Well.....I must comment below is our hotel. It was directly across the street from Tokyo station which was a major stop on the Subway. We walked into a typical Japanese hotel room with two very small beds and a bathroom equipped with a toilet that makes a flushing sound when you sit on the seat (just in case you don't want people to hear you use the restroom), and of course the usual Japanese bidet AND "butt washer." Very interesting feature!
We also learned quickly that there is not a single channel on TV that is in English. Colby quickly started improvising and commentating for all the shows on TV. It also became a game when we saw people speaking Japanese on the street. He found it especially fun and entertaining to "translate" for the Japanese soap operas!
The picture below may just seem like my "hivy" leg with a band aid on my ankle, but of course there is a story to go along with this picture. There was a movie made some time ago with Bill Murry titled "Lost in Translation." It is based in Tokyo and he stays at a hotel named Park Plaza in the city. Most of the movie is taped at a bar on the top the hotel on the 50-something floor. So after a full day of "touring," we decided to take a cab to the hotel to have ONE drink. We were quickly turned around (as soon as we walked out the elevator) because there was a dress code and Colby had on "half pants" (as the girl called them). We settled for having a $20 drink on the 40-something floor instead.....it was still a beautiful sight. Ok...so you ask....."what does this have to do with your band aid on your ankle?"
As most of your reading this know.....I have hives.......every day of my life. These hives itch me so much sometimes they cause small scabs blah blah blah blah. So......remember I said the drinks were 20 bux a piece and there is a dress code to sit at the bar.............this is a NICE place. Make a long story short, as we are having one drink and a small pizza, I get to scratching and subsequently scratch off a scab resulting in a bloody mess. It all happened so fast and we had nothing but cloth napkins within reach. Before I knew it there was a butler (about our age) bringing me tissue then a band aid. I guess it was the best and worst place for this to happen. Very embarrassing!!!
I just took a picture of this menu at a wine bar we went to .....showing the American Remonade. = )
Below is a picture of the Sony building in Tokyo. My brother, Jeff, would have been in heaven! It was really cool. They have a showroom showcasing all their new stuff!
Below is a picture of us "pigging out" on a fruit pizza in Shibuya. We went there the last night we were there with one of Colby's friends from San Diego and one of his friends from Tokyo. Glad she was there because she spoke Japanese and ordered some yummy food and drinks for us.
Below is a picture of one of the "subcultures" of Tokyo. These kids were just hanging out on the street on a Wednesday night. The two that took the picture with us were not the "coolest" looking ones. Check out the pink hair in the background!
Colby and I with Byron (right) and his cousin who lives in Tokyo. Byron works at the Naval hospital in mainland. We hung out with them the last night.
Byron, his cousin, and his girlfriend. His cousin speaks Japanese well. He is from California and teaches English at a Japanese high school. He and his gf were very helpful in ordering food and drinks for us this night. Shame on me....I forgot both their names.
This is a picture of Shibuya at night. This is the popular street you see in movies, but pretty much all of Tokyo looks similar to this.
Yes we looked silly taking pictures on the Subway, but I figured it was a must because we spent so much time on them.
The Banana Republic was at the Ropongi mall. I have never been so excited to see a Banana Republic in my life. Ropongi is the district with many restaurants, bars, and shopping. We did not go at night (as many say it is better at night). The shopping in Tokyo is decent....much better than Okinawa!
My goofy husband! He thought I was silly for taking pictures of the mall!
Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo.
One of the many views from the top of the Tokyo Tower. Pretty impressive to see how huge the city is!
Tokyo Tower. Supposedly it is larger/taller than the one in Paris. Not quite as beautiful though.
Colby and his Subway ticket. I wanted to save one of these, but when you are finished your journey to your end destination, the meter sucks it up and you do not get it back .... bummer.
Once again..............these pictures are NOT in order. Below is me walking on the busy street in Shibuya.
Colby's turn!
The street from the Starbucks across from the Shibuya station. There is this many people at all hours of the day crossing in all directions. The cars stop and the people walk. Pretty cool to see in person.
The street right before the people are given the "green light" to walk. This is also the sight of the cover for the Beetles album....I am told.
Picture from the street level.
