Japan: May 2015

We were finally going to Japan!!! Even better, we were going to be meeting Javier’s parents! It just so happened that we were all arriving within a few hours of each other and we all left from Seoul. Javier’s parents had a layover in Seoul where his mother, Lourdes loved walking around all of the shops. As she said, the whole airport is like one big mall!

We arrived in Japan in the evening, and had a few hours to wait until Javier’s parents arrived. We had our first meal of soba and udon. We were happy. We walked around the international terminal looking at all of the goodies. In any other country, I would probably call it souvenirs and garbage, but in Japan everything is so cute and packaged so nicely, you just can’t call it garbage. 

His parents finally arrived, and it was so great to see them! In Japan, just about everyone is polite and quiet, so the airport is surprisingly quiet. When Javier’s parents came around the corner, we all started yelling and cheering. Everyone stopped and stared. There were problems with the metro, so we took a bus and a cab to arrive at our hotel. Everyone was tired from a long travel day, so it was straight to bed.

We spent the next day seeing some sights, but also taking care of some business. The hotel offered a buffet breakfast, it was a little more than Javier and I were comfortable spending, but Victor insisted that he was on vacation, and was therefore going to eat as many buffet breakfasts as he could, and kindly treated us.

After we ate until we were stuffed, we walked to the nearest train station to activate our rail passes. One the way there, we enjoyed the sights of the city. Everything was so clean. This is one of the things I love most about Japan. It’s so CLEAN!! It took us a while to arrive at our destination, since we had to stop every few feet for pictures 🙂 As it turned out, only some of the stations can activate the passes, so we had to take a short ride to Tokyo station. We had to go to one place to activate our passes and then walk across the hall to another place where Javier and I spent the next hour or so with the ticket girl and reserved just about all of our seats for the next two weeks. It was a grueling process, but the girl was so nice, patient and helpful. I just love Japan. Javier’s parents wandered around the station, and when we were finished we all walked to get some lunch. 

Afterward, everyone was a little tired, so we jumped on the next hop-on/hop-off bus and toured Tokyo for a couple of hours. We got off at a few stops, including Tokyo Tower. We exited and walked around for a bit, when we decided to get back on the bus, there was a line. The next bus came and not many people got off, so only a few were able to get on. We were told the next bus would arrive in 10-15 minutes. I decided to use the restroom while we waited, I figured I had enough time. When I returned, the bus was already there, much earlier than stated. Apparently, everyone was on the bus and they were ready to go, and my people told them to wait for me. I think the workers tried to say they needed to go, but from what I was told, it got loud, and they were all very adamant that we were told at least 10 minutes and it had only been 3. Well, they won, and I think the girl was a little bit afraid of them afterward. 

We hopped off at our stop, Ginza. It was a Sunday and the street was closed to traffic. We walked the famous Ginza street, where we spotted a stuffed lama in a window, and a beautifully dressed young lady wearing a green kimono. Both Victor and Lourdes asked to take pictures with her, and she was kind enough to oblige.

Victor and Lourdes know that I love shabu-shabu, and said they wanted to treat us for dinner. We found a place in Ginza, and once sitting, were greeted by this funny little older lady. She was going to be our server for the night, and didn’t speak a word of English. We got by with our order and one-by-one, she brought everything out.

Victor and Lourdes make friends with everyone, everywhere they go, even if they don’t speak the same language. Before we knew it, they were all laughing together, having a great time. Once the woman brought out the meat, she showed us how to cook it. She pulled out a piece and dipped it into the water. She then started swished it back and fourth three times saying, “Shabu, shabu, SHABUUUU!” She pulled out a perfectly cooked piece of beef and handed it to Victor, who she endearingly referred to as, Daddy. She then took another piece of meat and, a little quickly this time, repeated the process. “Shabu, Shabu, SHABU!!” When she pulled out the meat, it was still a little pink, so everyone at the table kept chanting, “Shabu, shabu, SHABU!” She quickly put the meat back in the water and chanted a few more “Shabus” before pulling out the meat and handing it to Lourdes, who she called, Mama. We were all laughing at the experience, and our waitress covered her mouth and she laughed with us. It was a great time. We all had a lot of fun, and it lasted for 2 HOURS! By the time we left it was after 10pm. We walked back home and discovered that our neighborhood was…colorful, shall we say. There were strip clubs and other questionable shops. In other cities, we may have felt in danger, but in Japan, we thought it was entertaining. 

