Girls' Day Out

Beautiful!

We miss you already!

Matt and Petenera decide to go to Kyoto for a couple of days and Steve has to go to the US for a meeting, so our nieces and I get to run around Tokyo together.  After waving goodbye to Steve we stop by Sensoji Temple. 











I think the highlight is meeting a real sumo wrestler.  The girls enjoy having their photo taken with him.  

 










 





We also have our fortunes told.  Alaina and Laurel have good ones, but Sophie has a bad fortune.  Don't worry - she ties it off so the bad luck doesn't stick to her.

bad fortune, good fortune, good fortune

After stopping by a shop to create their own custom journals, we have sushi for dinner.  The girls are feeling more adventurous about food now, and all of them try sea urchin...but none of them like it.

Alaina is already anticipating the taste.

She's smiling because she hasn't tried it yet.

This is right before she starts to gag.  Yuck!

"Scary" masks - appropriate for our TV show.

That night we try out the Japanese face masks and watch a Japanese TV program on Netflix - My Dangerous Wife.  It's only in Japanese, with no subtitles, but we create our own dialog for the characters. We watch a few episodes, then try to find a synopsis online in English so we can understand what really happens, but we don't have any luck.  I guess we won't ever know what happens to Maria!

Tie-Dye's favorite part of the day is waking up the girls in the morning.  They're not scary when they're sleeping!

I just want to lick your ear!  Slurp, slurp!

Rise and shine!

I can help you eat your breakfast, Laurel.

The girls start adopting
the "Japanese" pose.

We start off the day with a shopping trip at the the 8-story flagship Uniqlo store in Ginza.  From there we eat lunch, and Alaina takes one for the team when a waiter spills water on her.  She's wearing her coat, so it doesn't bother her at all, but two managers come over to apologize and offer us free drinks (non-alcoholic!).

Maybe if it had been a hot drink we would have gotten
the food for free, too.

After lunch we pick up the journals the girls designed the day before.  Everyone's happy with their choices, and they're making plans for their use.

All the journals are completely different.

What to write in it??

That evening Matt & Petenera make it back safely from Kyoto.  The family spends the night packing, and even though they purchase an extra duffel bag while they're here, it's a tight fit to get everything ready for the flight home.  After a few hours (and some donations to the Tokyo household) it's all ready to go. 

Will we ever make it all fit?!?

Once they're gone the apartment feels empty and quiet - it's just Tie-Dye and me.  He's so sad that his girls have left.  I miss everyone, too! 

So sad!

Tokyo New Year Festivities

Sitting at the dock of the bay...

This year we know better than to hope for fireworks or a light display at Tokyo Tower.  We're also aware that you want to be at the temple AT midnight, not before...so we plan our holiday appropriately.  Places have started closing for the New Year but the Symphony Tokyo Bay Cruise is still running, so we make plans to have lunch on the boat on New Year's Eve.  Luckily the weather is more cooperative than when we went with my parents - we have a gorgeous, clear day.  Mt. Fuji is very visible, but again, we're not talented enough photographers to giver her justice.  Steve converts one of his photos to black and white, and that makes a better picture.  I'm also trying to get Haneda airport in the picture, but it's hard to see, too.

Really - that white in the middle is the top of Mt. Fuji.

See it now?

The weather is not the only thing different!  Even though we're on the same boat, our meal is served on a lower floor, and our plates are different.  I like the "dimple" plate for a buffet!

My sister would love this plate - none of your foods touch!

I don't understand why Alaina's and Sophie's hair isn't blowing around, too.  Magic?

 We take advantage of the sunny skies to take some family photographs, but the wind doesn't cooperate.  Laurel's "Rapunzel" hair blows over everyone's faces, including her own. 

Matt just misses his chance to photobomb us!

I don't have any better luck when Steve and I try to take a selfie - not only do I suddenly have a bouffant, but it's all over Steve's face.









On the way back to the apartment, the tall people in the family illustrate why they have to be very careful when they walk through the subway stations...

I do not have this problem!

