Monday, June 17, 2013
Japan: A few more days
We did make it to the aquarium on Thurs. It was raining a bit so the weather seemed best to go. We took the train from Tokyo to Ikebukuro. It took a bit, but wasn't too terribly crowded. It was good for the kids to see Tokyo - the busy one with tons of shops and restaurants and all types of people everywhere. It wasn't terribly crowded, though by American standards it probably was. After asking directions, we found our way to the 60 story Sunshine building. It was once considered quite tall by Tokyo standards. It has a large shopping mall area in the bottom 4 stories or so and offices in the middle, the observatory on the top. The aquarium is on the top of part of the building, but probably only 10 stories tall. First, we went to the Disney store to try to buy tickets, but the ticket machine was broken, so we headed to the aquarium. As soon as we got there, the sea lion show was starting, so we watched that. It was a pretty good show with the sea lions doing the typical tricks - waving, balancing and bouncing ball on nose, etc. We passed by the penguins and went and saw the pelican feeding - I don't think I had every seen that before and it was pretty cool to see their huge throats. Then, we looked at the exhibits - the tanks were really pretty, well organized and very clear. We watched the show in the big tank with a diver going around. It was cool to see her hold the shark and also to watch the school of fish follow her around and go in circles around here. Obviously, me and the kids couldn't understand the dialogue, but it was still very enjoyable. We finished viewing the tanks and also watched the sea otter feeding. The sea otter was cute to watch eating the various food while simultaneously holding on tightly to his little toy ball. We went to the second floor exhibits - I especially enjoyed the jellyfish and then it was time to go. We went back to the Disney store and bought tickets for Disney land. The ticket machine was working, but of course, NONE of our US credit cards work. Thankfully, we could use Katsu's parents' card and just pay them back in cash later. It is so frustrating how hard it is to get money in Japan - more often than not, credit cards won't work unless you call (although ours did work at the hotel here) and US ATM cards will only work at the post office or 7 Eleven. Really. We went to a little tiny chain restaurant and the boys got kids meals for less than $2 which included a toy. They were all pretty happy about that - of course, the toys broke pretty fast, but still fun.
That evening we went out with the whole Funai family (Hiroko included) to the Korean BBQ again. Everyone was happy and awake and it was a good evening for all. Logan was pretty restless at the end, so we needed to walk around a whole bunch with him, but that kept him happy.
Friday, we didn't really have anything to do and no where to go, so we headed off to Aeon. By this point, I was getting pretty sick of it, but we needed to pick up some food for our trip to Disneyland. Andrew was also upset that he hadn't gotten new shoes, so we needed to get those as well. The boys played forever at the arcades - somehow it was double day, so the $5 in coins went for 2 hours of play for both boys! Kind of crazy. They had loads of fun, though. I was ready to go home! In the evening, we all went out for (Japanese) Chinese food. It's interesting to see its' contrast to American Chinese food.
Saturday morning, we packed and finally left the Saitama hotel! Yay! We went to Katsu's home and repacked some more and the boys just watched way too many Doraemon movies until it was time to drive to our hotel in Chiba near Disneyland. Katsu's dad drove us, which was super nice. We settled into the hotel - the boys were so excited to be there. They wanted to go to Disneyland immediately, but we hadn't bought tickets for that day, of course. We set off walking and found a FANTASTIC park. Like this park seriously made me feel like maybe Japanese people weren't completely ignorant of the needs of kids. The kids played for quite a while. Then, we went to the mall that is inbetween the parks and went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. The boys loved it, especially Logan who was very fascinated with all the animals. We walked around a bit and watched a show with a man and a bike doing tricks. It was pretty entertaining and then we walked back to the hotel. We tried to let the older boys stay up to watch fireworks from Disney land. You can see them from our hotel, but I think the weather was too cloudy, so they must have been canceled. Tomorrow was the start of the our two day adventure.
That evening we went out with the whole Funai family (Hiroko included) to the Korean BBQ again. Everyone was happy and awake and it was a good evening for all. Logan was pretty restless at the end, so we needed to walk around a whole bunch with him, but that kept him happy.