The next morning we were up early to catch a train to Mt. Fuji. We were going to the Shibazakura festival. Shibazakura are a type of cherry blossom that grows on the ground rather than trees. My friend and former roommate from college, Megumi, lives a couple of hours drive from Fuji, and had never been, so we were planning on meeting her and going together. We took a 3 hour train ride to one station, where we had to get off and take a private train to our final destination. The private trains were small old trains with some painted in the image of ‘Thomas the Train’ and others, cartoon Mt. Fujis. It was pretty cute. We were probably the last ones out of the station, again, many pictures. And there was Megumi, waiting for us. After introductions, we decided to grab some breakfast since we hadn’t really eaten anything. Afterward, we all hopped on the bus to take us to the festival. The flowers were gorgeous. Pinks, purples, whites, all in different patterns, creating pictures from above.

We walked around, ate snacks from the different vendors and took lots and lots of pictures. Megumi and I found malasadas, which took us back to our days in Hawaii. There is a bridge at one end that is supposed to allow you to see all of the flowers with Mt. Fuji in the background. When we were there, Mt. Fuji was hiding in the clouds, and didn’t fully appear. So, we had to settle for bits and pieces of it. After a few hours, and more snacks, we lined up for the bus. All I can say is, what a difference between the way the Chinese wait in line for the bus versus the Japanese. 

We said good-bye to Megumi before getting on the private train, back to the station. While waiting for our train, we hopped into a tiny restaurant to grab some dinner. Only complaint about Japan (and it is a HUGE one) they still smoke in restaurants. It’s disgusting. This place reminded me of that unfortunate fact.

We arrived back home late. We had opted to make our trip to Fuji a day-trip, because there was virtually no hotels available because of the festival. It made for a long day. 

Another early morning, and we were off to Kyoto. We stayed close to the station, and after dropping our stuff for storage, hopped into a taxi and went to the Golden Temple. On the way there, our driver was chatting away with us. VIctor was sitting in the front seat and he and the driver became fast friends. He took us on the scenic tour, and even stopped the car (meter still running of course) explained something about Buddhism and opened up a little box, passed me a leaf, told me to grind it in my hands and smell it. I did, and it smelled good. Now, let’s get moving, shall we??

It was quite possibly the most entertaining cab ride. When we finally arrived, we walked through and enjoyed the views of the Golden Temple. We walked the grounds and tried the different types of mochi being offered by the different vendors. There was a small temple that we stopped to look at and Victor and Lourdes swung the rope to make the gong sound. Outside of the temple we ate shaved ice before jumping into another cab and driving across the city to Nishiki market. Here we sampled all sorts of pickled veggies, arare, and admired the fish, and different foods offered there. We snacked quite a bit, took pictures of both the food and those dressed in kimonos before heading to the Kiyomizu-dera temple.

The cab could only take us so far, and so we walked the uphill road, passing all the shops and admiring the men, women, boys, and girls, all dressed in kimonos. It was such a fun sight to see! The temple has several structures and pagodas all bright orange! We all washed our hands in the tsukubai (stone basin with running water and ladles used to cleanse hands and mouth) before going inside the temple. The lookout from the temple was gorgeous. Everything was so green and lush. There were trees as far as the eye could see, dotted with a few brightly colored structures here and there. I can only imagine how gorgeous it is in autumn. We walked around a bit more, watching the people pick fortunes, taking the “Love Stone” challenge, and just enjoying all the different sights.

We finished the day with a stroll through Gion. We were hoping to spot a geisha, but knew our chances were pretty slim. As we walked the old streets of the small quarter, we started getting hungry.

Deciding on a place to eat was proving to be difficult. Javier started getting hangry, and was walking ahead of the rest of us. His bad. Just as Lourdes, Victor and I were about to turn the corner, we heard a door open off to the side. When I turned to look, there she was… I’m not a connoisseur in geishas, so for all I know, she could have been a maiko (geisha in training) but she was absolutely exquisite. I had read that we were supposed to leave the geishas alone; that they are constantly harassed by tourists, and out of respect, we are not to bother them. The three of us stood in shock and stared at her open-mouthed. After she locked her door and turned to see us gaping, she gave us a small smile, slight head bow, and walked down the street. At that moment, I sort of wish I hadn’t told Victor and Lourdes the geisha “rules.” I’m sure we would have ended up with a picture. Subsequently, we just stared at her as she walked away. The best part of this whole experience was that it was just us. There was not another soul in sight. We had our own private geisha sighting! We were all giddy as we walked away. It felt like we had just seen a fabled creature…like the yeti. When we met up with Javier, we told him all about our encounter. He was really bummed out to say the least. The rest of the night passed in bliss. We had dinner in Gion and walked around Kyoto to find a dessert place. Javier’s parents wanted a coffee, and finding a decaf espresso drink proved to be impossible. 