That night we have a gorgeous sunset with an early moon...

last sunset of the year!

waiting in line at the temple

After making a stop at an Illumination and the Shibuya Scramble, we go back out to see the New Year's Eve celebration at our local temple, Toyokawa Inari Akasaka.  There's people there this time!  (Of course, we're only 15 minutes before midnight, instead of 90 like last year.)  We see all the food vendors and charms booths with items for sale, but we just get in line for prayer.  At midnight, it's like in the US - everyone calls out "Happy New Year" and kisses their loved ones.  My parents get in a quick call, because they like the fact that it's only the morning in the US.  Our line (of five people across - the guards are very insistent that we line up five across) starts to move forward, and people toss their coins into the offering, bow and pray.  When we reach the front, all seven of us are together.  We all toss in our change at the same time - and the sound of the metal coins hitting the metal container is so loud it drowns out all other sounds in the area.  We have to stifle our giggles, because we're supposed to be praying, but it's amusing that we still can't quite fit in with the Japanese.

Lightening incense to keep us healthy

I always try to take a photo of a different fox
  each time I'm at the temple - it's easy since there
are hundreds of them!

Tie-Dye gets lots of attention from the girls!

On New Year's Day we relax at the apartment before heading out to our local shrine, Nogi Shrine, for the New Year's Day celebration.

This is when we find out the guest room doors are truly opaque.

While waiting in line, I see the cutest baby hat - especially since it's the start of the year of the rooster.  Once we reach the shrine, we're careful to only throw in a couple of coins for each person.  No cascading metallic waterfall this time! 

I love seeing the crossed flags and women wearing kimonos.

I wonder if they have 12 hats - one for every animal sign?

We can't finish out the festivities without sampling the new sake!  We buy our little saucer and drink - it's very good this year, with a little pepper flavor to it.  We buy a bottle since we don't know if we can ever find it again.  We skip the amazake though - and we can't convince any of our family to try it.  I wonder why?  We just describe it as the worse thing we've ever tried to drink...

No free refills!  Bummer!

This year's cute saucer.

And of course, we pose with the New Year display! 

Maybe THIS will be the Christmas card photo!

Not a selfie!

We finish up the day with my "Japanese" meal and by viewing the first two original Star Wars movies.  It's nice to relax at home with everyone for most of the day after running around the city for the past week.

What happened to Steve?

New Places in Tokyo - Part 6

Subway entertainment!

Before riding 16 miles!

With new guests we try out some new activities in Tokyo.  We send our family on a bike tour with Tokyo Great Cycling Tour.  Steve and I had taken an excursion with them back in 2015, but we haven't recommended it to anyone else previously.  Other than it being "the coldest day ever," they enjoyed it.  It's a good way to get around and see the city, but they could provide a bit more historical/location information.  They go on the Edo-Tokyo Culture tour but the guides don't share a lot of history (even at Sensoji Temple).


I have seen classes teaching Japanese calligraphy, but I can't find any reviews on Tripadvisor. (While searching, what I did find was a picture of Steve and me!  It's being used to advertise the Tsukiji Tour & Sushi Making Class we did last year.  In case you're curious, we don't receive compensation for the use of our images.)  I go to a different company, called GoVoyagin.com, which focuses on tours and experiences in Asia.  I find several calligraphy classes being offered, but with the holidays it takes a few tries before I schedule an available teacher.

I'm tracing with my finger before trying to draw again with my brush.  I don't know if it helps, though.  Steve ends up getting the "gold star" from the teacher - his work is given high praise.

We sign up for the one hour class, but we probably should have taken two hours (Steve has to leave for the airport, so we have a time limit).  It's lots of fun!  She has us write our name in katakana, which allows us to practice with the brush.  Then we have a kanji symbol to write.  She asked us ahead of time what word we'd like to represent in kanji (hope, fearless, cloud, live, peace are the ones we choose) and she has our practice sheets all ready for us, for both our name and our kanji.  Most of the hour is spent with a brush in my hand, but I can't say that I saw an improvement in my writing.  To do it well, you need lots of practice time!

Our teacher and final products!

Our final activity is to write on our own fan, and we can do our name or kanji (or both).  We're able to keep the fan, the practice papers and our brushes, so everyone leaves with lots of souvenirs.  Framing some of the practice sheets will make a nice display.

The Asahi "golden poo" is behind us.

We revisit another company we've worked with previously - Tokyo Foodrink (the ones using Steve and me in their ad).  The adults go on the Asakusa Street Food and Local Drink evening tour.  

Cheers!