Friday, we didn't really have anything to do and no where to go, so we headed off to Aeon. By this point, I was getting pretty sick of it, but we needed to pick up some food for our trip to Disneyland. Andrew was also upset that he hadn't gotten new shoes, so we needed to get those as well. The boys played forever at the arcades - somehow it was double day, so the $5 in coins went for 2 hours of play for both boys! Kind of crazy. They had loads of fun, though. I was ready to go home! In the evening, we all went out for (Japanese) Chinese food. It's interesting to see its' contrast to American Chinese food.
Saturday morning, we packed and finally left the Saitama hotel! Yay! We went to Katsu's home and repacked some more and the boys just watched way too many Doraemon movies until it was time to drive to our hotel in Chiba near Disneyland. Katsu's dad drove us, which was super nice. We settled into the hotel - the boys were so excited to be there. They wanted to go to Disneyland immediately, but we hadn't bought tickets for that day, of course. We set off walking and found a FANTASTIC park. Like this park seriously made me feel like maybe Japanese people weren't completely ignorant of the needs of kids. The kids played for quite a while. Then, we went to the mall that is inbetween the parks and went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. The boys loved it, especially Logan who was very fascinated with all the animals. We walked around a bit and watched a show with a man and a bike doing tricks. It was pretty entertaining and then we walked back to the hotel. We tried to let the older boys stay up to watch fireworks from Disney land. You can see them from our hotel, but I think the weather was too cloudy, so they must have been canceled. Tomorrow was the start of the our two day adventure.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
More Nikko
I realized I forgot to mention one of our favorite parts of Nikko. As we were going down the mountain from the lake, on one of the hairpin turns, we saw some wild monkeys on the side of the road. We were all super excited - my first time to see wild monkeys.
More Japan Updates - Nikko & a shopping day
Yesterday, Tuesday, Katsu's day was so kind to take the day off of work (he would have otherwise had a half day) and drive us to Nikko. It took about 2 hours to get there. Logan slept on the way there at least some of the time, so the ride was pretty uneventful. We got to experience a Japanese rest stop. We convinced the kids that when you went through toll booths, the pass is called "ETC" and we said it meant exceptional children - and only very good kids could go through. We ALMOST missed the exit to Nikko - in fact, we did, but Katsu's dad backed up very slowly to the entrance and we got to Nikko.
The drive once you get to the city was beautiful. The bridge coming into town was so pretty - right over river rapids and the city is all in the mountains and very beautiful. We found the parking spot right away and it was up, up, up. Maybe we should have stopped for lunch first, as it was probably 11:30 when we got there, but we decided to just go straight to the temples and shrines, which are World Heritage sites.
The temples and shrines were beautiful. You climbed up up up to get to the top of them and were at about 2000 m above sea level. There were so many stone steps and of course, Logan and Seth and Andrew wanted to climb up all of them. Logan had lost his shoe the day before, so he had only one shoe, which made for an interesting day. But this was our one day to see Nikko and we didn't have time to buy him shoes first, so we just made do. Katsu and I and his father all took lots of time holding Logan and boy, were we worn out by the end of the day.
Katsu's dad had bought a tour guide and the boys were super intent on finding EVERYTHING in the tour book. They were especially eager to find the three monkeys and the sleeping cat. This was the cause of many fights. Seth and Andrew would fight over the book and then Seth would cry because he didn't find something or didn't find it first. He had one ALL OUT fit - he cried for probably a good 20 minutes. It was very frustrating, but he finally calmed down and we could show him the temple that he missed.
The first temple was Toshogu. This is very famous historically and very very ornate. My favorite part was the monkeys - not only the three, but also the scene of the stages of life as shown by monkeys. The center temple was beautiful inside. There was a large dragon scene drawn on the top of the ceiling and the tour guide showed us the acoustics of the room by making two wood blocks hit against each other sound like a drum with all the echos. There was gold everywhere. We were too worn out to pay extra to see Ieyasu's tomb so we missed the sleeping cat.
Next, we went to this Futarsan Shrine - it is for a happy marriage and everything there had hearts and such. The gardens were pretty and it was serene. It was a lot smaller than Toshogu.
