My Backyard

Here all the shots of Tokyo with the family. We saw everything there was to see in Tokyo... at least all we could cram in. It was nice to be reminded of all the weird things about Japan that have now kinda sorta become normal for me and I don't notice anymore. I know- scary desho! But it was also nice to be reminded of all the small, awe-inspiring things about Japan that I now take for granted too. Plus, playing a tourist in your own city is fun! I visited places with my family that I had never even been too, in 2 years of living here!



We took a river cruise down the Sumida River in Tokyo which went under 11 bridges. There's really nothing at all remarkable about the bridges, so I swear the tour guide kept saying stuff like, "Now here is the red bridge." And that was it. Nothing left to say. Then, "and here if you look ahead you will see the blue bridge." Which, the blue bridge looked not that different from the red bridge, or the green bridge, or the orange bridge for that matter. So... the bridges weren't astounding, but seeing Tokyo from water was quite nice, nonetheless.



Me and mom on the river. The boat trip ended at a port, so from there we walked to a beautiful Japanese style garden, Hamarikyu. 30 minutes before closing the park we make it to the entrance and the Japanese worker looks at us like, "uh, yeah, you know you only have 30 minutes to see the park, right??" We said, yeah, fool, we know. Just let us into the park! It was dusk and no one was left at the park so we had it all to oursleves to sit and enjoy the view.



This was my family's last day spent in Tokyo. It was a great day, nice weather, lots of walking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company. You come to realize, with people you love, you can do anything and somehow it's fun. Just a walk, a chat, and a sunset is far better than any other entertainment you could buy!

Aquarium Life

There's an aquarium in Osaka... who knew it was popular?! I seriously thought it was gonna be lame, and it cost 2000 yen, so I was a little sceptical. In the end it turned out to be amazing! It had been YEARS since I last went to an aquarium and this one did not disappoint. We saw a sweet same (shark) but it's actually a whale shark, which was cool. Then we saw some crabs, lil teeny guys that could climb up the side of rocks, even with water cascading down on them from a waterfall. Amazing! These two crabs were even escaping from their enclosure!! Crazy, crazy. There were also penguins, dolphins, otters, seals, deep sea crabs, rays, turtles... just to name a few.

Here are a few pics... enjoy!






and of course.... the beautiful family outside the aquarium at the Osaka Port at sunset.

A few more randoms...

Kitty in Kyoto



View from a train window.



My school boys cycling away from the ALT to avoid painful conversation in English.



Fushimi Inari on a breezy day.



Blue skies.

Firsts in Kansai

Well... I couldn't avoid Kansai forever. FINALLY, this week I visited Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara with my family. And heck, it's summer vacation, so a girl's gotta take advantage of that, right?!

The trip was great for me- I got to discover (along with family) all the beautiful temples and the tranquility of Kyoto, the beauty of Himeji Castle, the bustle and the aquatic life of Osaka and grandeur (read: BIG Buddha) of Nara. I'm so glad I got to see it for the first time with my family... here's the week's best shots.

Welcome to Kyoto...



Our first day in Kyoto we dedicated to temples. Uh, which is good, because Kyoto is pretty much temples, and more temples. Beginning with Ginkakuji, we headed to the northeastern side of Kyoto to see a beautiful temple, set over water, nestled in a park up on a hill. From there you could see out over the city. The zen gardens around the temple were meticulously created and showed such attention to detail. A beautiful begin to a great city.



While in Kyoto, we also went to see some Japanese performing arts at a Kabuki Theatre. On the way we got a little hot and decided to cool off. We certainly got a couple of looks from the neighbors, but I don't think you coulda pulled us out of the cool stream for anything. Except maybe ice cream.

We also visited Kiyomizudera, which was actually my favorite temple of Kyoto. It is a short walk away from the busy streets of Kyoto, but all of a sudden, you're at the temple, you look out, and you realize you are completely surrounded by trees. It was really, realy beautiful. So simple in design yet the location made it stunning.



Kiyomizudera with my new friend Satoru-kun. He was hilarious.



Another one of my favorites was Fushimi shrine. It's a ways out of central, touristy Kyoto, thus less crowded and just as beautiful. There is a 4 hour hike which is lined with the red tori gates the entire time. If you've seen the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" you've seen these red gates. On the hike up I even ran into two friends. From Tokyo! What a crazy small world.



Gotta was those hands!

My family said the city they loved most was Kyoto. I tried to get them to say Tokyo, but they just couldn't be bought. Booo. Oh well. I must admit, Kyoto, being the former capitol of Japan for more than a thousand years, kinda has a one-up on Tokyo. No matter, though. I still love it!

I'll be sure to post on Osaka, Himeji, and Nara soon. Not to mention more Tokyo pics. I'm back on blogging track, and with the sweltering heat keeping me inside, I'll probably have plenty of time to blog!

Love from Nihon!