We had stopped in many cafes before realizing they didn’t offer decaf. In one of the places we had sat down at a table before realizing this, and I had left my phone. We ended up at Starbucks as a last resort, thinking they would surly have decaf…nope. Either way, we had exhausted every other cafe in a multi-block radius, so we opted to just sit and relax for a while. While there, I realized I had lost my phone. We all tried to recall where it could have been. I thought I left it at the dinner place, but Lourdes mentioned the last cafe. Everyone was more worried about my  phone than I was. Javier and I walked back, and sure enough, there it was. I asked the hostess if they had found my phone, she opened a little drawer and with two hands presented me with my phone. I just love Japan. 

We were on the move again. This time to Hiroshima. As soon as we arrived, we stored our luggage in the lockers and headed over to the ferry for a trip to Miyajima. The ride over was short and beautiful. We could see the Miyajima shrine in the distance welcoming us. When we stepped off of the ferry, there were deer all around. A group of drunk Dutch set right off to feeding the deer and offering them beer. The deer were pretty cute, but with all semi-wild animals, we thought it better to give them their space. We walked the streets to the shrine, stopping along the way for lunch, pictures and snacks.

At the shrine, there were several school groups. It was a crowded place. After a couple of hours and lots of pictures, we headed back to Hiroshima. On the ferry with us, was one of the school groups, with all of the girls dressed like Sailor Moon. 

When we arrived at our hotel, we were pleasantly surprised that they had upgraded one of our rooms. When Javier and I originally booked, we had booked two of the same type of room. Afterward, we were told one of them was no longer available, so we booked a downgraded room for us, and gave his parents the nicer one. We were surprised to be on the same floor and even more so when we walked into our room. We thought there had been a mistake; that they had switched us.

We walked down the hall to his parent’s room, and entered to squeals of delight. They had the exact same room as us, with the same amazing view of the Hiroshima castle. The view was unlike any other we had experienced, and his parent’s were so excited. 

We decided to go ahead and check out the WWII museum. On the walk there, we passed by the former Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce. The skeleton of the building remains, showing the devastation. From what we read, the building survived because it was almost directly below the epicenter of the bomb. The pressure exerted on the building was down rather than from the side, allowing for a partial collapse of the building.

The museum is very well done. While I’m glad we went, It was such a sad experience. What these innocent people endured is nothing short of a horror story. There are many accounts you can read and listen to describing people’s experiences, losses, and torment. There are pictures of before and after, as well as clothing and other objects that were found and gathered, so family members could have something by which to remember their loved ones. It was heartbreaking. I cried several times throughout and after. They also had information of long term affects. How people who survived, lived seemingly normal lives for years before their hair started falling out, or cancer settled in. I kept reading, and hating, the name “Little Boy” thinking it was such a benign name for something so horrific, and to think Nagasaki experienced, “Fat Man” which is a fairly good comparison when describing the difference between the two bombs, and the power they possess. I know war is war, but I left the museum feeling helpless, heartbroken, and furious at my country. 

The walk home was somber. We stopped at the war memorial, which felt very different than when we stopped by before entering the museum. We decided to stop and just sit in the park for a bit. I think we all needed a debriefing of sorts. 

On the way home, we took a different route and walked through one of the arcades looking for a spot for dinner. We ate, took some silly pictures in a photo booth, which lifted our spirits, and finally ended our long, emotional day. 

We gave Lourdes and Victor the option to come with us on a day trip, or to have a free day. We had been on the go since they arrived, and thought they may need a rest day. Javier and I were off to the Kawachi-Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu. This was the one place in Japan that I wanted to see, and I was a little sad when I read conflicting stories on whether the wisteria were in bloom or if it had already passed. It was a bit of a journey to get there, so we gave Javier’s parents the facts, and they opted to stay and have a free day… I wish they would have come with us. They would have loved the garden. Yes, some of the wisteria were starting to dry up, namely the purple flowers, but the pink and white were in full bloom.