Finally, we climbed higher and higher to another temple. Everyone was a lot happier by this point and running around. I really enjoyed seeing all the sights, but was happy that we could finally eat, right.
We walked back to the car, and tried to find a restaurant, but couldn't find one. We decided to drive up to the Lake and find something on the way, but we didn't. The ride up to the lake is CRAZY. There are forty hairpin turns, one for each letter of the Japanese syllabery. The turns were super sharp and many of them are right next to a very large drop off off the mountain. Plus, half way up the mountain, the fog got so bad that you could barely see. We were all very nervous and we tried to keep the boys quiet (basically impossible, but we tried). We finally made it safely and everything was closed. After talking to a local, we could find only one restaurant open - an expensive French one, but at least we found something as it was about 3:30 and we were starving. After eating, we headed to the waterfall. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't be able to see the waterfall with the fog, but no worries. You take an elevator through the bedrock down to the bottomish of the falls. It was GORGEOUS. I mean, no Niagara Falls, but it was very pretty and with fog everywhere. It is called Kegon Falls and it was one of the big falls in Japan. Definitely worth the drive, and one of the first natural beauty sites I have seen.
Then, we headed home. Another lovely drive with Logan crying crying crying. We did everything we could to keep him happy. Finally, almost at home, we stopped at a pharamacy to get him some medicine - he has teeth coming in and he was pretty unhappy about it. Seth was asleep at this point. I took Logan out of the car seat and he is soaked - he must have poured a whole bottle of water on himself instead of drinking it. No wonder he was such a fuss.
Today, we took it easy. Plus, we had to go shopping to find Logan some new shoes. We went to the resale baby shop first and found Logan a new pair of shoes, plus a few more Ultraman monsters which the kids were just dying to have. Logan was SUPER excited to have new shoes and I was just excited that he could wake again. We then walked to Aeon - the kids absolute favorite place. Katsu spent a lot of time picking out a rice cooker (thanks to money from his Grandma - thanks!) and then we had lunch in the food court. Then, we let the kids play at the arcade again. They spent all their coins again on this shooting game - each coin gives you one shot and then if you kill something you get another 1-3 coins back depending on how big they are. It took them FOREVER to work through their coins (we got $5 worth between the two of them). Predictably, Seth threw a MASSIVE tantrum when we ran out. But after distraction, we managed to improve things and the boys went to the play area and made some huge Lego structures. we let Andrew finish to the end and then took pictures with the phone. Then, we went and bought some new bento boxes, chopsticks, and a bread cutting thing plus a whole bunch of food. Katsu picked back up the rice cooker and after only about 4 hours at the store (!!!) we headed home.
By the time we got to the Funai's home, Andrew was crying about a hurt ear. We had started complaining in the store, but I thought maybe his ears just needed to pop because of all the change in pressure from visiting Nikko. But he was screeching and crying hysterically. Katsu went off back to the drugstore to buy some tylenol and thankfully as soon as the medicine kicked in, he seemed to calm down. I think he has an ear infection, but hopefully it will clear up on it's own. We'll see how the night goes and maybe if not, we can have Katsu's dad look at it before he goes to work. We are hoping to go to the aquarium tomorrow, but we'll see how it goes.
The drive once you get to the city was beautiful. The bridge coming into town was so pretty - right over river rapids and the city is all in the mountains and very beautiful. We found the parking spot right away and it was up, up, up. Maybe we should have stopped for lunch first, as it was probably 11:30 when we got there, but we decided to just go straight to the temples and shrines, which are World Heritage sites.
The temples and shrines were beautiful. You climbed up up up to get to the top of them and were at about 2000 m above sea level. There were so many stone steps and of course, Logan and Seth and Andrew wanted to climb up all of them. Logan had lost his shoe the day before, so he had only one shoe, which made for an interesting day. But this was our one day to see Nikko and we didn't have time to buy him shoes first, so we just made do. Katsu and I and his father all took lots of time holding Logan and boy, were we worn out by the end of the day.
