It is the time once again. My family is off to another adventure. This time, our destinations are the distant Asian countries: Japan and Vietnam. One is exceptionally unique with impeccable technology, fashion and manners. The other is amazingly comfortable and relaxing with friendly people and relatives. Many attractions await us, some ancient, some modern and some just plain weird.
Follow us on this 3 week trip and observe the different world of the Far East.
August 18 & 19, 2010 ---- On the Way
Waking up to Mom’s voice, I readily got out of bed and fortunately I was fully packed from the night before. I ate a q
uick breakfast and within 20 minutes we were ready to go. We called our usual taxi company and typically an Indian drive
r greeted us.
We checked in smoothly for our 2 hour connecting flight from Toronto to Chicago and in no time we were on our next flight for a challenging 12 hours to Tokyo on United Airlines. Excited to catch up on the latest movies on the expected personal televisions, we were extremely disappointed when we were met with no TV, little personal space and poor service. It was a long 12 hours.
Somehow keeping our sanity we finally made it to Narita – the Tokyo airport. As we obtained our luggage and went through immigration we observed the
many locals with dyed hair.
Mom got some Yen from the ATM and bought return tickets for the Narita Express train. (NEX-Suica combination- round trip ¥5500 including ¥2000 Suica). We were prepared for another 2 hour ride to go straight to Yokohama.
After what seemed like hours and hours on the comfortable train, we were finally reunited with fresh air. The Yokohama Bay Sheraton was very close to the station and after passing a couple appetizing restaurants we finally reached our temporary home. Service with all smiles greeted us and we were ushered to our connecting rooms with advanced toilets. However, there was an extra charge for using the gym and the swimming pool so Dad did not go swimming. To our surprise, the luggage was delivered to our room by a very nice bell girl but we did not tip her as this is not customary in Japan.
Yokohama is the se
cond largest city in Japan and is also renowned as a prominent port of the country. It was approaching evening so after spending a couple hours resting and showering, we were off! Our first stop was dinner. We went to a huge mall across from the hotel and found a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
With 3 of us ready to turn in, Mom insisted we go the Cosmo Clock, a gigantic Ferris wheel doubling as the world’s largest clock.
This was the first time we try to figure out how to use the famous Tokyo metro system. The Yokohama train station is huge, but there are clear signs and the different train lines are color coded. We loved using the Suica card because we did not have to figure out the correct fares. After navigating the complicated subway exits, we managed to find the wheel. We took a few pictures and walked around, but the inevitable jet lag kicked in and we quickly returned to our sanctuary for a long awaited rest.
August 20, 2010 - Yokohoma and Kamakura
After a scattered amount of sleep, we all got of bed in the wake of the rising run. Mom was up really early so she saved us the trouble of finding breakfast and brought back from the train station an assortment of bento boxes, readily availabl
e meals served in a portable box. We really enjoyed the meal with green tea from the hotel room. Refreshed after that meal, we set off on our day trip to Kamakura.
Our first destination was taking the train to Kamakura – a historical town with its many temples. Kamakura was the political capital of Japan during the Kamakura shogunate, from 1185 to 1333. The train ride was half an hour and I soon noticed th
e common sight of a Japanese person texting on their Motorola RAZR.
We reached the Ka
makura station then changed to the Enoden train to Hase station. By then it was sizzling hot so we stopped by a 100 yen store at the station exit to buy refreshments and fans.
We followed street signs with directions to the many attractions located within walking distance. The quaint town had a friendly vibe with charming little houses with a rustic appeal to them. Passing by many small restaurants and cute souvenir shops, we soon arrived at the Kōtoku-in Buddhist temple (about 10-15 minute walk). After washing our hands we wer
e met by the Great Buddha, a giant bronze Buddha statue and took our typical tourist pictures.
We left the Great Buddha temple and walked back to the direction of the train station to our next attraction, the Hase-Dera temple, home to a huge Kannon statue. The temple site was massive and towering which means many stairs. After exploring the grounds a bit we relaxed and ate udon at an ocean view restaurant. Suffering from the heat we painfully pulled ourselves away from the A/C.
