We were in the States for a couple months this summer, but because I had been without my computer and photos for the majority of the time, I wasn't able to finish this last post that I wrote about Japan!
I tried to finish this post within a few hours of leaving on the plane for Myanmar, then using the internet in the Korean airport during our layover, but I failed and now am attempting to finish it with limited internet capabilities here in Myanmar. Internet speeds are usually 65 to 100 or something like that for a normal internet connection in the States and in Myanmar we will have an internet speed of 2! Yes, 2. But it actually hasn't been as bad as I was expecting. We had a couple days where the internet was acting up, but we got it fixed and so far, it's good!
But before I jump into Myanmar, have fun looking at some of the things I thought most funny, most unique, and most wonderful about Japan! All throughout are some of the things I loved most, but for time's sake it will only be a fraction of what I could write!
#1. Cool, unique, and interesting treats/food
There is always new interesting "treats" in Japan. Whether it is every flavor of kit kat (maple strawberry, raspberry lime, orange, apple, sweet potato, wasabi), or sushi flavored suckers, or fun shaped cotton candy, or beautifully "painted" rice crackers in the shapes of fans, Japanese treats don't disappoint-- unless you expect them to be super tasty and then at times you might be disappointed!
More fun snacks: Dried Fish chips and Jumbo Prawns complete with head and eyes! And Jenny got a curry Donut.
More Tasty Treats!
Popcorn carmel icecream! Japanese love Popcorn!
And every flavor crepes and "shaved ice" is definitely a favorite! Corn icecream and a million other random flavors-- not so much my favorite.
MY FAVORITE PLACE-- MAX BRANNIER CHOCOLATE SHOP
I loved this place. Everything is about amazing freshly made chocolate here. The perfect pure hot chocolate with the perfect hug mug. We also loved the milk chocolate and nutella pizza, crispy chocolate crepes, chocolate granita shakes, and so much more deliciousness.
Don't worry if you don't have time to go to Max Brenner, pick up HOT chocolate out of a vending machine! That's right! You can get Hot chocolate from the a vending machine. It is not anything even close to the caliber of Max Brenner or really even sub par hot chocolate, but if it's cold outside, it's pretty awesome!
For a quick lunch, pick up onigiri from the convenience store. My kids favorites: triangular rice balls with salmon inside and wrapped in seaweed. Best when its warm. My girls even love to just eat seaweed plain. Only downside, when your daughter decides she will no longer eat normal sandwiches like normal American kids!
Even play food is available for kids! Onigiri is pretty much a staple there.
Use this to make your onigiri in other fun shapes.
While I am at it, look at these cute plastic foods!
Don't forget the humungous extra large and exorbitantly expensive fruit!
Yep if you know Japanese conversion- that box of one bunch of Japanese grapes is on sale for $108!!
Other huge vegetables! The size of the veggies and fruits really are amazing. I don't think I would ever pay $100 for them but that's just me.
2 kinds of SUPER HUGE carrots (The red is not that great) and a huge sweet potato.
All the fruit and veggies are pretty big.
Heres some more yumminess:
Amazing ally with amazing skewers of meat
Super Fancy Anniversary Dinner- you can find dinners for crazy prices here. This was high end but you can go super high end and get a dinner for $500 per person!
All the fruit and veggies are pretty big.
Heres some more yumminess:
My favorites: Sushi and Ramen but there was soon much to love about food here, although it took me a while to figure it out
Gyoza Potstickers and Fried Veges
Fish on a stick- fried in a fire all day: actually pretty great!
Sweet potato on the go- so yummy. My girls love this:
Sukiyaki
#2 Japanese Love of CUTE THINGS
Cute characters are definitely much loved here.
Cute little Dogs
#3 Caution, Independence, and Cleanliness!
This is an area where you can look over a railing and see a Christmas light display below, but they do not want you to get near the poles or the glass even though it is clearly very stable.
Here is a separate smoking area inside an airport. Its a glass box but its not enclosed on the bottom. This one was in a different country but they are all over Japan to or a separate blocked off place for smoking. Smoking is very prevalent but at least they are trying to limit everyone else's exposure.
A whole room of Umbrella locks. This is how much umbrellas are needed and how much you don't want to lose them. I came on a not rainy day, but apparently this museum is super popular on rainy days! You might say umbrella locks are unneeded because who steals umbrellas, right? Well I just read a post from someone in Myanmar about how they can't stand how often their umbrellas get taken, so I guess they are important!
To me this is the opposite of overly cautious, but its awesome too. It is completely common for Japanese parents to send their kids to school all on their own including traveling by metro and walking long distances. It is crazy to be on a metro and see a little 6 year old just going along like a little adult casually finding their way home.
I don't know if you can tell but the lady above is cleaning up the street in front of her shop. Tokyo has millions and millions of people but it is incredibly clean. I love how so many people work together to make it a beautiful city.
#4 Interesting Hotel Experiences
Futon fold out beds in old Japanese homes.
Onsens where you get to roam around naked in a public bathhouse (separated by gender) and enjoy super hot baths! You are self conscious for the first few minutes but then everyone else's non- self consciousness makes it easy to feel comfortable. My girls love it! For my sisters, it was a unique experience, but not one they care to repeat I think.
