Safari Land

Day two of Fletcher's birthday weekend included an exciting adventure at Safari Land.  I was really nervous about the weather because it was supposed to rain all weekend.  Fortunately, we were spared.  Safari Land is pretty cool.  It took us about 90 minutes to get there so we rented a car again.  I think we broke even with the tolls, but it was nice being able to drive over 80kmh, which is where the Toppo just about tops out. 

Let me just say that Safari Land would definitely not fly in America, the land of safety and regulations.  Probably the only reason that it works in Japan is because the Japanese always just do what they're told and never question the rules.  We drove in and were greeted by a Japanese worker who gave us an English speaker to put on the dash. It explained the different parts of the park that we drove through.  We pulled Fletcher out of his car seat and put him on our laps so he could stand up and see out of the windows.  We had the option of riding in a bus and feeding the animals, but we opted to drive ourselves so we could go at our own pace.  The animals seemed really tame and would cross the street in front of our car or sometimes stop right outside of our windows.  It was pretty amazing.

At the end of the driving tour, we were able to walk around to some of the other animals and visit a petting zoo.   Fletcher LOVED the kangaroos and got really upset when we wouldn't let him crawl around with them.  He was actually pretty excited to see all of the animals and would bang on the windows and point.  I'm excited to take him back again when he's a little bit older. 

Shimonoseki Fish Market

We started out Fletcher's birthday weekend by driving to an amazing fish market in Shimonoseki.  The highway tolls in Japan are outrageous, so we rented a car from base because the rental includes toll vouchers.  It's really worth it if you're traveling more than two-ish hours. The market used to just be a place where people could buy different types of seafood, but it has turned into a sushi lover's dream.  It's very similar to Seattle's Pike Place.  The market is located right on the water, with a boardwalk and dozens of vendors.  You can get all different types of fresh sushi, whole fish, fried goodies, snails, octopus, etc.  It's super cool and we had the opportunity to try a lot of new things.  My favorite was fried scallop on stick.   Jesse's favorite was, of course, giant piece of raw salmon.  After checking out the vendors, we cruised down the boardwalk and saw a dancing monkey on a leash (slightly sad).  We were going to check out the aquarium but it was super expensive.  Also, when we went into the lobby, there was a whale skeleton with an explanation of how they captured and killed the whale (#wearen'tinAmericaanymore #where'sthebobbarker).

Before going back home, we stopped at the Kintai to check out the cherry blossoms again.  Pictures really don't capture how beautiful they are.  After seeing the Japanese cherry blossoms and going to Hanami parties, I feel silly for getting so excited about the DC cherry blossoms.  We ate a few snacks, had a few drinks, and of course got Fletcher some ice cream.  I can't remember if I blogged last summer about Japanese ice cream but it's SO GOOD! The park is beautiful and it's fun watching Japanese kids play tag and run through the fountains.  It was the perfect start to a perfect birthday weekend!