So, I know everyone has been asking about our trip and how Japan was.. I just have to say it was AMAZING! A very expensive city, but still amazing none the less. I am actually very grateful we got extended for a few more months because had we not, we wouldn't have been able to make it to Tokyo... And that would have been a shame! Haha To miss out on an opportunity to visit another Disney park! Oh yea... I prolly would have cried about it for a little while.. So.. Here are the highlights of the trip!
Our first stop was of course to our hotel room, or should I say closet, to drop off the bags. No scratch that I think my closet is actually BIGGER than our hotel room was... When they told me rooms in Japan are smaller than we are used to they ain't lyin! This pic was taken with me standing in the doorway..
Whew... glad we didn't go there with the kids! LOL They for sure wouldn't have been able to fit in the room!
Our first stop was the Tokyo Tower. Since its opening in 1958, at 333m, the Tokyo Tower has been the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower (The Eiffel Tower is only 320 m high). One hundred and seventy-six floodlights installed in various parts light up the Tower. And as you can see... It's pretty bright! This was taken from about 4 blocks back :)
Unlike the Seoul Tower and the Space Needle, which we have previously visited, this tower has 2 observation decks you have to pay to go up to.. The first deck is at 150m up where the view looks like this....
The second deck is 250m up and looks even more amazing! Like this...
Next stop was of course Disney.. Which I could BORE you with pictures from of course because I LOVE Disney! We had a blast! Jake and I got to ride all the big rides together which is something we have never been able to do, so we had a great time!
One thing I DO suggest if you ever make it to Tokyo DisneySea is to try the popcorn! We didn't realize they had so many flavor until we turned a corner and smelt something oh so very yummy smelling so we went to investigate... Strawberry popcorn! YUM! This started an investigation... What other flavors of popcorn are there? Well, we tried black pepper, caramel, chocolate, strawberry, curry, milk tea, and cranberry... All equally yummy! I am now on a mission to figure out how to make my very own strawberry & cranberry popcorn! Hahah
The next stop was Shibuya Crossing.. Don't ask why.. One of Jake's Request. I guess they filmed part of one of the way to many Fast & Furious movies here? Any who... We walked around a lot... seen the sights... found an AWESOME sushi-go-round restaurant. It was pretty cool :)
The next day we stayed close to our hotel (which was in Asakusa) because it had rained the night before and it was really chilly on that day. We seen lots of markets and ran into a very cool temple, Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple. It is one of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples.
The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple. When approaching the temple, we enter through the Kaminarimon(Thunder Gate), were there was this LONG(over 200m) stretch of shopping on both sides of the street called Nakamise.
Another request on Jake's to-do list was to watch a sumo match. Unfortunately, sumo wrestling only goes on in select months out of the year and December is not one of them, so we were told we MIGHT be able to see a practice.... Just our luck however, the week we were in Tokyo happened to be the week they are prepping the rings for competitions to start back up in January :( So, we DID go to one of the practice gyms... and we SEEN the wrestlers... but not fighting :(
Blowfish... Or "Fugu" in Japanese can be lethally poisonous due to its tetrodotoxin IF PREPARED WRONG... Therefore, it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat. The restaurant preparation of fugu is strictly controlled by the law in Japan, and only chefs who have qualified through rigorous training are allowed to deal with the fish. Since 1958, fugu chefs must earn a license to prepare and sell fugu to the public. This involves a two- or three-year apprenticeship. The licensing examination process consists of a written test, a fish-identification test, and a practical test, preparing and eating the fish. Only about 35 percent of the applicants actually pass. It is most often the domestic preparation which occasionally leads to accidental death. Now that we have THAT cleared up.. The reason it was on our "MUST do in Japan" list is because only seventeen restaurants in the United States are licensed to serve fugu, twelve of which are in New York. HOWEVER, The fugu is cleaned of the most toxic parts in Japan and then freeze-flown to the USA to be served, so therefore... the best place to try it is of course where it's fresh, right!
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