It's been an enjoyable experience to share pictures of my journey in Japan with the many readers and few commentators:) of my blog. I recieved e-mails asking why do I post in in english, well I actually post in the language the idea comes in, that's why you may find french titles, moroccan commentaries and some japanese in the middle of it all from time to time.

Japan is a great country with all the meanings of the word, though people are a little communicatif but still make up a lovely nation:) A country, so peaceful that you totally forget about the violence going on in the world, a country where you can feel hungry at 4 in the morning and simply walk safely to any 24/24h shops everywhere to be warmly welcomed and served. A country where people love their job and do it with all the heart they've got, no matter how high or low their salary! It's just crazy to think that there is  a country like this in the world!

Finally, I would like to thank all the people who made my stay in Japan an incredibly great experience, Tatsuno-sensei, Naito-sensei, Hanae, Nitatni-san, fuko, juho, chin, eric, Bertrand, Fu,....

I declare the end of this chapter of the blog. Thanks all 

Today sitting in my empty office, doing nothing but waiting for a plane to come and take me away from a place I liked so much, a place that gave me so much at all levels, people I met only few times during my stay in Japan start dropping like rain, greeting, hugging, giving presents and wishing me good luck in sweet and heart touching words. Tears in the eyes I had to say a lot of good byes today again, shit I hate that, when is the fucking plane coming?

Osaka prefecture located in the center of Kinki region in the Midwest Japan covers the smallest prefecture land area in Japan, but boasts of largest population and highest population density second only after the capital, Tokyo. Mountains surround three sides of the prefecture and the west faces the arc-shaped Osaka Bay. Since it is close to former capitals of Japan Kyoto and Nara, it prospered as an important point for land and water transportation as well as a commercial city.

My trips:

If I do remember something about Osaka, which sure is one of my favorites, it'll be good and enjoyable memories. I share them with you in pictures:

The floating garden buildings: 2 very high towers connected by a tunnel in the 40eth floor I guess and having a view on a cute but "artificial piece of nature"

A view from the observatory of the towers

Up there in the bridge between the towers

Cool place!

This is the artifical garden down the towers, a soo romantic place!

Somewhere...

A stolen view from up

I told you cool place

Taler than me

And taler than her

In the way to Dotombori, Osaka's night spot

Japanese life!

In Dotombori at 4 in the morning I guess

A view from the window of our ryokan (Traditional japanese hotel)

Dotombori by night

That's my favourite game

This was a great OKONOMIYAKI restaurant (the best of the japanese cuisine)

In Osaka port, free street shows (why the american flag?)

A view from the port

We had the chance to drop by Alfred Mucha's expo (for those who know him)

In the japanese ryokan, sharing good moments with my family

Chocolate and candy addict, (on the top floor of the floating garden building)

Pay attention, it's not a sample

This was written somewhere, funny huh?

A south view of osaka

North view, I believe

And to have some fun, it's me in yukatta preparing to go to the traditional public bath

A little late, still:

Nagoya seems to be expressing its saddness for my soon departure by an extremely cold weather and a snowy weekend. I am sad too, you know!

Outside the engineering building, samusugimasu neeee (tooo cold)

And a view from the window

Sure we can use umbrellas in snow:)

I wonder whether these bikes are gonna survive the cold!

Today, was held my kenkyuushitsu (laboratory) sayonara party, in a very nice chinese restaurant upon my request. It was just oufffff, a totally crazy party  with all the meanings of the word, and it got crazier when Professor Tatsuno had to leave to pick up his son coming from USA

a cute souvenir from the members of the lab!

Professor Tatsuno, trying the jumby I bought him!

When it comes to this vietnameese guy, it's just no comment!

Takasu, way over his alcohol dosage!

Tatemasu, we needed to call a pick-up after the party!

Iwase in his new add for asahi beer! alwaaaaaays asahi, yeaaah

Drink like a man!

Takasu playin' it hard

Outside the chinese restaurant, cheeeezu!

If there is somebody who really helped to make my journey in Japan unforgettable, it'll be professor K.Naito and his wife. All through the year, professor Naito invited me to all sorts of events, dinners, ceremonies through which I could create my own network of contacts and more adapt to the new culture.

Today he organized my sayonara party in one of the prodigious restaurants in Nagoya. We had dinner in an incredibly big VIP room in the restaurant, that served Moroccan cuisine for the event. That's not all, his wife carefully prepared typically japanese gifts for me... I was just wordless

Thanks a lot for treating me with such care!

Sure, it's hard to say good bye

And just for fun, here is a japanese version of couscous

An end of year party organized by Professor Naito's friend. We played piano, guitar, sang, said jokes without forgetting stomach which was totally pleased! 

Almost everyone

The traditional tea ceremony by professor Naito's wife

Japanese houses are soo small, but soo functional!

Eva, the german girl, a double bassist still not bad in piano!

Alex, with in his fancy mexican clothes:))

That japanese women is soo god dam funny:))

Thailand, USA, morocco, Japan ... plenty of other nationalities were there!

Some of  the guys are computer scientists, so we took some time to talk C++, CORBA...:))

Nice decoration in the garden

A plate they bought from my hometown fez, it was hightime to use it!

Gift time!