We then took the Enoden train once more t
o go back to the Kamakura station to visit the famous Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine. After passing t
he crowded shopping street Komachi-dori with its many arts and crafts shops and tea shops and stopping for delicious ramen at a simple restaurant, we finally made it to the Shinto shrine. We observed the many people throwing their money inside a box before praying and getting their fortune told.
We walked back to the station alo
ng the Wakamiya street, famous for the hundreds of cherry trees that line it. Exhausted from the heat, we took the train back to the hotel for some rest.
After napping and watching Asian badminton, we set off once again to eat dinner. We went to Yokohama Chinatown, the largest C
hinatown in Asia. The area was filled with winding streets of continuous restaurants.
Tired of walking, we let Alex choose a Shanghainese restaurant that displayed appealing wax models of food. We were surprised by its 5 star quality Chinese food, surprised by its squeaky clean washroom and even more surprised by the huge cheque!
Walking around a bit we soon gave up and went back to our Sheraton anxious for a good night’s sleep.
August 21, 2010 Tokyo (Asakusa, Odaiba)
Today was our last day in Yokohama. Planning to go to a ramen joint for breakfast, we got lazy and instead ate delicious bento boxes again. With our luggage we were ready to go to Tokyo. We took the
train back to Tokyo and within half an hour we were greeted by the nation’s great sprawling capital. Tokyo is home to over 20 million people and is renowned for its rich culture and economic standing in the world.
Exiting the Shinjuku station we were immediately met with thou
sands of Japanese commuters and a bright and vibrant city. However, this amazing sight also got us instantly lost. Burdening with our suitcases, we decided to hail a taxi and drove a short distance to our Best Western Astina hotel (minimum fare is ¥720 Yen). We were not able to check in yet so we dropped off our luggage and headed off to the city.
With the heat burning down on us, we pushed ourselves to the Asakusa Tobu station to pick up our All Nikko pass + Spacia train tickets for an upcoming excursion to Nikko at the Tobu Travel office.
After that was dealt with, we walked to the famous Sensō-ji Buddhist temple. Before we reached the temple though, we had to squeeze ourselves, through terrible humidity and hundreds upon hundreds of tourists through a shopping street. The temple was in simple words, another Tokyo’s must see with its iconic gate and gigantic red lantern. Most notable in the area was the towering pagoda worthy of many family photos.
After viewing the temple, we of course had to shop at the extremely crowded shopping street - Nakamise Dori . We spent a good hour going up and down the streets losing Dad multiple times and buying endless amounts of souvenirs. By the end of the shopping spree, we were starving and stopped by a delicious (but expensive) tempura place. There were many rickshaws offering a tour of this historic area, but we were too shy to hire one.
Last on our itinerary today was Palette Town located on the artificial island o
f 
Odaiba.
To save time we could not take the river boat as planned but took the metro and the Yurikamome monorail over Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba with the city looming behind us.
We first v
isited the Toyota showroom showcasing various Toyota latest models. We also stopped by the Venus Fort, a large shopping mall. Walking aimlessly for another hour I was nearly going to collapse when we were finished.
To finish our day, we took a ride on the Daikanransha, a former record holder for the world’s largest Ferris wh
eel. The ride provided us with a great cityscape view and an annoying Hello Kitty narrator. We only got to sample a small part of Odaiba, you probably need a full day to be able to leisurely enjoy all the attractions offered on the island.
Exhausted from our day we took the quick and most direct underground subway back to Shinjuku and were finally able to return to the Best Western. The BW is located within 10-15 minute walk from the Shinjuku station. The walk is fun when we were not too tired but after a long day trekking around Tokyo in the August heat, it seemed to be an unattainable distance. The room was very small but comfortable with an HDTV and a high tech toilet that we got accustomed to and appreciate.
Shinjuku at night was very vibrant with crowds of people and neon lights, but we could not gather enough energy to leave the room for dinner so we happily snacked on instant ramen noodles which Mom bought from the convenient store downstairs and we were ready for an energizing sleep.
