Osaka: Streetscapes, Sanyo Electric HQ

(Updated: June 1, 2013 with high resolution photos)

This is the 2nd part of my Osaka series. Previously, I posted a section on the Osaka waterfront...more than 1 year ago...(man, I have been lazy in posting), here is the link to that:

Part 1: Osaka Waterfront

I took these pictures on the same day, Mar. 30, 06.

After visiting the Osaka waterfront, I decided to go hunt out the headquarters of major electronics companies in the Kansai region. I wanted to visit the Panasonic headquarters/factory, but this time I had not done my homework, I did not book in advance, and therefore was not able to go. Instead I found that Sanyo Electric had its headquarters in Osaka, so why not visit their site and see what was there?

Other factories and headquarters of companies that I visited:

Toyota Headquarters and Auto Assembly Plant in Nagoya

Nissan Auto Assembly Plant in Yokosuka (suburb of Tokyo)

Front Gate of Nintendo HQ (scroll down...unfortunately, visitors are NOT allowed, there was a sign IN ENGLISH at the security desk!)

Side note: The good thing about Japan is that large companies are more than willing to let you visit their plants/factories (unlike in security paranoid North America where there isn't even a viewing deck at the airport for looking at planes). Its pretty interesting that a lot of the products that they export to the rest of the world is developed at these places. At the Nissan plant, we were the only ones there and they hired an interpreter just for our group of 2!

Studio Ghibli Art Musuem

(Updated: July 13, 2013 with high resolution photos)

On June 29, 2006, my friends and I visited the Ghibli Museum. The museum (aka. Mitaka's Forest Ghibli Art Museum) is located in the suburbs of Tokyo. It is about 15 minutes by train on the JR Chuo Line (aka "Suicide Line", the line alignment is almost totally straight) from Shinjuku Station.

Unfortunately, you are NOT allowed to take pictures inside the museum, only outside, so that is what I have.

Also you can't just show up and buy tickets at the museum, if you are in Japan, you need to buy your tickets in advance from a Lawsons convenience store using their electronic ticket machine. If visiting from overseas you could either buy them from overseas (check official website) or if you know Japanese or some Japanese or if you are able to copy the name of the Ghibli Museum onto a piece of paper, you could go to the Lawsons convenience store and ask a clerk (using a lot of hand gestures?) that you want tickets to this museum. But be warned, the museum is kind of popular and may be fully booked a week in advance.

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Vancouver Skyline

If there are any regular visitors left...this page is not dead, I still got lots of stuff to upload. Just busy with work and sometimes lazy.

Vancouver skyline from east to west.

Building with clock, City Hall:



Ball building = Science World: