Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends around the world.  We love you, we miss you and we wish you a Happy and Healthy Holiday season.

Happy Birthday, Emperor Akihito

Today we went with a group of people to visit the Imperial Palace to celebrate Emperor Akihito's Birthday.  The gates to the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace are usually closed to the public and only open twice a year, once for the Emperor's Birthday and on January 2 for the New Year's greetings.

We met at the gates of base to walk to the Higashi-Fussa train station, this was great for us, since we had yet experienced the train system in Japan.  It was pretty quiet for a Friday morning, but this is a smaller station.

I wish I could tell you what train and train line we took to what stations but it's all a blur for me.  I think that, aside from the language, mastering the train system will be my biggest challenge.  The train system is so extensive and some of the stations are so massive and busy that it can be very intimidating and confusing.

We finally arrived at the Tokyo Station and it was a few blocks to the Imperial Palace.  "A" got a little tired trying to keep up with the rest of the group.  She was the only child except for a baby who was being carried in a backpack by his mother, but she did great.  

We made it to the grounds of the Imperial Palace and went through the security check points.  As we went through they handed out paper flags of Japan.  Remember what they look like, it'll be part of a test later.

We crossed over the Nijubashi bridge and came to the main gates where we were greeted (kinda) by the Imperial Palace guards.

Then it was onwards to the grounds of the Imperial Palace to await the arrival of Emperor Akihito and his family.  Doesn't look too bad, huh?  Just wait.  We arrived early.

So we got somewhat close to the balcony.

Remember the Japanese flag?  Well, when the Emperor arrived this is what happened.

Finally, the man of the hour was present and he said a few words to the audience.  I'm sure they were kind words but I'm just going by the crowd's reaction, since it was entirely in Japanese.  It was great to see the Emperor and some of the royal family.

I especially enjoyed seeing the Empress Michiko, she looks so sweet.

Remember how empty the grounds looked in the beginning?  Well, it grew...a lot.  Here we are being a part of the mass exodus once the Emperor's speech was over.  What no birthday cake?

Then we walked around for a bit.

Here is one of the turrets of Edo Castle, I'm not sure but it may be the Fujimi Yagura turret.  I would like to learn more by coming back and taking our time to walk around the gardens and Imperial grounds that are open to the public year around.

Here is Doug & "A" showing their Japan pride.

And here is the group we went with.  This was not an official tour.  The gentleman standing above Doug works on base but spent some time as a teenager living in Japan.  So he was kind enough to take a group of us to see the Imperial Palace.  Can't go wrong with a free cultural tour.

Finally, we exited the grounds to go find some lunch.  Here we are on one of the palace bridges.  Which one?  I have no clue.  I REALLY need to return once I educate myself on the topic.

Walking back to the train station we had to circumnavigate the palace grounds.  Along the way Doug took pictures he thought were interesting like a sign with some information and a statue of a past emperor, I think.

We finally made it to the train station.  Poor "A", she was running the entire time to keep up with the long-legged adults.  Good thing the train was empty when we got on and she got to sit and relax for a bit.  Another good thing, the trains seats were heated!!! Awesome, because it was cold!

So, where did we go to grab lunch?  Only to the busiest train station in the world, Shinjuku.  You heard me, BUSIEST IN THE WORLD!  It looked pretty quiet outside.   Maybe everyone was partying at the emperor's house.

Our guide wanted to take us to a little hole in the wall yakitori restaurant.  Here's the street it was on.

Because we had a large group, the restaurant put us upstairs where there were a bunch of tables.  Here's the stairs leading to the second floor.  Oh, and by the way, since it was winter and pretty cold they also used the roof as extra refrigeration.  We saw it happen!

The yakitori was excellent, but if you clicked on the hot link I provided about yakitori you would know that they use many parts of the chicken.  Seeing that this is a real yakitori restaurant and not one that caters to gaijin, we had full-on authentic yakitori.  I know for a fact we had the tsukune.  I'm just glad that everyone ate it and no one questioned what it was.  It was good, some of it was chewier than others but still good.  "A" ate it and chowed down all of the edamame that was given to the group.

This is the poor lady that had to cook ALL the food in the restaurant.  She was also our waitress.  Behind her are the stairs that led to the second floor where they banished us.

It was a great experience, one that I hope to do again one day.  The Imperial Palace grounds and Shinjuku station each deserves an entire day alone to be explored.  I think Shinjuku needs more.  Can't wait to do it.  Until the next time and before I forget...

Shiawasena tanjobi, ten'no Akihito

Happy Birthday, Emperor Akihito

Look who's 6 years old!

We celebrated "A" turning six this week.  *sigh*  She's not a baby, not even a toddler anymore.  She's a young girl and it's going by fast.  At rare moments I can still see the baby she once was but it's usually when she's asleep and quiet.  HA!

On Sunday, December 11, we had a birthday party at the bowling alley on base.  It was great and stress free since the bowling alley has a private room for the party with pizza & drinks included in the party package.  The only thing I did was make the birthday cupcakes and the goody bags.

"A" invited a few friends from school and they enjoyed an hour of bowling and another hour of eating and goofing off.

On her actual birthday,  I made cupcakes and brought them to class.  "A" got to wear the "birthday hat" in class and everyone sang her a birthday song.

Finally, at night we celebrated a quick birthday dinner when Daddy got home from work and we sang Happy Birthday with the last three cupcakes of the day.  I'll have to rethink cupcakes, they are losing the battle against the candles.  :(

Happy Birthday, sweetheart.  We love you so much.

Yokohama

December had us signing up for our fourth ITT tour, this time to Yokohama.  We are trying to keep it to 2 tours a month.  There are so many great trips and Japan is so big, I feel like we are hardly seeing anything.  Yokohama is between two to three hours away from Yokota AB.  I believe it is the second largest city by population.  First is Tokyo.  Duh.  Remember, if you want more info click on the hot link.

It's really nice taking a tour by bus.  I know a lot of people don't like to do it because you are on a time schedule but for me it's more relaxing and I can look out the window and gaze at the scenery.  I guess I could do it if we drove, since Doug usually drives but at least in the bus he can relax and watch the scenery too.  Here is our view from the bus crossing over the bridge into Yokohama.

See that long needle like thing in the middle of the photo below?  That's the Tokyo SkyTree, it is the newest broadcasting tower in Tokyo and displaces Tokyo Tower as the city's tallest structure.  I believe it's the tallest tower in the world or so Wikipedia says.  It opens to the public next May and will have an observation deck to view the city and is surrounded by all types of shops down below.

After crossing over the bridge into Yokohama, we stopped at a popular rest stop.  It's got bathrooms and little snack stores and the day we were there, a mini car show.  Doug was getting ideas for a future car purchase.  Yeah, right.

I believe Santa needs to leave this under the tree for me.

So after everyone got done drooling at cars that none of us could afford, we drove on to our first official stop, Yokohama Chinatown.  I thought chinatown's were an American thing, but Yokohama Chinatown is a very popular attraction for both locals and tourists.  Here is the Gate marking the entrance into Chinatown.

Need a policeman's help?  Good Luck, I don't know how many can actually fit into their small police station!

Of course, why does anyone go to any Chinatown?  THE FOOD!  Yokohama Chinatown is mostly made up of hundreds of Chinese eateries, from full-scaled restaurants to street-side vendors.  I love seeing the hanging meats outside Chinese restaurants and butchers.

After eating lunch at a sit down restaurant and paying way too much for char siu, we walked around to see what else made up Yokohama Chinatown.  From the photo below, it's restaurants and people.

However, there were a few temples.  I'm assuming they are Chinese temples but I really don't know.

As we headed back to the bus, "A" and I wanted a snack.  Despite the cold she got herself a snow cone & I got some bubble tea.  Yum.

Our next stop was by the harbor to take a one hour tour of Yokohama Bay.  "A" was very excited to take a boat ride.  For someone who gets carsick and plane sick she does great on boats.

Here is the view of Yokohama from the boat tour entrance.

Once on the boat you could relax upstairs at little plastic tables with the sun beating down on top of you creating a greenhouse like atmosphere.  No.

Or head downstairs where there are large sofas and you can sit and have snacks and drinks.  

Yes, Please.

We sat back had light refreshments and enjoyed the view of Yokohama Bay.

I have no idea what bridge this is.  Remember Japan is an island and there are a lot of harbors and ports  and bridges.  Let me know if you can tell me which bridge this is and if you want to be called a know-it-all.

It was a beautiful day and we had a great boat ride.  After, we walked a few blocks to the Yokohama Landmark Tower.  According to my friend, Wikipedia, it is the largest building and the third largest structure in Japan.  There are a lot of tall buildings here.

Yokohama Landmark Tower has the world's second fastest elevator.  It took us from the ground level to the 69th floor observation deck in just a few seconds.  The best part is you barely felt it moving.  The worst part is they pack you into it like sardines.  I would hate to get stuck in that elevator.  So we made it to the top and were greeted by spectacular views.

Here is looking towards Yokohama Bay...

And here is looking towards Tokyo.  That tall mountain on the upper right corner is Mt. Fuji.  That mass of concrete on the lower two thirds?  Well, that's the typical Japan metropolis.  Small town, huh?

There are also little photo op displays around the observation deck.  I'm pretty sure these are popular Japanese cartoons. "A" didn't care, she just liked trying on stuff and posing for pictures.

Yokohama Landmark Tower also houses a hotel, offices, restaurants and a shopping mall.  Since it was close to Christmas they had it decked out.

After leaving Landmark Tower, we boarded the bus to head back home to Yokota AB.  It was a long day but lot's of fun.  Once again, it's nice taking a bus tour because we could all close our eyes and sleep all the way home.

Until our next adventure...