Japan Adventure 4

Please, please, please come back and visit when I have uploaded pictures! I have some really great ones to add...

The last few days have been absolutely delightful (is that me talking?) Wednesday we hung around here , the Yokohama Bay. I really like this area! Right outside one door is the bay with neat bridges and right outside the other door is an amusement park (I thought the kids had enough of that, but no!). Everywhere else is shopping, shopping and more shopping! I even found a Tiffany & Co. merely steps away. The kids relished in playing with their goods in the hotel room for about 3 hours, we all needed the relaxation. Poor Daddy still working...Soap Box Monologue Ahead: It dawned on me while playing with the kids at DisneySea that I really have nothing to complain about, even when the kids are annoying me, I still get to have all the fun while hubby works. That night we met up with daddy for Shabu-Shabu, which is a pot in the middle of the table and you boil all your veggies and meat and dip them in sauces, Japans version of fondue.

Yesterday was the best day yet! I had been emailing La Fuji Mama for a couple of months. Well, yesterday we met up and had an instant bond! Seriously, everything we brought up we had in common and we always had something to talk about. Get this...her parents live near my in-laws and may even know eachother...crazy! She took us to Asakusa where there is Senso-ji. I can't wait to post pictures of this place. It is a temple, pagoda and beautiful Japanese gardens. The path that leads to the temple has little stores and food stalls. It was very, very crowded but really thrilling! It is the closest thing in Tokyo to Kyoto, where much of the historic culture is. The ironic thing is...in all my research nothing ever directed us to here and this was the best place we have been to! The kids were happy once they got "to die for" ice cream cones (the soft serve is amazing here) and D got a Ninja costume and E got a kimono. "Halloween costumes? check!"

La Fuji Mama then took us to her neighborhood, since us moving here is still a possibility. I have to say...I could actually live in this area! But don't quote me on that! Her neighborhood is called Hiroo and it is the area where many of the foreign embassys are. There is a lot of European influence. Many french cafes and patisseries and chocolatiers. Things that I looked for in Paris I found here in Tokyo! The streets are tree lined and beautiful. Her apartment complex has a courtyard that houses a grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaner, hair salon and bakery. We ate lunch at a yummy noodle shop and I had Yakisoba, which is noodles that are cooked with veggies in yummy flavorings. There is a lot of noodles in soup, but I like the dryer noodle plates better. We then walked a block away to the LDS Temple, which was a thrill to me because despite traveling abroad before, this is the first foreign temple I have actually seen. Without the church I could never even think of moving here. It is so wonderful to travel far and still see the church is flourishing and the same everywhere!

It took a little longer to get back to Yokohama because we could not find an Express train, but it was a nice way for the kids to kick back and watch a movie in English on my ipod and iphone. When we made it back, Daddy was ready to take us to another exciting dinner. This time we cooked it all at our table but it was a little bbq with flaming hot coals. We ordered a set dinner and one of the meats was cow tongue...we all ate it but if you mention it to me I might just puke! The squid was really yummy, actually it was all yummy (even the tongue) because you dip it in yummy sauces. The waiter brought a blazing hot bowl to our table and made a really good fried rice. Sorry if all the details are boring you!

A big thank you to La Fuji Mama for entertaining us for the best day in Tokyo yet!

Friday is our last day here in Japan. We feel like we've seen much of Tokyo so we will stay here in Yokohama and hit the 100 yen store (everyone says they are incredible). Tomorrow we are off to Hong Kong! Thanks for reading, your comments help me feel close to home. :)