#5 Things seemingly uncomplicated made complicated
(but they are working hard to help you understand!)
And I love how they try to use graphics to explain so many things.
Directions often are accompanied with visuals, for adults too, which is actually pretty fun I think.
#6 Fashion! Fashion! Fashion!
I love to people watch when I can in Japan.
Masks: Protects you from pollution and getting other people or yourself sick, right?
Socks and Shoes. Ummm...who wouldn't want these?
Most of these fun fashions are found on Takeshita Street or Harajuku. A really Fun area!
Popcorn dress? YES!
Hats and Hair and Storms of Uniforms
(Sailor type themes often are the norm)
Styles are much more child-like even for adolescents.
Below group of high school students many who have their hair in two braids.
Fun info on Japanese uniforms here: http://japandave.com/2007/10/school-uniforms/
Drink girls at the baseball games have their own hat stylings too-
pinned back instead of wearing normally. :)
My favorite part of their fashion, however, is how they have kept the traditional kimono alive. They wear them for formal occasions and also for traditional weddings. I think they are beautiful. I got to take a class on how to put one on. It was quite a process and you must be precise in your execution.
A fancier back Obi (Tie around your waist) usually means younger and unmarried
#7 Car curiosities:
Gas pumps from the sky! Super good use of space, huh! and Driving on the the Left. For those of you scared of my driving, you are missing some pretty good Japanese driving on the left skills!
Fun cars all around
#4 FUNNY SIGNS
Get Running! but just a little
Gotta love the signs and Engrish! Don't understand them and yet I just love them.
(sorry for some upside down ones, I don't have time to fix them)
American Long potato- actually makes more sense than french fries!
No exceptions- even if you really got to go!
"you don't eat on time, something wrong with your mind"
"Slowly please Relax" Seriously guys- its important to chill out when brushing teeth!
Wish charms I like: "a large catch satisfaction", "traffic safety", "bumper crops"
And make sure you do the three T's- good words to live by! 
Not sure how bananas and "Spaciously" relate,
but hey let's just put them on a t-shirt together anyway!
Make sure to actually leave when you open a door to leave. That's important.
Motivational poster for good bathroom ettiquette! Too awesome.
Left: Conditions that should stop you from riding that roller coaster: Make sure you have slept first!
Right: Can you find what's wrong? the L sound is a difficult sound for the Japanese and it often comes out as an R sound.
I don't know about this one. Its on the metro subway. Wear deodorant?
I was told once what this was talking about and it was something hygienic, I think about shaving your armpits, but I can't remember more than that.
Left: On a metro. Be considerate please! One time I was told by a conductor that my 3 year old had to stop singing. She was sweetly singing her own made up song. That didn't sit well with me, but most of the time, the quietness is really nice.
Right: On a metro. Why is the person that is always doing something wrong a blonde white person?
???
Before you come into your MRI, could you please remove your tattoo.
Thank you for your compliance. LOL
TOILET TIME
Thank you for the specific instructions.
So many choices. I have hit them all and was both pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised at different times. Note: Changing the strength of each item does make a difference!
In most restrooms, you can choose the deluxe toilet or the normal urinal in the ground. Sometimes all that is available is the urinal and this picture was actually helpful the first time I went in! I still wasn't quite succesful however, especially with the kids,
so we tried to stick to western toilets as much as possible.
Other Bathroom Uniqueness
Fun sink and air dryer combo!
Several times we have seen kids restrooms where everything is mini!
Sink on the back of the toilet. It uses clean water to fill up the toilet bowl tank that allows you to wash your hands after you flush.
#5 Random Unique Things All around and Interesting things to buy
Plastic food making is really an art here in Japan.
I got a sushi clock that I totally love to add to my wall clock collection!
Sushi phone holder
Popular TV show
Little Ball Vending Machines with so every different type of cheap toy imaginable but some can be up to $10 for one ball.
Lion backpacks and spam as sushi. Of course!
Ok- i can see why that earlier sign about not lifting up your arm might have been important for this cat lady! Maybe this snail or placenta mask will be of help too?
Need to strengthen your cheek muscles for a more defined cheek? Or maybe you want your eyes to be more open? Or you want to separate your lids? Such crazy contraptions.
Not sure what this is about!
Chopstick souvenirs: You can buy cheap or expensive ones.
These in the picture cost upwards of $1500 USD. My good friend Aya gave our family personalized chopsticks that we absolutely love.
Mascots
Every place has a different mascot. Its really funny.
Origami creations: The girls and I learned some cool origami shapes.
Nothing like this- but hey we have time to learn.
#6 Many Modes of Transportation
Traveling in Tokyo wasn't all fun and games- plenty of times I was at my wits end just trying to find an elevator in the crazy metro stations, where you might be packed in the train like sardines, but even riding the subway had its charms and funny moments. Of course we also employed many other forms of transportation as well: my amazing bike, strollers, shoulders and legs, rickshaws, and the girls loved riding their scooters all over the city!
