Tokyo, Japan
This year our Thanksgiving was pretty non-conventional. We spent it in Tokyo, Japan and more importantly at the Disney Land Resort. I think that I had a bite of Turkey on Thanksgiving but I was using chopsticks and it was covered in soy sauce
We stayed in a Disney suite that had a style all Mickey!
There where two living rooms and this cute set up was in our end of town
Snuggle fest!
We spent several days roaming the streets and came across some pretty cool buildings, shopping, and fashion.
Derek's big thing he had to do this trip was get a local food known as "Ramen". Not the kind of ramen we get in the states... however even Sophia seemed to like it
In Japan they drive on the opposite side of the street and we did not take that into consideration as we were trekking about town. Bikers, walkers, and joggers were swerving out of our way and at the same time giving us odd looks as they passed. It dawned on me that we also need to be walking on the opposite side of the sidewalk.
Now in order for us to get to all of the shopping you saw from above we took the subway. Which was pretty efficient and not to difficult to figure out.
Derek making sure we are on the right track.
The women are not wearing those masks to ward off Derek's traveling stench. People all over Japan wear those masks to prevent the spreading and contracting of illnesses.
Does it actually work I have no idea.
Sophia took this shot as they were giving Derek further instruction. Nicely done and very artistic Sophia!
The Subways in Tokyo are some of the cleanest I have ever seen! Look at that floor- it shines!
So we couldn't be staying at the Disney Resort and not go to Disneyland
It was all decked out for Christmas. I also found it interesting that they play the exact same Christmas songs as we do in the states. For some reason that surprised me but I guess they are universal tunes.
You haven't seen lines until you experience Disneyland Tokyo. I am talking 30 minute lines just to get a tub of Curry popcorn... which I regrettably couldn't stand to wait for but I bet it was tasty.
We also wanted to go to the zoo because the guide book claimed it had Panda's and none of us had ever seen a panda before. So on our way there we would stop and check our directions with people on the street and we would say the word "Pandas" to convey where we were heading. It was through this tactic that people also started to mime a finger slitting a throats... in essence to say they were dead.
But we still were able to see a species called the Red Panda.
At the zoo they had clearly labeled trash bins as well. Which we found confusing. Sophia had to throw away her gum and turned to me and said, "Is gum an incombustible or combustible?" We settled on incombustible but to tell you the truth I am still not sure!
The sea otters were the life of the zoo. They would swim through these plastic tubes twirling and twisting. I wanted to take one home.
We also went to the fish market but by the time we got there most shops had closed up. Which I am more than fine with. It kept the smell to a minimum and we were able to see how people artistically painted their shop doors.
What is Japan without a Zen Garden? Above is a 300 year old pine tree. Those long poles in the picture are holding up the branches.
It was a terrific trip and many many many thanks to Sandie for letting us tag along! We enjoyed being with you guys every second. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