August 22, 2010 - (Harajuku, Akihabara, Shinjuku)
Today was a full day exploring the streets of Tokyo. We ate our free breakfast at the hotel which was decent. Our first
stop was Harajuku, a large area bustling with life with many young people enjoying their weekend. Th
is also meant extremely crowded conditions. We walked down the crowded Takeshita Dori Street located opposite the Takeshita Dori Exit of Harajuku Station.
At the end of this street we turned right and kept walking along Meiji Dori Avenue until we finally got to the Meiji Shrine. After the Tori gate, we had to walk long distances to trek to the actual structure. It was so hot that we had to stop for ice cream on the way. The Shrine in other words was another Shrine. Surprisingly there was an interesting sight of a couple taking wedding photos, in trad
itional Japanese garb. 
When the Shrine was checked off our to-do list we returned to the main street hoping to see cosplayers in the area. Unfortunately, it was too hot therefore probably not too comfortable for them to come out, so we only saw a handful of girls in costume at the bridge. There were more tourists waiting to take their pictures than the actual number of cosplay girls.
After the hustle and bustle of Harajuku we decided to take the metro to a more peace
ful environm
ent of the Edo Tokyo Museum. We actually ran into a Sumo wrestler in Japanese kimono entering the subway as this is located near a Sumo stadium. We first ate lunch on the top floor of the museum and had delicious (but once again expensive) udon. The museum was pretty interesting with various models and artefacts of the culture in Tokyo and the history of Tokyo till modern days. The dark environment was perfect for Dad to take a restful nap and within an hour we were ready to leave.
Our last sight for today was Akihabara Electric Town, a large shopping district with a multitude of vid
eo games, anime, electronic and compute
r goods. This place was heaven to me with endless amounts of video game and anime products. There were so many souvenirs to choose from and eventually I chose to buy a stuffed Kirby. The area was amazing, so many icons in Japanese-American culture were present and it was so satisfying to see these icons on natural soil. This joy however, could not last as Dad was exhausted. We tore ourselves away from the place and finally made it to the hotel.
We rested for a couple hours until we went once more for dinner. After searching within a nearby Isetan mall,
we explored the basement thinking that there was a food court but actually it was a food department with lots of food items and groceries for sale, not for a sit down meal. Deciding to leave the department store, we were shocked by the bowing of lines of employees at the exit.
We managed to find a charming little ramen shop in which you place your orders through vending machines. This ramen was top notch with amazing t
aste.
To cap off our day we took a taxi to the Metropolitan building, in which there is a free observation tower overlooking Tokyo. After getting lost a bit, we found the elevator and were met with a brilliant night view of the enchanting city. However, we were tired to enjoy it so in no time we were on our way home for another great sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for a day trip to Nikko.
August 23, 2010 - Nikko
We woke really early this morning for our full day ahead of us. We were first in line for the buffet and in no time we were
out of the hotel and headed to the train station f
or the 45 minute metro ride to the Tobu Asakusa station to catch the 8:30 am express Tobu train to Nikko.
The early departure meant that we intersected with the morning rush hour. We quickly noticed men wearing white gloves that were hired to assist in the stuffing of subway cars. When we finally popped out of the crowds onto our stop, we headed to our platform for the 1:45 hour long Spacia express train to Nikko. Nikko is a
historic city located in the mountains 140 km north from Tokyo. The area is world famous for many attractions in which the groups of temples and shrines are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The scenic train ride was comfortable with a
pleasant view of the vast countryside of Japan.
We arrived in Nikko and once again we boarded a bus in order to go to the area home to the famous shrines and temples. When we entered the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, built in 1617 (also dedicated to the first shogun) we were relieved by the damp
atmosphere from the shade of the trees.
We observed the famous three wise monkeys which influenced the proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." After exploring the extremely immense grounds of the forested area, seeing countle
ss temples, shrines or otherwise we finally decided to exit the grounds.