#7 SO MANY Fun Play Areas and Places to Go
We loved that about Tokyo. Many definitely put a dent in your pocket book, but there were free places available too. One place was 5 minutes from our home with a gym, play area, and free crafts and supplies.
Kidzania: This was an awesome place where kids got to dress up and learn how to do various jobs. We got to go twice and the girls loved it so much.
Lego Land and Disney Sea and Land!
Amazing Parks
#8 Theme restaurants
Robot Restaurant
Monster Cafe
Others that we went to:
Ninja House Restaurant with Ninjas jumping out at random times and a ninja magic show
Lockdown: Where you are put in prison and have your drinks and food that are bloody or weird smoky type drinks. They had the weirdest show mid dinner with a panda, a man dressed as a swan in tights, a zebra head man, and policeman running around trying to arrest them.
#9 THAT THIS HAPPENED:
Free costumes, no waiver to sign, no special permission, no test, no money up front even, just show your international drivers license and off you go for a few hours wherever you want in the city.
#10 Festivals & Parades
Lighting Festival
Annual Festival at the shrine behind our house
Everybody does these dances all together around this square. The drum beats the rhythm and most people know the simple moves but you can also watch the dance leaders on the upper platform.
Archery/Horse Riding Contest and Festival
Taiko Drummers and Geisha Parade
(Drummers were cool but Geisha Parade was the slowest parade in the history of the planet!)
Shibuya Festival
Meiji Shrine Grand Festival
#11 Incredible Cultural Sites and Experiences and Beautiful Scenery
Elli learned how to create and perform a traditional story telling art called Kamishibai.
Getting our fortunes! Left: Shake box, turn over, and a chopstick with a number will come out. The number coordinates with a classic poem of sorts that will reveal your fortune.
Right: Put in a coin, get a fortune. If its bad, you can tie it to a line at the temple so you can have that fortune go away. Some fortunes are really NOT good. Poor Laura!
Nikko, Kyoto, Nara, Miyajima, and Hiroshima:
AMAZING places: here are just a few of the pics from these trips
Kyoto
Nara
Miyajima and Hiroshima
Tori gates (kyoto and Miyajima)- As I understand, in the shinto religion, their purpose is to divide our world from the spiritual one ,so you can be connected better with the spiritual world within areas marked by the tori gates. Multiple gates are bringing you closer to holiness with each one. The writing on these tori gates show those who donated them to show their gratitude
Sensoji Buddhist Temple
Original "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys! in Nikko
Ninja reenactment and Ninja trick house
Mt Nokogiri
Tsukiji Market : Biggest wholesale Fish Market in the World
Shibuya- CRAZY amount of people pass here all day and night!
Snow Monkeys in Nagano
Mt. Tateyama
Spring and Fall
Cherry Blossoms
Wisteria
Mt. Fuji
#12 The Toilet/Poop Exhibit! and other great museums!
Poop Exhibit: Poop hats, singing toilets, different kinds of poop, and a huge comode that you get flushed (slide) down into so you can see where poop travels -- What more could you want!
Roppongi Hills Mori Museum Special Exhibit
Poop Exhibit: Poop hats, singing toilets, different kinds of poop, and a huge comode that you get flushed (slide) down into so you can see where poop travels -- What more could you want!
(this was a special exhibit in Odaiba)
Cup of Noodle Musuem
The Toy Museum
Edo Tokyo Museum
Odaiba Museum of Emerging Sciences:
Special Exhibit Floating flower garden (would raise up when you walked under)
and special Pixar exhibit another time
National Science Museum
Tokyo Fukugawa Edo Museum
Ghibli Museum
#13 My Music & Story Time class
I really enjoyed teaching a music and story time class at a local library. I taught twice a week. It was free for anyone who came to the library. I met a lot of japanese ladies and their little kids this way. In Japan, women get a whole year for maternity leave and they still get a paycheck the whole time.
#14 My bike
So I will be super overdramatic here and say that one of the hardest things I have had to do is say goodbye to this awesome electric powered bike. It had a motor that would give me an assist and it allowed me to have all my kids on the bike with me. We would bike all over the city and the girls stayed so much happier in it than on long metro rides. Sienna would say Woo Hoo so often riding along that I wouldn't even need to ring my bell. It was so freeing to be riding along singing songs and just seeing the sights all around Tokyo together.
#15 Visitors
We were also super blessed to have a lot of visitors in Tokyo
and it was so wonderful to share that together.
#16 ALL MY FABULOUS FRIENDS
]
Our amazing helper and friend and adopted family member Jenny (definitely missing her!)
Bye Japan! We won't miss your crowds ....
But we will miss you!
I am super grateful for such an amazing home for two years and now look forward to our new adventure in Myanmar.
Hello Myanmar Post coming soon...
2 comments:
That was a really awesome post! What a wonderful 2 years! I'm so glad I got to experience a glimpse of it in visiting you!
Heather -
This is such an amazing blog post - - what a wonderful way to capture some of the very best of 2 amazing years there! Thanks SO much for sharing it with us!!! You and Todd and girls have been so blessed with all your wonderful experiences, and we're so grateful we got to share a bit in them!
Much love! mom and dad Woody
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