"Ohayo! Shashin o totte mo ii desu ka?"

"Good morning, may I take your picture?" And Happy Thanksgiving,too! Whoops, it is Thursday here but still only Wednesday for you. If you are traveling, please be careful! Since I arrived here, I have been kept busy in a whirlwind of well-orchestrated activity. This is the ninth year of what I am hearing was a 'five-year' plan for the JMF; they have left nothing undone in what promises to be a three-week symphony of exploration! I did want to get these pictures on my blog early! While lots of my fellow travelers are shooting scenery pictures, I have been mostly doing people shots! "Shashin o totte mo ii desu ka" is the Japanese phrase to use to ask permission to take a picture. These are two of my first photos.