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The gardens are private, and the owners have created tunnels in which the wisteria grow over, making the whole place look absolutely magical. The white flowers were especially fragrant, which only added to the magic. While we were there, we saw a group of Japanese children. They all wore little hats and held hands. They were too cute. When they sat to eat their lunches, Javier watched in awe as these little guys pulled out their chopsticks and ate with the precision and masterfulness Javier can only dream of. 🙂

Getting to and from Kawachi-Fuji gardens was not easy. We skipped the shuttle on the way there because it was just taking too long. Instead we grabbed another couple and asked if they wanted to split a cab, which they did. On the way back however, we weren’t in a hurry, so we waited for the shuttle. Javier made friends with the little ladies behind us, who ended up going into the little shop, buying ice-cream sandwiches, and offering one to Javier. 

When we arrived back at the hotel, Javier’s parents were out on the town, so we threw on our running shoes and decided to go for a run around the castle grounds. It was lovely run, indeed. 

At his point, we had reached our furthest destination, and were heading back to Tokyo. We stopped in Osaka for the day. While exiting the train station, we heard music with a panflute. Nothing says Andean music like a panflute. Javier and his parents were drawn-in. There was a man in front of the station playing his Peruvian music for the people. We stopped, listened and waited until he finished. Javier’s parents were the most boisterous when it came to cheering for the man. 🙂 Victor approached him and they chatted for a while. Turns out, the man was Peruvian and has been living in Japan for many years.

After checking into our pink hotel, we visited Osaka castle where we took silly pictures wearing samurai headgear. There was a little old man letting people wear his costumes and take pictures in front of the castle. When we tried to give him a tip, as we were accustomed to with this sort of thing, he absolutely refused. He was just there to brighten people’s day, that’s it. 

We took a different route home, which took us past a temple, and through the palace grounds. We saw a beagle puppy, which just melted my heart and made me miss my beagle. 

Once we arrived at our stop, we decided to stay underground, and learned that Osaka has a huge underground mall. We stopped in at a place that has all sorts of different flavored Kit-Kats. Of course, we bought a few. We couldn’t decide where to have dinner, and settled on Japanese bbq, but not before checking out a Peruvian place. Yes, there was a Peruvian restaurant in Osaka. Unfortunately for the Alvarez clan, there was a party going on, so the whole place was reserved. 🙁

We had been given free passes to an observation deck upon check-in, and even though we were all pretty tired, we decided to check it out anyway. We were able to walk around the roof of the building to get a 360 panoramic view of Osaka.

The place was lit using backlights, and there were splatters of paint on the ground and walls, making it look like little stars. We had fun, and enjoyed the views before calling it a night. 

The following morning, we took the train to Yugawara. As a side note…traveling in Japan, while expensive, is a glorious experience. The trains are clean, efficient, and on time. The stations are easy to navigate, and if you’re confused about something, the people are always willing to help. From our destination station, we had to take another small local train. From there, we were advised to hop on a bus to our ryokan (traditional Japanese housing), in Kamata. We arrived to a small, old home in the middle of the trees and hills. A man greeted us down the road, and helped with our luggage. At the entrance, we were greeted by a very sweet woman who had us remove our shoes and put on the house slippers. After showing us to our room, she gave us a tour of the place. There was an indoor and outdoor onsen. The indoor onsens change during the day so that both men and women can experience both. They note the change by hanging either a red or blue flag at the door to indicate whose turn it is. The outdoor onsens are private. There is a small wooden partition separating the two, and each has a rinsing area and stone pool. The onsens only have three walls, allowing for beautiful views of the forest while you relax in the pool. The four of us returned to our room to change into our yukatas and enjoy our welcome tea and mochi, before heading back to the onsen.

Victor and Lourdes enjoyed one, while Javier and I the other. It was so peaceful and beautiful and HOT! We could only last for so long before it was just too warm. We spent the rest of the day relaxing. There was only one office-type room that had wifi, which I thought was nice. I enjoy being disconnected from the outside world every now and then. 