Everyone is off work because of the New Year celebration, so the izakayas (an informal gastropub - like an Irish pub) are packed.  However, our guide, Kazu, makes sure we are well taken care of, and we make sure Matt & Petenera are able to try all the different Japanese alcohols and drinks. 

Even gaijin will eat the shrimp heads!

Steve and Matt need chef hats!

At our final stop we delight in cooking our food at the table.  Scallops, clams, shrimp, fish - all freshly prepared on our personal grill.  Kazu recommends we have sushi at the end, so we'll feel full.  He's correct, and the rice satiates us (it probably helps absorb some alcohol, too). 

The picture doesn't do it justice!

Steve and I find out something new while on our outing - there's an observation platform at the top of the Asakusa Information Center.  From there, you can look across Nakamise shopping street to Sensoji Temple.  It's much more impressive than the way it appears in my picture.

So many choices!

I always like to bring people to the basement level of the big department stores.  It's incredible to see an entire floor full of counter after counter of prepared foods and desserts.  It's also a good place to pick up dinner!  Because of our schedule, this time we stop at Mitsukoshi in Ginza.  [My favorite (by far) basement food is still the one in Takashiyama Times Square in Shinjuku.]  We're still able to find food and then the girls sample some make-up on the first floor.

It's time for a new mascara!

So gorgeous!

There's one more expedition that's popular at this time of year - stopping by one of the Illuminations that are displayed throughout Tokyo.  The family goes to Yoyogi Park's Blue Grotto exhibit. 

They look like aliens!

Afterwards, a stop at the Shibuya Scramble allows Steve to try out some of the photo tricks he learned from our guide in Cambodia!

It's like playing "Where's Waldo?"  Can you find all the family members?

Kawagoe Shrine Sale

the main aisle of the market

On the second day of our family's visit, I take them to the Kawagoe Shrine Sale.  This takes place on the grounds of Narita-san Kawagoe Betsu-in and occurs on the 28th of each month, no matter what day of the week it falls on.  This is about 40 km north of Tokyo, so it takes over an hour to get there, but it's considered one of the better flea/antique markets with unusual and high quality dealers.  It's worth it!

It takes about 25 minutes to walk from Kawagoe Station, so you might want use a bus or a taxi to get there.  There are the normal city buses along with a red tourist bus.  The red bus is cheaper, but it's small and very crowded.  The taxi takes around 12 minutes, so it's not too expensive - less than $10.  When we go we have to take two taxis because there are more than four of us.  To make sure we end up at the same spot, I have this to show the taxi drivers: 

蚤の市に行きますので、成田山別院の正門（山門）までお願いします。

住所：川越市久保町９－２

It works!  We arrive at the same place.  I haven't lost anyone yet!

Depending on your level of interest, you could spend 1-2 hours exploring the different booths.  We break apart and go our separate ways, with plans to meet up after an hour (then we decide to stay another 45 minutes after that).  There are a variety of items for sale and everyone in my family ends up buying something.

Need a new dish?

Facing one of the side entrances

Looking for a fur?

Jewelry, anyone?

As usual at a Japanese shrine, there are interesting statues around...

I don't actually know what this is...

One of the obi/kimono vendors

Of course, my favorite vendors are the ones with used obis and kimonos - and there are numerous sellers here.  The prices range from around $5 - $120 for an obi and similar prices for the kimonos.  You can find many at the lower price range ($5-10 for an obi). You can also find rolls of chirimen fabric.

More obis and kimonos

My favorite section is under the main shrine building.  I always seem to find good things down here!  Even the stairs leading down to the "basement" are lined with piles of obis.
 

Treasures to be found down here!

Lots of obis to look through!

Back at street level, if you walk around the right side of the main building and towards the back exit, you'll see a vendor selling many obis for $5 each. 

One of the piles of $5 obis!

Unfortunately, I don't think to take a picture of everyone with their purchased goodies!  I can tell this is our fifth set of guests - we're not as good about taking photos. 

the shrine sale from the stairs of the main building

Afterwards we walk three minutes down the main street to Spice Kitchen, an Indian restaurant.  It takes awhile to get our food, but it's good.  We then ask the restaurant to call two taxis for us, because they're not as prevalent on the streets of Kawagoe like they are in downtown Tokyo.  Luckily I've brought my little shopping cart, so we're easily able to carry all our bounty home!