We first ate at a diner and
had delicious tempura lunch. We then caught the bus to the Lake Chuzenji. On the bus route we stopped by Akechidaira Ropeway, a cable ride to a vantage point costing 720 yen each. The fogginess at the vantage point spoiled the possibly spectacular view of Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. After that disappointing trip we continued to the lake. The
lake was beautiful in the small quaint area. We spent a bit of time enjoying the breeze of the lake and the harmony of th
e silence.
It was finally time to go home and we boarded the bus back to the train station. The ride was very nauseating with hairpin turns down the mountains. By the end of it I felt so sick and to top it all off, we had an unbearable 2.5 hour ride back on the local train not the luxury train (the train stopped at every local station and there were no reclining seats). When we finally were liberated of the train ride, we dragged ourselves back home for a well needed rest.
August 24, 2010 - Ginza, Shibuya
After the long hectic adventure to Nikko yesterday, we decided to relax and not go to Disney Sea. We instead decided to spend the day seeing more Tokyo attractions. We had our typical buffet breakfast and in no time we were out on the city.
appointing look at one of Japan’s most famous industry, we 
took a taxi to another famous industry of Japan, the Sony Building. This building is a show case for the newest products released for Sony. The prominent product was of course 3D. The showrooms had high tech equipment such as cameras, TV’s, phones and Walkmans.
We soon exited the building and too
k the subway back to Akihabara Electric Town to enjoy one of my favourite atmospheres. We searched the m
any stores for a Gundam 00 figurine for Alex to buy for Dennis. The stores we went to had rows and rows upon figurines and Mom was star struck having the need to buy countless expensive souvenirs of anime characters that she had no idea who they were. We managed to find Dennis’ gift and after that we walked around a bit to enjoy the atmosphere. However, the inevitable groaning of Dad would signal our farewell. Dad needed to go home for rest, but the rest of us wanted to go to t
he Shibuya shopping mall. In what we blamed to maze
ophobia (fear of getting lost) Dad reluctantly agreed to come with us.
Shibuya is one of the fashion centres of Tokyo specifically for young people. The area was extremely busy bustling with many odd looking young people. For example, many teenage girls adopt the style to dye their hair blond, put make up on to the full, wear fake eyelashes and dress in very creative ensembles.
Before shopping we saw the famous Hachikō dog statue.
To free Dad of his torture, we dropped him off at the Starbucks overlooki
ng the famous Scramble Crossing. We walked into a large building that looks like the popular 109 Shibuya mall. Too tired to shop, we left Alex to meet up at th
e Starbucks. Dad was relaxing and I decided to take photos of myself in the middle of the Scramble.
When Alex returned we went to look for dinner. Not finding any attractive restaurants we found a mysterious Teppanyaki bar (Japanese grill) hidden away in the buildin
g. Confused we felt like leaving but to our surprise the waiter served us our towels with his head low, trapping us in our own guilt. The menu was not in English so the chef had to order for us and we had vegetable, steak and fish. The steak was hands down the best piece of meat we have ever had. This special beef is from the massaged cows called Kobe beef. The meat just melts in our mouths without even chewing and the juices are perfectly maintained and spill out onto our tongues. However, we each
only could enjoy about 6 slices and in reality the place was a charming rip-off. After that Japanese culinary experience we finally headed home.
On the way home we saw the Kabukicho area in detail. Specifically the many sex clubs and bars with skimpy dressed women in the front. After these interesting sights we were ready for our last sleep in Tokyo.
August 25, 2010 - Farewell to Tokyo
This day was our final day in Japan. To cap off our adventures in the land of the rising sun, we decided to visit the iconic Tokyo Tower. We packed up all of our scattered possessions around our rooms including the stuffing of too many souvenirs. We had our usual bre
akfast at the hotel and afterwards gave the hotel our luggage to hold for the day.
We first went to the JR o
ffice at the Shinjuku station to reserve seats for the NEX trip back to Narita this afternoon. After that we took the metro to the Tokyo tower followed by a long walk in the burning sun. When we finally got there, the red structure was a spitting image of the Eiffel Tower. We took a few pictures, bought our tickets and went up to the observation floor. The view was interrupted by the smog in the sky shrouding Mt. Fuji in the distance.