For dinner we met in the adjoining room, where we sat on the floor and proceeded to eat what Javier likes to call, our “Fear Factor dinner.” Our host brought our food, explained what everything was, and visited with us as we ate. The meal consisted of several small dishes, everything local and many products from her garden! It was quite an experience! Lourdes and the owner really hit if off and since it was almost mother’s day, talked about their children. 🙂 The rest of the night passed by in relaxation. I went to the communal onsen and actually had the whole place to myself, while Javier went to the men’s. When we returned to our room, they had laid out the futons for us. There were actually two large areas, so Lourdes and Victor slept in one, while Javier and I on the other side of the paper wall. 🙂 

In the morning, after another trip to the onsen and an interesting breakfast, I went to the office area to call my mom and wish her a happy mother’s day. Everything was calm and quiet while we chatted, and then…in came the clan. They all gathered around and boisterously wished my mom a happy mother’s day, greeting her with a very loud, “KONNICHIWA,” putting the emphasis on the “CHI.” I had to laugh. Japan is such a demure, quiet place, especially in the hills where we were, but the Alvarez’s sure know how to liven a place up!  

We went for a little stroll through the garden before taking the bus back to the train station and heading over to Kamakura to check out the big buddha. It took a while to get there, and we walked through a really cute town. We actually ended up at a bistro and for the first time, had something other than Japanese food. We walked to the buddha, and boy was he big! Apparently, you can walk inside of him, but we didn’t. Instead, we took pictures, watched the different people, and took pictures of the school children in their uniforms. 

We made it back to Tokyo and went to bed early as we needed to get up the following morning at 2:30am to see the Tokyo fish auction! 

We left the hotel around 3am by cab. When we arrived, there was already a line, but we were definitely going to make it. The last time I visited the fish auction, it was much more relaxed. The tourists could pretty much go wherever they wanted, watch as many auctions as they pleased, and hang around all day if that’s what made them happy. Now, it’s vey strict. Only two groups are allowed in everyday, and both groups were full by around 4:15am. They gave us vests to wear, and shuffled us into a tiny room to stand/sit and wait. Lourdes and Victor made friends (of course) with a Colombian couple next to us. At some point, I wanted fresh air, and went outside to purchase some vending machine coffee, which was quite good, actually. I started a conversation with one of the guards, who was quite animated and very friendly. Some guy walked up to me and started asking me about my vest, and how he could get one. One thing led to another and as it turned out, he is an ER physician in Northern California, and we know many of the same people…small world. 

When the time came, we shuffled through the lot- dodging fork-lifts, trucks, and sharp objects, where we were led to the warehouse where the auctions take place. We watched as the potential buyers walk by the frozen fish, stab their hooks into the flesh, and then rub small pieces of meat into tiny balls between their fingers. There is an area where a slice of fish has been cut and they can check for the color, grain, and whatever else they’re looking for. All I know is their fingers must smell pretty rancid. We watched this for a while before an auction behind us took place. Once they started yelling, everyone turned around and watched the auction. It lasted all of 2 minutes and then it was done. I have to say, this experience at the tuna auction was not nearly as satisfying as before. It’s really kind of a bummer. BUT, I guess it’s better than nothing. 

It was too early for anyone to want sushi, so we took went back to our hotel, had some breakfast and went back to sleep. 

We set alarms to wake up in the afternoon to go to SUMO!!! We had a difficult time getting in, as I didn’t print out our tickets. The page I needed to print was the email confirmation, which I had on my phone, but Japan with all of their technology could not look up my name and information to verify the purchase. Incredible. Eventually, they found a guy who figured it out for me, but it really took way too long. 

Once inside, we made it to our seats just in time to see the Yokozuna come out and do his ceremonial performance. We stayed and watched the rest of the matches, cheering for anyone and everyone, having a few drinks, and an all-around great time.

I love the ceremony that takes place before every match. It’s all so formal. The wrestlers move back and forth from outside the circle to inside, throwing salt all over the place, before the finely dressed referee takes his place and the earth shakes with the slamming of massive bodies and the roaring of the crowd. This was my second time at sumo, and I think it should be a must for all visitors to Japan. It’s such a great time!!!

The next morning, I woke up feeling like a kid on Christmas eve. My family was arriving! My brother’s girlfriend, Sota, had booked us an apartment in Tokyo so we could all be together 🙂  After the four of us checked out of the hotel, we hopped on the metro to our next location. The Airbnb guy was supposed to be waiting for us to let us in to the apartment. Let’s just say…that didn’t work out. By the time we stored our luggage at the station, we were running late. We skipped lunch and headed for the airport. We arrived before them, grabbed a quick hotdog, and waited with anticipation.

