Kyoto Giant

This photo was taken in 2007 by Cris Cordio in Kyoto, Japan. I am 6'4" or 193 cm tall. The average height for a man age 18-29 in Japan is about 5'6" or 171 cm.

Geisha or Not?

This photo was taken in 2007 in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto was the capital of Imperial Japan and was so from 794 until 1868. Upon becoming the capital in 794, Kyoto became home to the Geisha. Also known as Geigi or Geiko, Geisha were originally skilled dancers called Oiran who also provided sex to their patrons. In the 1700's, many Geisha stopped dealing in sex and became exclusively entertainers; mostly actresses, dancers, and musicians. While some Geisha still offered prostitution, Geisha was seen as a respectable and desirable occupation for women. The women in this picture are Japanese tourists who have paid to be dressed and made up as Geisha.

Sagano Bamboo Forest

This photo was taken by Cris Cordio in 2007. On the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan lies Mount Arashiyama which contains Sagano Bamboo Forest. In the 1870s when Thomas Edison was searching for a high quality bamboo as a material for filament in his early light bulb, the governor of Kyoto recommended two sources of bamboo, one of which was Sagano bamboo. Bamboo has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel and can withstand earthquakes with magnitudes as high as 9.0.