With some time left, we
decided to head back to the Oriental Bazaar located on the shopping Omotesando Avenue near the Meiji Shrine. The place was a store with a multitude of Asian arts and crafts. Mom bought a few souvenirs including a large painting.
good amount of time left, we had our last Japanese meal, a delicious serving of udon and ramen. We said our goodbyes to the wondrous city and headed to the gate. We soon realized the amount of change in my pocket and knew we had to get rid of it. We stormed the gifts shops and bought tons and tons of snacks. We boarded our flight for a 6 hour flight easily done with our personal TVs.
Next - Viet Nam
Follow us on this 3 week trip and observe the different world of the Far East.
August 18 & 19, 2010 ---- On the Way
Waking up to Mom’s voice, I readily got out of bed and fortunately I was fully packed from the night before. I ate a q
uick breakfast and within 20 minutes we were ready to go. We called our usual taxi company and typically an Indian drive
r greeted us.We checked in smoothly for our 2 hour connecting flight from Toronto to Chicago and in no time we were on our next flight for a challenging 12 hours to Tokyo on United Airlines. Excited to catch up on the latest movies on the expected personal televisions, we were extremely disappointed when we were met with no TV, little personal space and poor service. It was a long 12 hours.
Somehow keeping our sanity we finally made it to Narita – the Tokyo airport. As we obtained our luggage and went through immigration we observed the
many locals with dyed hair. Mom got some Yen from the ATM and bought return tickets for the Narita Express train. (NEX-Suica combination- round trip ¥5500 including ¥2000 Suica). We were prepared for another 2 hour ride to go straight to Yokohama.
After what seemed like hours and hours on the comfortable train, we were finally reunited with fresh air. The Yokohama Bay Sheraton was very close to the station and after passing a couple appetizing restaurants we finally reached our temporary home. Service with all smiles greeted us and we were ushered to our connecting rooms with advanced toilets. However, there was an extra charge for using the gym and the swimming pool so Dad did not go swimming. To our surprise, the luggage was delivered to our room by a very nice bell girl but we did not tip her as this is not customary in Japan.
Yokohama is the se
cond largest city in Japan and is also renowned as a prominent port of the country. It was approaching evening so after spending a couple hours resting and showering, we were off! Our first stop was dinner. We went to a huge mall across from the hotel and found a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. 
With 3 of us ready to turn in, Mom insisted we go the Cosmo Clock, a gigantic Ferris wheel doubling as the world’s largest clock.
This was the first time we try to figure out how to use the famous Tokyo metro system. The Yokohama train station is huge, but there are clear signs and the different train lines are color coded. We loved using the Suica card because we did not have to figure out the correct fares. After navigating the complicated subway exits, we managed to find the wheel. We took a few pictures and walked around, but the inevitable jet lag kicked in and we quickly returned to our sanctuary for a long awaited rest.
August 20, 2010 - Yokohoma and Kamakura
After a scattered amount of sleep, we all got of bed in the wake of the rising run. Mom was up really early so she saved us the trouble of finding breakfast and brought back from the train station an assortment of bento boxes, readily availabl
e meals served in a portable box. We really enjoyed the meal with green tea from the hotel room. Refreshed after that meal, we set off on our day trip to Kamakura.Our first destination was taking the train to Kamakura – a historical town with its many temples. Kamakura was the political capital of Japan during the Kamakura shogunate, from 1185 to 1333. The train ride was half an hour and I soon noticed th
e common sight of a Japanese person texting on their Motorola RAZR.We reached the Ka
makura station then changed to the Enoden train to Hase station. By then it was sizzling hot so we stopped by a 100 yen store at the station exit to buy refreshments and fans.We followed street signs with directions to the many attractions located within walking distance. The quaint town had a friendly vibe with charming little houses with a rustic appeal to them. Passing by many small restaurants and cute souvenir shops, we soon arrived at the Kōtoku-in Buddhist temple (about 10-15 minute walk). After washing our hands we wer
e met by the Great Buddha, a giant bronze Buddha statue and took our typical tourist pictures.
