Better late than never? We met up with the Pughs over Memorial Day weekend and took a trip to Tokyo. It was awesome! We decided to take the shin instead of flying, but next time I think we'll fly. It only took about five hours to get there, but it's a challenge to get a one year old to sit still for that long. We took many walks up and down the aisle to meet new friends. The good thing about the shin is that we arrived right at the subway station, and were able to take the subway right to the apartment that we rented. Flying would have actually taken a lot longer. We were even able to drop off our luggage at the apartment, walk around, and grab lunch and drinks before the Pughs arrived.
We stayed in a neighborhood next to Roppongi (party district), and it was absolutely beautiful. Cute stores, great bars, and restaurants lined the cobblestone streets. It was great fun for us, and super kid friendly for Fletcher and Teddy.
Later that evening, we walked over to the Tokyo Tower. It was pretty neat-o and quite tall. It was just like any other tower you'd visit in a large city.
Unfortunately, after two months, I can no longer remember the names of the places we visited. We spent the following day exploring and eating. It was nice to be able to walk around and find food and drinks that we really miss and can't get in Iwakuni. We also found a thrift store that had lots of donated 80s style American clothing. I'm pretty sure the Japanese think this is a current trend.
These are photos of us standing in the middle of the busiest intersection in the world. Since it was about 9am on a Sunday, it wasn't so busy. But I can see how rush hour during a weekday could be quite hectic.
The rest of the day was spent walking, eating, and exploring. We found a great park, Harajuku street, and lots of shopping!
The morning of our last day, we ventured out to the Tokyo Fish Market. We thought it would be really impressive since it's in Tokyo, but we think the market in Shimonoseki is much better. There weren't anywhere near as many vendors or sushi options. We did end up getting fresh wasabi root and a real wasabi grater.
It was another amazing Japanese adventure, shared with great friends!