The first of my family to appear was my little brother, Joe, and Sota. They saw us, waved, smiled and walked over. Then came my mother, other brother, Jonathan, and his girlfriend, Yasmin. I was waving and yelling “HI!!!” They both looked right past me. It wasn’t until we were almost face-to-face and I had a truly confused look on my face that my mom finally recognized me. She looked shocked. Lourdes and Victor were standing off to the side also yelling and cheering for them. My mom said, she saw me, but didn’t register that it was me. Instead, she recognized Victor and Lourdes. Whaaat??? Her excuse…we had lost weight on the trek, and looked very different. My own mother didn’t recognize me!!! HAHAHA! But in her defense, neither did my older brother…

We took the airport train as far as we could. When we were off the train, Sota released that she had left one of her bags. No worries. This is Japan. The only bummer was that she had to travel a few hours to the terminus to retrieve it, but everything was there, including her laptop. The rest of us switched trains to get to our stop. It was rush hour, so we had to split. Once we arrived and were settled in, Jonathan and Yasmin decided to go to sleep, Joe and Sota were still on their mission to retrieve Sota’s bag, so Lourdes, Victor, Javier, my mom and I went to eat. We found a local restaurant, and thankfully my mom was there to help us order. I sent Joe a message telling him where we were, but would walk outside every now and then to see if I could catch them. They had actually made it to the apartment, and even inside the building, but at the door, they rang and rang, but Jonathan and Yasmin had taken something to help them sleep, and were dead to the world. On one of my trips out, I happened to run into them as they were in search of something to eat. We all sat together for a while and snacked before the newcomers were too tired, and needed to get to sleep. 

Everyone was up and ready to go much earlier than I expected. Jonathan and Yasmin left to do some work, sadly, this was a glimpse of what was yet to come. We saw very little of them over the next two weeks. The rest of us grabbed breakfast and headed to Asakusa Senso-Ji temple. It was so crowded! We checked out the shops as we made our way, Joe and Sota tried just about every edible item they could find, as did my mother. At the temple, we washed our hands, Joe and Sota tried their luck with a fortune, Sota getting quite possibly the worst fortune possible, admired the structure, and took lots of pictures.

I’m sure everyone else appreciated the temple more than I did. I was just so happy to be with my family, it was really all I cared about. On the way out, we bought a few souvenirs before heading over to Akihabara. We briefly walked around and found ourselves in the midst of anime and manga. It was a little much for me, but the kids liked it, so there we were. We also almost went into one of those themed cafes, but in the end, if felt kind of weird, and we decided against it. 

We hopped over to Roppongi for a pick-me-up, and to take in the view of Tokyo. There happened to be a Star Wars exhibition there, and Javier was ecstatic.

We finished the day in Shibuya. We lost Joe and Sota, so it was just Javier and I and the rents. We went to the famous street crossing in Shibuya. There were thousands of people out there, all walking around, and who do we run into?? Jonathan and Yasmin. What were the chances? They had just come from dinner, and we were in desperate need. They really liked the place they went, didn’t mind going back for a drink or dessert, so we headed over. When we arrived, the line was out the door and around the corner. No thanks. We opted for another place close by, and the food was okay. We all sat and shared stories about our day before heading back home. 

The next morning we headed over to Ueno park. After walking the grounds and checking out a temple. We ended up by the lake. There were swan boats, so we rented three of them. One for Joe and Sota, another for me and my mom, and a third for the Alvarez clan. We had the lake to ourselves, and after pedaling around for a bit, we decided to race across. I’m happy to say that my mom and I took the crown! Man, can her little legs pedal! We were all a little tired after the race, and grabbed onto each other, so we could float around together. Apparently, that’s a no-no, and we were quickly reprimanded. 

After the race, we decided to check out Harajuku so we could see, what  Lourdes called, the “Lollypop girls.” Unfortunately for us, the crazies weren’t out in full force. As it turned out, we only saw a small handful of characters. We did have lunch and tea in this building that I can only describe as cotton-candy. There was an area that looked like a salon, but it was a self-serve place. The girls would go in, use the curlers, flat-irons, hairspray, and fix their weird and crazy makeup. Everything was pink. After some bubble tea and walking around. We decided to call it a day, and headed home. Tomorrow was a big day. On the downside, the Alvarez’s were leaving us, but on the up, the Yoshidas were arriving!

To see more pictures of Japan, click HERE.