We left the Great Buddha temple and walked back to the direction of the train station to our next attraction, the Hase-Dera temple, home to a huge Kannon statue. The temple site was massive and towering which means many stairs. After exploring the grounds a bit we relaxed and ate udon at an ocean view restaurant. Suffering from the heat we painfully pulled ourselves away from the A/C.
We then took the Enoden train once more t
o go back to the Kamakura station to visit the famous Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine. After passing t
he crowded shopping street Komachi-dori with its many arts and crafts shops and tea shops and stopping for delicious ramen at a simple restaurant, we finally made it to the Shinto shrine. We observed the many people throwing their money inside a box before praying and getting their fortune told.We walked back to the station alo
ng the Wakamiya street, famous for the hundreds of cherry trees that line it. Exhausted from the heat, we took the train back to the hotel for some rest.After napping and watching Asian badminton, we set off once again to eat dinner. We went to Yokohama Chinatown, the largest C
hinatown in Asia. The area was filled with winding streets of continuous restaurants.Tired of walking, we let Alex choose a Shanghainese restaurant that displayed appealing wax models of food. We were surprised by its 5 star quality Chinese food, surprised by its squeaky clean washroom and even more surprised by the huge cheque!
Walking around a bit we soon gave up and went back to our Sheraton anxious for a good night’s sleep.
August 21, 2010 Tokyo (Asakusa, Odaiba)
Today was our last day in Yokohama. Planning to go to a ramen joint for breakfast, we got lazy and instead ate delicious bento boxes again. With our luggage we were ready to go to Tokyo. We took the
train back to Tokyo and within half an hour we were greeted by the nation’s great sprawling capital. Tokyo is home to over 20 million people and is renowned for its rich culture and economic standing in the world. Exiting the Shinjuku station we were immediately met with thou
sands of Japanese commuters and a bright and vibrant city. However, this amazing sight also got us instantly lost. Burdening with our suitcases, we decided to hail a taxi and drove a short distance to our Best Western Astina hotel (minimum fare is ¥720 Yen). We were not able to check in yet so we dropped off our luggage and headed off to the city.With the heat burning down on us, we pushed ourselves to the Asakusa Tobu station to pick up our All Nikko pass + Spacia train tickets for an upcoming excursion to Nikko at the Tobu Travel office.
After that was dealt with, we walked to the famous Sensō-ji Buddhist temple. Before we reached the temple though, we had to squeeze ourselves, through terrible humidity and hundreds upon hundreds of tourists through a shopping street. The temple was in simple words, another Tokyo’s must see with its iconic gate and gigantic red lantern. Most notable in the area was the towering pagoda worthy of many family photos. 
After viewing the temple, we of course had to shop at the extremely crowded shopping street - Nakamise Dori . We spent a good hour going up and down the streets losing Dad multiple times and buying endless amounts of souvenirs. By the end of the shopping spree, we were starving and stopped by a delicious (but expensive) tempura place. There were many rickshaws offering a tour of this historic area, but we were too shy to hire one. Last on our itinerary today was Palette Town located on the artificial island o
f 
Odaiba.To save time we could not take the river boat as planned but took the metro and the Yurikamome monorail over Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba with the city looming behind us.
We first v
isited the Toyota showroom showcasing various Toyota latest models. We also stopped by the Venus Fort, a large shopping mall. Walking aimlessly for another hour I was nearly going to collapse when we were finished. To finish our day, we took a ride on the Daikanransha, a former record holder for the world’s largest Ferris wh
eel. The ride provided us with a great cityscape view and an annoying Hello Kitty narrator. We only got to sample a small part of Odaiba, you probably need a full day to be able to leisurely enjoy all the attractions offered on the island. Exhausted from our day we took the quick and most direct underground subway back to Shinjuku and were finally able to return to the Best Western. The BW is located within 10-15 minute walk from the Shinjuku station. The walk is fun when we were not too tired but after a long day trekking around Tokyo in the August heat, it seemed to be an unattainable distance. The room was very small but comfortable with an HDTV and a high tech toilet that we got accustomed to and appreciate.
