Tokyo: Day Two

We lugged ourselves out of bed for day two of Tokyo--tired, but excited--and headed straight to Asakusa. We decided to wait for breakfast, but by the time we arrived in Asakusa it was nearly lunch time. There was a nice restaurant where Chad ate omuraisu, which is similar to how is sounds: an omelet with rice inside. I had a lovely obentou.

Next, we headed down the crowded streets to Asakusa Temple, one of the oldest temples in Tokyo.

Seeing the temple was well worth having to wade through the crowd. Pictures below include the gate to the shrine, Chad wafting away evil spirits with incense smoke, a pagoda, and some of the decorative work found inside the temple.

This was painted on the ceiling in the temple:

The gate to the shrine is called the "Thunder Gate," and it is guarded by the god of wind on the right, and the god of thunder on the left.

Before leaving Asakusa, we made two very important stops. First:

Taiyaki glory.

And second:

Afternoon Sangrias.

From Asakusa, we decided to leave Tokyo and go to Yokohama, Japan's second largest city. When we arrived, Chad was taken over by excitement and suddenly became part of Dragon Ball Z.

Then he got to use a big boy rocking chair!

Yokohama is famous for being one of the first ports in Japan to be opened to foreign trade, but it's also famous for its China town. You can bet that as soon as Chad recovered from his fireball throwing and rocking chair fun we headed toward the luring streets of Japan's largest China town.

Discovering Yokohama China Town

After an expensive dinner in the China Town (yeah, what? I thought Chinese food was cheap!), we went back to Shinjuku. Night had fallen, but we weren't finished yet!

Above you can see what happens when you enter a SMAP izakaya, and below you can see Shinjuku's awesome night lights and the side of a Tokyo cab.

Almost time for bed, but not without one final question:

Day Three coming soon!

Three Days in Tokyo

We've been busy little bees, flitting from one job to the next and trying to fit in little trips in the meantime. Sorry for the delay in posting, but I hope this post -- the first in a series of three on our trip to Tokyo -- eases any feelings of bitterness/anger/depression you may have been feeling. Because I know how important reading this must be to most of you ;-)

DAY ONE

Chad, Yasu and I took a night bus to Shinjuku and arrived at about 5:30 AM. That's right, 5:30. You probably remember what a chipper morning person I can be, so I'm sure you can imagine how (un)happy Yasu and Chad were as I forged into the city in search of coffee. Luckily it didn't take too long to find a cafe where we could eat breakfast and hang out for a couple hours while we waited for things to open up. We were also lucky that it was such a beautiful day and that we were surrounded by interesting buildings like this one:

After breakfast, we left to drop off our stuff at The Washington Hotel.

After stopping at the hotel, we were off to Harajuku -- making a quick stop at Meiji Shrine first. It was really tough to pick only a few pictures of Harajuku, but here is a peek at some of what we saw in the famous city:

It was super crowded, and mostly with teenage girls! There were some interesting sights (and people!), but my favorite part of Harajuku was a little restaurant tucked away called Blue Garden.

(Left to Right)
1. Chad and Yasu thinking about where to go after lunch
2. Salad from an awesome salad bar, and a 100 yen beer (about $1.00 USD)!
3. Pizza-in-a-Cup
4. Cool guys
5 & 6. Carubonara Raisu in a stone bowl (it continued cooking after it was brought to the table!)
7 & 8. Chad's Curry Rice dish -- so yummy!
9. Eating fondue
10. Yeah, did I mention fondue in #9? Because it was part of the salad bar. And it was amazing.
11. Once again, amazing.
12. Flowers to celebrate the restaurant's recent opening

After a really wonderful lunch, we headed to Yoyogi Park. We got to see some pretty interesting people around every corner, including dancing Elvises (Elvi?).

Pretty sure this was a man...

We thought this girl's look was pretty impressive:

This guy was a mime-rabbit:

And these guys were the two most interesting people in the park that day!

We had been walking for hours and it was quite hot, so we headed back for a nap and a shower (finally!) at our hotel. After a brief respite from Tokyo-overload, we headed out for a little shopping and dinner. Sorry to report that I've forgotten the name of the ramen restaurant we went to and where is is exactly, but I feel like you can still take some time to drool over its glory. Chad's ramen is pictured on the left in the middle, and he says it was the spiciest ramen he's ever eaten (see his picture directly below the ramen--he's sweating!). I ordered salt and butter ramen (pictured on the right in the middle). So healthy! ;-)

And so came the end of our first day. There was so much to take in, we couldn't imagine what lay in store for us on day two. Can you? We'll be posting soon to let you know!

Taiyo no Cafe

There are many interesting little cafes tucked away in Yokkaichi, and one of them is Taiyo no Cafe. Taiyo means "sun," and the warm feeling sunshine brings is definitely reflected in Taiyo's atmosphere. It is a very simple, open, laid-back cafe in which French, Bossa Americana music and more is played to set customers at ease. (For an example, check out this pretty little version of "Jambalaya" sung by Lisa Ono.)

I love the painting on the main wall:

I've been to the cafe twice now, and both times I ordered the tuna egg salad sandwich that comes with a side of mixed fruit and jello cubes. So yummy! They also serve all-you-can-eat-parfaits for an extra 420 yen, but I've never tried them. Some friends say the parfaits are addicting, so I guess it's safer that I stay away from that option for now! ;-)

Hope you've been able to enjoy some sunshine out your way--it's been rather rainy and overcast lately here (but at least today was sunny!).

Nakagawara Station

Our nearest station is easy to miss. It's quaint, quiet, and quite pretty on sunny days:

Alongside the station are these paintings:

Who wouldn't want to ride a magical, colorful, inviting train like the one painted here?

The rail crossing on the main road before making a right to get to the station.

We usually don't use Nakagawara station because it takes just about as long being on time and waiting for the train as it does to bike to our next nearest station (plus that saves us a few yen). On rainy days or super busy days, though, it's our definite go-to. We'll miss awesome public transportation when we move back to the states, but it's better than missing all of you! :-)

Size Matters Not. Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

So what's really awesome (and often confusing) about Japan is that it can be very random. Like when you're walking around Sakae in Nagoya, trying to find somewhere to eat, and you spot this:

We got off the main road, and along the curve there were little Star Wars figurines set up in the grass. No one was around. There weren't any signs. Just. Star Wars. I feel like in America someone would steal all of these. But not in Japan.

Easter Sunday

Late March and early April is a busy time of year in Japan. Luckily, amidst the flurry of meetings and trainings, there are also flurries of cherry blossoms! Taking the time to relax and appreciate the beauty of spring -- especially with good food and fun friends! -- has been really wonderful!

This Easter Sunday, Chad and I went cherry blossom viewing with a woman from my gym and her granddaughter. The weather was perfect, and the cherry blossoms were just bursting with beauty. Below, our fine feast is pictured:

Top Left: Karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken)
Middle Row: Tempura, more Tempura, and Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Bottom: Deviled Eggs, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Huge Oranges!
(Can you guess who made what food?)



Relaxing with full bellies!



Volleyball shots:

After about three and a half hours of relaxing at the park, we headed home. What a wonderful way to spend Easter!

Hope your Easter was as blessed with food and friendship as ours was ~~!

Appreciate Your Melons...

'Cause in Japan they're a lot more expensive! At approximately $38.00 USD per melon, you'd better enjoy every bite slowly and happily.

(You knew we were talking about fruit in the title...right? ^^ )