Japan 2013

Japan!

I am so happy that I got to go to Japan this last month with some of my family!  I am so grateful to my parents and Casey for making this happen.  Dad let me use miles so that I could fly there.  Casey turned 16 and when each of the kids turn 16 we get to go to Japan!  We also get to pick a friend to take and he picked me!  What a sweetheart!  I had the best time ever!

On the flight over, we flew over part of Alaska.  This is what I believe are a bunch of glaciers formed close together.  This was awesome to see.

Of course when we got to the subway station there was sign of amazing Japanese technology.  They have touch screens for their vending machines.  Not only that, but they have hot soup for a couple of the options in the machine.  I am always amazed.

Casey and I had a challenge to see who could find the most awkward english while we were there that week.  This was a pretty good one that I saw on the 1st day.

The Nakafujisans are some of my favorite people ever.  Eikosan is always so happy!  I want to be like her.  They are always spoiling me when I visit.

The Nakafujisans always have these amazing oranges sitting in their home waiting for me.  He goes out  and get them especially for me because he knows I love them.  It is like $3 an orange.  These are amazing and worth it!

You might think this is a bad pic because my dad and Nakafujisan aren't  even looking but this is actually a picture of Cody.  I was so surprised to see him in the train station(;-))  haha.  We saw all sorts of Cody's(my most Japanese looking sibling) while we were there.

I love love love the food there. I think eating is what we do best in Japan. This is one of my favorites.  It is called mochi dango.  Yummm!

This bakery is one of many that excite me in Japan!

You just can't get pork this good in the U.S.

These are a must when you go to Japan.  It is called Beard Papa.  A pastry with an amazing cold custard inside.

These are takoyaki.  Deep fried batter with pieces of octopus in a ball shape.  I was craving this one!

You also have to have good noodles in Japan. Soba!

And all these meals are why I am running 5 miles a day now.  It was so worth it!

My mom and I went walking in a park that used to be a 18hole golf course.  When we lived in Japan my mom would bring us to this park all the time.  We found this cute flower at the park.  My mom said this is the flower she used to make flower tiaras out of when she was a little girl.

Eikosan always over feeds us when we go visit them.  She fed us gyoza and onigiri for breakfast while we were there.  Jeff would have loved it because it was dinner for breakfast.

This sushi restaurant that my dad's client, Tanakasan owns is the best sushi ever!  They started us off with cooked butter fish(1st time having it and loved it).  I think the sushi I loved was called Ootoro which is a specially done sashimi tuna.  It was $15 for this one piece below! Some of the stuff was alive right in front of us.

My dad said that this chocolate place is very popular in Tokyo.  People form lines going clear out of the store for this chocolate around valentines day.  It is $4 for a piece of chocolate like the ones you get in those assorted chocolate boxes!  I just got a slice of cake from there that was so delicious.  Had to try it!

My dad's client's driver came and picked us up from the hotel and took us around Tokyo a bit before he brought us to my dad's clients beautiful home in Yokohama.

His home was amazing!  We had an amazing dinner served by his 2 maids.

It is so fun because I think each course is presented so pretty!

This was another amazing restaurant that my dad's client, Suzukisan sent us to.  It was all tempura and it was all done right in front of us.

This is the old Tokyo train station.  It is huge and a really neat building.  It is right next to the emperor's palace.

Casey was excited to see downtown tokyo on a friday night.  It is too crazy for me.  Probably the most people gathered in one area ever!

We went to watch a J-League soccer game.  It was so fun because all the fans are constantly cheering or jumping or singing.  It is amazing! I bought Jared a jersey from this game and he has been wearing it just about every other day.

This is how to find your way around the place!  It was very helpful since the building are so tall so you have no idea what direction you are going ever!

We ended our trip on another great meal and a weird bathroom sign.

This was an amazing trip but I was so glad to come home to my boys!  They had so much fun with cousins and dad in california so they didn't miss me too much!