Recently, I went on a trip I had dreamed of taking since I was a child; a trip to the land of the rising sun (Nippon). What did I experience in Japan? A culture full of considerate and reserved people. People that were quiet and kept to themselves, yet helpful and warm. Of course there are always exceptions, but more often than not, my friend and I felt welcome. To complement the locals there was a visible and deep history, kept alive while a bustling metropolis grew around it. In all, my friend and I were there for 18 days. We made our way by bullet train and taxi, and on foot to Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Nikko. If you've never been, you should go. If not for the food, for the history. If not for the history, for the sites. If not for the sites, for the people. Just go. I took over 2,500 pictures while I was there, and I've finally edited them down to a manageable number. So if this little paragraph didn't convince you to buy a plane ticket, maybe some selects of those photos will. Ganbatte!
— Wes Phelan, Banowetz Senior Designer
