November 27, 2012: Sayonnara, Japan!

November 26, 2012

Today is my last whole day in Japan.  I slept until 11 AM this morning.  Guess I needed it.  I didn't sleep very well in Fuji.

Traveling anywhere around Tokyo is exhausting.  The train stations are huge and there are SO many people.  I will have to have several days to rest when I get back home to Houston.

I had planned to go back to the Daiso store today but it is raining too heavily.  I wanted to go into the Walmart store, too - just to check it out.

Instead I stayed in the apartment and wrote in my blog.  The blog functions to help me remember my experiences plus share them with my friends and family.

November 24, 2012

Today we left for a small town near Mount Fuji.  Kevin is running in first annual Fujisan Marathon tomorrow.

We had to do the usual bus and train transfers.  It took 2 - 3 hours to get there.  We stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel.  This was a huge cultural experience for me!

The train station was really crowded when we arrived and all the taxis had been taken.  Tomoko called the hotel and they came and picked us up.  That was great since it was around 30 degrees outside.

Kevin and I posed at the train station while we waited for our ride.

 We arrived at night so I couldn't see Mt Fuji yet.

The staff were very friendly and helpful at the hotel.  This is the entry way to our room where we left our shoes.  We used the red slippers that they supplied when we left the room. 

The room had a tatami floor.  There was a small table with 4 cushions on the floor beside it.  A lady made us some green tea.  Then we left for dinner.  Dinner and breakfast were included in the price of the room.  The hotel charged around $200 per person per night.

Kenny was just thrilled to wear his slippers.

We went into a dining room and our places were already set up with many of our dishes.  Kevin and Tomoko sat on cushions on the floor.  Kenny got a special little chair.  They made a concession for me being a foreigner (an old one, at that) and brought out a chair for me.  It was maybe 3 inches higher than Kenny's.

We were served a traditional Japanese dinner:  a large raw shrimp, raw tuna, hermit crab, sea urchin, mushroom with tofu soup plus many other dishes that were totally foreign to me.

 Tomoko enjoyed eating the delicacies that I didn't want.

After dinner we went back to the room.  Tomoko persuaded me to go with her to onsen, Japanese bath, in the hotel.  First we changed into the kimonos provided by the hotel.  The bath was on the fourth floor.  None of the other hotel guests were there.  Before entering the hot bath you are supposed to scrub yourself in the shower.  I scrubbed quickly so I could get the tub before Tomoko came in.  You have to be naked to get into the hot bath.
The bath was really hot.  I found an open window and sat next to that.  I saw Mt Fuji for the first time outlined by the moon.
Tomoko came into the tub and we soaked about 20 minutes or so.
Kevin and Kenny used the men's shower and bath.

When we got back to the room our futons were all set up for us.  I found sleeping on a futon on the tatami floor uncomfortable.  It was too hard for me.  But, I was very proud that I could get up from the floor using my new left knee.

We got up at 5:30 AM for breakfast.  We ate early so Kevin could be ready for the marathon.  Breakfast was weak green tea, salmon, miso soup, a soft boiled egg and other ?stuff.

This is the view from our room.

Kevin left for the starting line of the marathon.  Tomoko packed up their belongings and we stored our bags in the hotel lobby.
We missed seeing the start of the race.  There were 16,000 people running the full marathon and a bunch more running the half marathon.

The hotel drove us to the race headquarters.  We walked around the little town. We went to a little restaurant and had coffee and pancakes.  Then we shopped in the little souvenir shops.

The trees were beautiful around Mt Fuji in their bright fall colors. 

Kenny liked playing in the fallen leaves.

We found a place to watch the runners as they neared the finish line and got to see Kevin.  He finished the whole marathon in 3 hours and 47 minutes!

We met up with Kevin and went back to the hotel for our things.


  There were so many people who went to the marathon that the trains were very full so we took a bus back to Tokyo.  Traffic was horrible on the highway.  The trip took us over 4 hours but at least we had very comfortable seats on the bus.

November 23, 2012: Thanksgiving

Friday, the 25th is Japan's Thanksgiving day.  I helped Tomoko with the turkey.  She didn't know that the neck, liver, etc. were stuck in the turkey's cavity.  It grossed her out.

Kevin and Tomoko made the dinner themselves.  My role was only advisory.

 They just have a small oven so the turkey took a long time to cook.

 In the meanwhile we went on an excursion to a part of Tokyo that is old style Japan.  The streets were narrow and had traditional type decorations on the buildings.  Some of the stores opened right onto the street.  It was a great place for a shop-a-holic tourist.

 Kevin led us to a kimono shop where he had bought fabric gifts for me in the past.  There were loads of beautiful fabrics and trim.  I found a used haori jacket.  Haori are traditionally worn over kimonos.  This jacket actually fit me!  It's made from light coral wool fabric and only cost about $20.00.

Then we returned home to have our Thanksgiving dinner.  Kenny liked eating the turkey leg.

November 22, 2012: resting

Tomoko's Mom and I were supposed to go out shopping today.  We were both tired after our big day at Disneyland so we stayed at home.

Keiko made me a traditional dish from Osaka for lunch.  Kevin calls it a "cabbage pancake."  It reminded me of egg fu yung.  It was very good.

Keiko left at about 2 PM to take the bullet train back to Osaka.  The bullet train is very expensive but the trip would only take about 3 hours.

I walked down to the grocery store.  I was looking for some ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner.  I found some chicken soup mix, onions, oranges, bread.
Tomoko had already received the turkey through mail order.

November 21, 2012: Disneyland!

We left early for Disneyland this morning, around 8:30.  With all the bus and train transfers we arrived a bit after 10 AM.  The last train ride was nice and uncrowded.

I could see Skytree out the window.  It's in the center of this photo

Now that Kenny is walking, it's more difficult to take him on the train. 

 Kevin and Tomoko take turns entertaining him.

The train lets you off close to the park.

Disneyland was all decorated for Christmas.

Here is Kevin walking up to Cinderella's castle.

Kenny is posing with Tomoko and her Mom.  He loved Dumbo. 

I bought the Cheshire Cat hat and mittens (paws).  Kevin is wearing the Big Bad Wolf.

 We went on the Pirates of the Carribean ride.  It was a lot different than the last time I rode this in Florida (over 20 odd years ago).  The characters were made to look like the actors in the movie.  Jack Sparrow looked really cute.

We went to the Bears' Jamboree show.  It was just like I remembered it - except the bears were singing in Japanese.

The parades were spectacular.  The costumes reminded me of Cirque d'Soleil.

Kenny slept on the train ride home.  He was the only one with any energy left when we got back home.

November 20, 2012 evening

Tomoko's Mom came into Tokyo from Osaka this evening.  Tomoko and I met her at the bus and the three of us went to the daycare center to pick up Kenny.

The daycare center is in another apartment complex.  The workers are all young girls wearing these cute aprons.  When you enter the first thing you do is remove your shoes.  Kenny was in the group of one-year olds.  Kenny is the biggest baby there.  There are little tables and chairs, little sinks and little cubbyholes for their stuff.  Down the hall is a large bathroom with itty bitty toilets and urinals.  The babies start toilet training after they turn 2.

Kenny really enjoys his daycare.  They play games, eat snacks, take naps and learn skills such as removing their socks by themselves.

The next day the five of us are going to Tokyo Disneyland!!