A Fun Filled Weekend

So, you will have to forgive me. I spent most of my evening fighting facebook to upload pictures to my Japan 2009 album. When it got around to writing my blog entry, I was too tired to fight with the blog too. So, I know my pictures look a little funny, but right now I am beyond caring and just want to give you a glimpse into our world. Please forgive me. Next time I post pictures on the blog I will do it on a different day that I post on facebook. Too many places to keep up with pictures. Anyways, the pictures above are a hodge podge of sorts of our trip so far. There are a few pics of our apartment and the view from our balcony; Kan and Miyako playing with her new "baaaaa" as she calls it; our sushi feast from Saturday night with Kan's co-worker and his fiance; walking around the city on a rainey Saturday; and Miyako in her cute little high chair we bought for her here. Enjoy the pics. Now on to my entry...

Our first full weekend in Japan was filled with lots of fun. We woke up on Saturday to bright blue skies and debated on whether or not to go to Disneyland Tokyo. However, after comparing Disney prices ($130 for our family) to zoo prices ($30 for our family) we decided to venture to the zoo and save Disneyland for when our kids can enjoy it more and we can stay longer than 3 hours before nap time or temper tantrum hits. We were ready to set out, walked out of our building, and the rain started. Again! So, we got the rain gear on which means Mama gets to wear Miyako in the backpack and use an umbrella to keep her dry, and headed to the Ginza shopping district to visit an ATM and walk around.

I had heard about the Ginza area but had never been. Let me tell you, I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman only Kan is not Richard Gere with unlimited spending. On one corner I was looking at Tiffany, Cartier, Gucci, and Prada. It was amazing how many super nice stores were in such a small concentrated area, and even more amazing how many people were actually shopping at these stores and spending money. Kan said he saw/heard lots of Koreans and Chinese and not many Japanese. Japan's economy has not done well in the past 20 years or so and as a result the Ginza area is more for tourists now. We took a break at Starbuck's to get out of the rain and spent about $11 on two frappaccino's. After Starbuck's we headed towards another area of town that Kan used to stay at on business trips and walked around and had lunch at one of his favorite restaurants. Saturday evening Kan's co-worker and his fiance brought us dinner...fresh sushi that we made in our kitchen. We had salmon, tuna, teriyaki chicken (for me), and tuna fish salad. It was all yummy and the presentation was pretty (see picture).

Sunday we were up and at em pretty early because we had to watch the UT/AU game on Sling. Needless to say, the outcome was not the greatest but we did cheer on the Vols. Kan's co-workers came to pick us up at noon and we drove to Yokohama for the day. Thankfully, it was sunny and about 80 degrees outside. We walked, and walked, and took a ferry and walked some more. It was a beautiful part of Japan and not as concentrated as Tokyo. We got to go up in a huge tower and get a gorgeous view of all of Tokyo which was fun, but by the time we got home, Kan and I were beat. You can imagine how tired little Miyako was without getting an afternoon nap. She fell asleep on our drive back and easily went to bed once we got home.

Today was a bummer of a day because the rain came back. I went to find this indoor play area that is for children up to two years old and is free. I walked all around the building and could not find it. Turns out I was in the right building but wrong entrance. It is only one stop from us so I guess I will try it again tomorrow. I enjoyed cooking one of Kan's favorite noodle dishes for dinner tonight although to be honest, I was not a huge fan of it. It was a little too much of a fishy flavor for me, but I am glad he liked it.

Tomorrow I do not have any big plans...trying to see what the weather does. If it is nice I will venture out to the zoo. If it is rainy again, I will try to find this indoor play area for a second time. I love public transportation and walking everywhere. It does provide great exercise. At the same time, I would love it even more if the weather was nice and sunny.

One funny thing I have found...if I speak just a little bit of Japanese to a stranger, they think I am fluent and start speaking non-stop to me of which I can pick up about 2 words out of every 20. It is quite funny and I remember people doing this to me when I lived in Belarus. It brought back funny memories. So much of my time here has reminded me of when I lived in Belarus, only this time I am married and have a child living overseas and not a single girl running around Eastern Europe. Well, my bed is calling me. Let's hope I have a little more energy next time I post. Good night all.