Trying to play some japanese songs!

Eva, representatrice du pere noel a Nagoya:))

TOKYO: PART II

Let's check out my most favourite in Tokyo. Roppoooooongi! That place is just fine!

A neighborhood that never, really, never sleeps! Full of night clubs, restaurants, karaokes, casinos, Roppongi is the best place to spend a sleepless night in the weekend! And I did it more than once of course!

I guess cigarettes adds were banned a long time ago, no?

A very funny indian in the club, but you know what I am a better dancer than him on indian music

In this club you can write anything anywhere, even on the face of the waiter!

In the middle of it all!

A french friend, owner of a game development company in Tokyo.
We took the time to discuss the lastest game they're developping for Sony PSP (It's no time for work, somebody got angry of course)

My heart was gonna stop near this thing, and me who thought I was strong!

Sunset from first observatory of Tokyo tower 400 m high I guess

The world looks soo small from the highest 512m observatory of the tower

That's a picture I like

In out way to Tokyo port, plenty of strange things like:

Yeeees, a pet hair dresser

La willayah de tokyo, lm9addam 15 eme étages a gauche

A closer look from the bottom

They call it a flame, I call it a piece of s...

In the middle of the port, the sun was deadly

Yeaaah, the japanese statue of freedom

Proud of her country's gift to Japan

And a view on the bridge

   For one piece adventures lovers

Yeaaaah, this is the real ship in natural size

On the ship in our way back to asakusa

A very unfocused view from the top of tokyo tower by night:
Up there, and for few seconds, I felt hormones partying all over my body, a feeling that was soo strong that I would have screamed if I could!
An extreme self satisfaction as if I had everything I ever wanted from life, extreme hapiness! You know that king of the world, or rather king of universe feeling! Yeah, I did feel it and it was god damm true!

Every year at the start of the december, time seems to freeze and everything stops with it. A voice, I hear from nowhere, whispering: assessment time! It's simply truth time when I am the tester and the examinee,  but like no other exam, noway to cheat or skip with a medical certificate: Who was I last year? Who am I now, a year since? Have I ...? Have I not ...? did I ...? and am I still...? are very common patterns in this examination!
This feeling fell on me today straight after my final presentation of the project I am working on in Japan. The answers were that I achieved a lot in this country, regarding every area of my life, but some "negative programming" that have settled in the deepest of my soul for a long time, seems always to be there, and doesn't miss a chance to mess up my mood and disturb my way to success

"What the hell is he talking about" you say, huh? Ok never mind, and here is my carefully decorated christmas tree on my office

Japan's capital and  largest city,  Tokyo is one of the country's 47 prefectures, but is the only one  reffered to as metropolis. It consists of 23 city wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages, including few Pacific Islands in the south of Japan's main island Honshu. The 23 city wards are actually the center of  Tokyo and make up about one third of the metropolis' area, while housing roughly eight of Tokyo's approximately twelve million residents.

Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. A small castle town in the 16th century, Edo became Japan's political center in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there. A few decades later, Edo had grown into one of the world's most populous cities. With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the emperor and capital where moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo ("Eastern Capital"). Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and in the air raids of 1945. ac

My trips:

Tourism, conferences, or simply for fun, I've been to Tokyo 8 times, but never had the chance to post any  pictures of this magic city, that for sure is one of my dreams come true!

Enough blabla, picture time guys!

Kaminari-mon, symbol of Tokyo, and the perhaps the most famous temple in Japan

A corner view of the main temple

Yeaaah, that's the magic smoke that should cure everything!
So I tried it to cure my software from some of its bugs, but damm the bugs are stronger!

At the entry of the templ's courtyard



I asked about the role of this building, that I found in temples all through Japan, but nobody could answer!Maybe it's a door to another dimension, who knows! Pokemon dimension maybe:))

So we jump to Ginza, the place for high-class shopping, where Chanel faces Zara and Apple is adjacent to Microsoft Store, but you know what Yamaha music instruments was also there, so I spent hours trying all sorts of guitars! And not only that, since there was a mini concert inside the store performed by a very skilled, but huge:), hawaiin group, check out the pic

I told you a huge band!:) The big guy in vocals's got an incredible voice that reminded me the huge but heavenly Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, god bless his soul, during his last concert I guess

It's time to move to SHIBUYA, the 2nd best place to hang out in Tokyo, and where people paid tribute to a very special dog by building a statue of his! His name is HATCHIKO, and he's the one that proved to the world again that dogs are men's best friends. Hatchiko used to pick up his master everyday from in front of the subway station, till a day when his master had an accident and never returned, but Hatchiko kept coming back everyday for a year after hoping to see his master again. Everybody became aware of his story, and decided to build him a statue after his death, that he sure deserves!

I just love dogs

Huge screens everywhere, a very typical asian ambiance

This place is alive!! No way to get bored

and another Shibuya street

And for Queen Fans!

Not to forget to congratulate Mr.and Mrs. Snoopy! (In Snoopy store)

J'ai passé une heure et demi a preparer le post de tokyo et rien n'a été publier!

We've got busy these days near some important deadlines, but everyone in his way! Mr.Hirosei for example is busy collectiong the empty juice boxes he's been drinking for the past month:)

Tokyo for next post!