old European bridges that i have seen photos of.

Tokyo Skyline

This was the view from our hotel foyer window, with the wonderful Tokyo Tower in the background. As you can see, high rise everywhere. The foyer of the hotel was  on the 29th floor, so we could look down on just a few things. It was cloudy and damp because of the typhoon, so no view of the mountains. Mt Fuji was somewhere beyond all those clouds.

I knew the population of Tokyo was in the millions ( I believe somewhere around 13-14 million), it is supposed to be the most populous area in the world. I guess they have to house all those people somewhere!

Tokyo High Rise

We made it off the train at the correct stop and played follow the leader again to our hotel. There was high rise everywhere, well I had known there would be! Being a country girl at heart I find lots of high rise daunting. But going with the flow I was ready to explore.

It was only a few minutes walk to our hotel, much of it on walkways raised above street level. I found this interesting, as the walkways criss crossed everywhere and you needed a map to follow them like the roads.

The weather was cloudy, threatening to rain. The typhoon was still around.

The Beginnings of High Rise

On our journey back to Tokyo, we passed through a number of cities. Each one had their own share of high rise. This was the view from my train window as we passed though one of the cities. After seeing a hotel in Kyoto station, it would not surprise me if this building is also a hotel. Though I cannot say for sure. As we approached Tokyo, the high rise got denser.

Kyoto Station Pt 4

Remember the escalator I mentioned a few days back? This is the view of the escalator on the way back down from the roof. It was a little daunting catching this thing with luggage in tow. I think it rivals the one at Sydney's Wynyard station as far as steepness. There were about 4 escalators in all to get from the ground floor up to the roof, and they were all quite long and steep.