Katsu's dad had bought a tour guide and the boys were super intent on finding EVERYTHING in the tour book. They were especially eager to find the three monkeys and the sleeping cat. This was the cause of many fights. Seth and Andrew would fight over the book and then Seth would cry because he didn't find something or didn't find it first. He had one ALL OUT fit - he cried for probably a good 20 minutes. It was very frustrating, but he finally calmed down and we could show him the temple that he missed.
The first temple was Toshogu. This is very famous historically and very very ornate. My favorite part was the monkeys - not only the three, but also the scene of the stages of life as shown by monkeys. The center temple was beautiful inside. There was a large dragon scene drawn on the top of the ceiling and the tour guide showed us the acoustics of the room by making two wood blocks hit against each other sound like a drum with all the echos. There was gold everywhere. We were too worn out to pay extra to see Ieyasu's tomb so we missed the sleeping cat.
Next, we went to this Futarsan Shrine - it is for a happy marriage and everything there had hearts and such. The gardens were pretty and it was serene. It was a lot smaller than Toshogu.
Finally, we climbed higher and higher to another temple. Everyone was a lot happier by this point and running around. I really enjoyed seeing all the sights, but was happy that we could finally eat, right.
We walked back to the car, and tried to find a restaurant, but couldn't find one. We decided to drive up to the Lake and find something on the way, but we didn't. The ride up to the lake is CRAZY. There are forty hairpin turns, one for each letter of the Japanese syllabery. The turns were super sharp and many of them are right next to a very large drop off off the mountain. Plus, half way up the mountain, the fog got so bad that you could barely see. We were all very nervous and we tried to keep the boys quiet (basically impossible, but we tried). We finally made it safely and everything was closed. After talking to a local, we could find only one restaurant open - an expensive French one, but at least we found something as it was about 3:30 and we were starving. After eating, we headed to the waterfall. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't be able to see the waterfall with the fog, but no worries. You take an elevator through the bedrock down to the bottomish of the falls. It was GORGEOUS. I mean, no Niagara Falls, but it was very pretty and with fog everywhere. It is called Kegon Falls and it was one of the big falls in Japan. Definitely worth the drive, and one of the first natural beauty sites I have seen.
Then, we headed home. Another lovely drive with Logan crying crying crying. We did everything we could to keep him happy. Finally, almost at home, we stopped at a pharamacy to get him some medicine - he has teeth coming in and he was pretty unhappy about it. Seth was asleep at this point. I took Logan out of the car seat and he is soaked - he must have poured a whole bottle of water on himself instead of drinking it. No wonder he was such a fuss.
Today, we took it easy. Plus, we had to go shopping to find Logan some new shoes. We went to the resale baby shop first and found Logan a new pair of shoes, plus a few more Ultraman monsters which the kids were just dying to have. Logan was SUPER excited to have new shoes and I was just excited that he could wake again. We then walked to Aeon - the kids absolute favorite place. Katsu spent a lot of time picking out a rice cooker (thanks to money from his Grandma - thanks!) and then we had lunch in the food court. Then, we let the kids play at the arcade again. They spent all their coins again on this shooting game - each coin gives you one shot and then if you kill something you get another 1-3 coins back depending on how big they are. It took them FOREVER to work through their coins (we got $5 worth between the two of them). Predictably, Seth threw a MASSIVE tantrum when we ran out. But after distraction, we managed to improve things and the boys went to the play area and made some huge Lego structures. we let Andrew finish to the end and then took pictures with the phone. Then, we went and bought some new bento boxes, chopsticks, and a bread cutting thing plus a whole bunch of food. Katsu picked back up the rice cooker and after only about 4 hours at the store (!!!) we headed home.
By the time we got to the Funai's home, Andrew was crying about a hurt ear. We had started complaining in the store, but I thought maybe his ears just needed to pop because of all the change in pressure from visiting Nikko. But he was screeching and crying hysterically. Katsu went off back to the drugstore to buy some tylenol and thankfully as soon as the medicine kicked in, he seemed to calm down. I think he has an ear infection, but hopefully it will clear up on it's own. We'll see how the night goes and maybe if not, we can have Katsu's dad look at it before he goes to work. We are hoping to go to the aquarium tomorrow, but we'll see how it goes.
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