She arrived in July - rainy season. There was no sign of sun for the first few days. She was a bit concerned -- 1st impressions are everything.
We were honored with VIP access from Andy, owner of a nearby Nike favorite restaurant. Actually, VIP is an understatement. He has been coming to Tsukiji for ~30 years, and is the only gaijin ‘stopper’ (of ~100 total). Andy is a true fish master, and loves sharing his craft. His entertaining descriptions of negotiating with the Japanese fisherman should be captured in a documentary. An ideal start to our Japanese adventure!
Mother loves fish, so had no problem holding the flying fish on display.
Run away!!
Bella is not a fish person, so this may have been a bit much on her 1st day in Japan ---- she is a trooper though, she took it in stride.
On our 2nd day, we ventured on a city-famous Hato bus tour (1 of 2 of the trip). It was one of Bella’s favorite parts – easy access across the city!
A 400+ year old tree
A local shrine
..but the accompanying green-powdered tea ceremony was the lowlight of the day -- we were not a fan of the bitter taste
..though Bella was always a fan of the friendly, respectful Japanese personality.
(3.5 sq km in the dead center of the city)
DAY 3 - MUSEUM DAY
Historical Edo museum followed by a science experience at the engaging Mirakain museum
TOKYO DISNEYLAND & DISNEYSEA
Bella is at the perfect age for the Disney consumer target. She loves everything about it, and is one of millions of young encyclopaedias who knows all about the rides.
The cool thing about Tokyo Disney is that it has 2 parks:
1) Disneyland (very similar to other Disneyland parks), which the natural first choice with the family
(any hot day trip to Disneyland is worthy of a quality nap – find the best place you can!)
2) DisneySea (a unique Japan experience, capturing some thrilling rides targeted at young adults)
The following week, just Bella and I returned to DisneySea, and took advantage of a unique set of rides, on a rainy morning day. The advantage – there was almost no one there!
The top ride is the adventures of Indiana Jones. Usually you have to wait hours, but we had the chance to ride twice due to the minimal lines.
MT FUJI / HAKONE BUS TOUR
No trip to Japan is complete without a trip to see Mt. Fuji. Hato Bus tours offers the perfect option
It ended with a boat cruise around Lake Ashi
DAY TRIP TO KYOTO
My parents were very happy at their hotel in Tokyo, so we decided to limit the Kyoto trip to 1-day, a round trip on the bullet train (Shinkansen). We had a personal guide who showed us the top 3 sites in a busy afternoon
Kinkaku-ji temple, or the “Golden Pavilion” is Kyoto’s most iconic
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Toji Temple (filled with years of Buddha history)
(our guide was very proud to share that this shrine has stood for over 400 years, and has resisted countless earthquakes due to earthquake resistant construction)
A WALK THROUGH HARAJUKU
One of the more surprising parts of Tokyo for any westerner is just the sheer # of people in Tokyo. It’s ~38M, with ~13M living in the city metropolis. Harajuku is a young , vibrant community which is packed on the weekend – a perfect place for a day trip with Bella
(Omote-sando street)
EATING IN TOKYO
One of the best parts of Tokyo is the food. Simply, incredible. . The Japanese take global cuisine and perfect it. A few highlights for Bella:
Chopsticks: she ecame consumed with learning how to use; she improved throughout, but still needs some practice. Her favorite spot to practice was a noodle place in Harajuku
Andy's fish restaurant (Shin Hinomoto), for which we went 3 times. The best of Japanese food in a British pub environment -- nothing like it in the world. Our favorite delicacies: Alaskan crab, scallops, garlic-grilled shrimp, & black-mouth white fish.
(Bella’s allergies to fish magically disappeared!!)
Sea Dinner Cruise (Symphony): one night we took a cruise around the Tokyo bay
No trip is complete without some quality rest time. Bella is big fan of the couch that continues to follow me around the world.
More to come in 2016 & 2017
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