Tower of Terror at Tokyo Disney. Very very very similar to the one at Disney World. Colby and I went to Disney Sea. We were VERY impressed with how nice it was. I think we expected it to be "cheesy" like a good bit of the Japanese entertainment we see here in Okinawa. Although we did not go to Disneyland itself, I believe from the looks of Disney Sea it is equally as impressive.
The American area of Disney Sea. It is separated into different countries. This was part of the American section. (Cape Cod) They also had a replica of the Titanic, but my pics of that did not come out well because it was getting dark.
Indiana Jones ride.
This is what you see as soon as you walk into Disney Sea. Very nice. This is where they have the night show....which we did not stay to watch because we wanted to beat the crowd out of the park. There was a HUGE crowd and we went after 6pm and paid half price.
The world fountain at the entrance of Disney Sea.
Of course I had to go see the Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo!
We passed by these hibiscus on our way to lunch our first day in Tokyo. I told Colby "oh my those are so pretty; I have to get a picture on our way to show my Mom." We went eat and when we walked back outside, I did as promised and took a picture. Then Colby quickly informed me that they were not real. "Duh, Maggie!!" I did think it was a little weird that they were all bloomed at the same time!
The Ginza Sky Lounge. This was walking distance from our hotel and we stumbled upon it. We did not know that the tables were on a rotating floor until we stepped on it. It was a little weird, but after we got over the initial "sea sick" feeling.....it was an awesome view.
Colby at lunch!
Tokyo Tower. Supposedly it is larger/taller than the one in Paris. Not quite as beautiful though.
Colby and his Subway ticket. I wanted to save one of these, but when you are finished your journey to your end destination, the meter sucks it up and you do not get it back .... bummer. Once again..............these pictures are NOT in order. Below is me walking on the busy street in Shibuya.Colby's turn!
The street from the Starbucks across from the Shibuya station. There is this many people at all hours of the day crossing in all directions. The cars stop and the people walk. Pretty cool to see in person. The street right before the people are given the "green light" to walk. This is also the sight of the cover for the Beetles album....I am told.
Picture from the street level.
Tower of Terror at Tokyo Disney. Very very very similar to the one at Disney World. Colby and I went to Disney Sea. We were VERY impressed with how nice it was. I think we expected it to be "cheesy" like a good bit of the Japanese entertainment we see here in Okinawa. Although we did not go to Disneyland itself, I believe from the looks of Disney Sea it is equally as impressive.
The American area of Disney Sea. It is separated into different countries. This was part of the American section. (Cape Cod) They also had a replica of the Titanic, but my pics of that did not come out well because it was getting dark. Indiana Jones ride. This is what you see as soon as you walk into Disney Sea. Very nice. This is where they have the night show....which we did not stay to watch because we wanted to beat the crowd out of the park. There was a HUGE crowd and we went after 6pm and paid half price. The world fountain at the entrance of Disney Sea. Of course I had to go see the Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo! We passed by these hibiscus on our way to lunch our first day in Tokyo. I told Colby "oh my those are so pretty; I have to get a picture on our way to show my Mom." We went eat and when we walked back outside, I did as promised and took a picture. Then Colby quickly informed me that they were not real. "Duh, Maggie!!" I did think it was a little weird that they were all bloomed at the same time! The Ginza Sky Lounge. This was walking distance from our hotel and we stumbled upon it. We did not know that the tables were on a rotating floor until we stepped on it. It was a little weird, but after we got over the initial "sea sick" feeling.....it was an awesome view. Colby at lunch!Hello Folks,
My wife did such a wonderful job illustrating our trip.....but she is making me type something. If you like visiting big cities Toyko won't let you down. Even though we visited another Japanese place it felt like another country. A lot faster pace and a hell of a lot more buildings. The subways are a big enough attraction by themselves. Everytime we went down there they had people sprinting to make a train. I think that's why they're so small. They have to be able to squeeze onto the train. Walking down in the subway I found myself getting pulled by the shirt by Maggie because I would stop and look at things or change my direction in front of people. Nobody had ever told me anything but I'm sure they were pretty upset, especially god forbid I made them miss the train they are running to catch. Mind you that the trains run every 5-10mins. I'm sure they're not that important. We could write a lot more about the different things we encountered but I do not type very fast and Maggie has already put some time into this blog entry.
See ya Monkeys
Colby and Maggie
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