Shinjuku at night was very vibrant with crowds of people and neon lights, but we could not gather enough energy to leave the room for dinner so we happily snacked on instant ramen noodles which Mom bought from the convenient store downstairs and we were ready for an energizing sleep.
August 22, 2010 - (Harajuku, Akihabara, Shinjuku)
Today was a full day exploring the streets of Tokyo. We ate our free breakfast at the hotel which was decent. Our first
stop was Harajuku, a large area bustling with life with many young people enjoying their weekend. Th
is also meant extremely crowded conditions. We walked down the crowded Takeshita Dori Street located opposite the Takeshita Dori Exit of Harajuku Station. At the end of this street we turned right and kept walking along Meiji Dori Avenue until we finally got to the Meiji Shrine. After the Tori gate, we had to walk long distances to trek to the actual structure. It was so hot that we had to stop for ice cream on the way. The Shrine in other words was another Shrine. Surprisingly there was an interesting sight of a couple taking wedding photos, in trad
itional Japanese garb. 
When the Shrine was checked off our to-do list we returned to the main street hoping to see cosplayers in the area. Unfortunately, it was too hot therefore probably not too comfortable for them to come out, so we only saw a handful of girls in costume at the bridge. There were more tourists waiting to take their pictures than the actual number of cosplay girls.
After the hustle and bustle of Harajuku we decided to take the metro to a more peace
ful environm
ent of the Edo Tokyo Museum. We actually ran into a Sumo wrestler in Japanese kimono entering the subway as this is located near a Sumo stadium. We first ate lunch on the top floor of the museum and had delicious (but once again expensive) udon. The museum was pretty interesting with various models and artefacts of the culture in Tokyo and the history of Tokyo till modern days. The dark environment was perfect for Dad to take a restful nap and within an hour we were ready to leave. Our last sight for today was Akihabara Electric Town, a large shopping district with a multitude of vid
eo games, anime, electronic and compute
r goods. This place was heaven to me with endless amounts of video game and anime products. There were so many souvenirs to choose from and eventually I chose to buy a stuffed Kirby. The area was amazing, so many icons in Japanese-American culture were present and it was so satisfying to see these icons on natural soil. This joy however, could not last as Dad was exhausted. We tore ourselves away from the place and finally made it to the hotel. We rested for a couple hours until we went once more for dinner. After searching within a nearby Isetan mall,
we explored the basement thinking that there was a food court but actually it was a food department with lots of food items and groceries for sale, not for a sit down meal. Deciding to leave the department store, we were shocked by the bowing of lines of employees at the exit.We managed to find a charming little ramen shop in which you place your orders through vending machines. This ramen was top notch with amazing t
aste.To cap off our day we took a taxi to the Metropolitan building, in which there is a free observation tower overlooking Tokyo. After getting lost a bit, we found the elevator and were met with a brilliant night view of the enchanting city. However, we were tired to enjoy it so in no time we were on our way home for another great sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for a day trip to Nikko.
August 23, 2010 - Nikko
We woke really early this morning for our full day ahead of us. We were first in line for the buffet and in no time we were
out of the hotel and headed to the train station f
or the 45 minute metro ride to the Tobu Asakusa station to catch the 8:30 am express Tobu train to Nikko. The early departure meant that we intersected with the morning rush hour. We quickly noticed men wearing white gloves that were hired to assist in the stuffing of subway cars. When we finally popped out of the crowds onto our stop, we headed to our platform for the 1:45 hour long Spacia express train to Nikko. Nikko is a
historic city located in the mountains 140 km north from Tokyo. The area is world famous for many attractions in which the groups of temples and shrines are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The scenic train ride was comfortable with a
pleasant view of the vast countryside of Japan.We arrived in Nikko and once again we boarded a bus in order to go to the area home to the famous shrines and temples. When we entered the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, built in 1617 (also dedicated to the first shogun) we were relieved by the damp
atmosphere from the shade of the trees. We observed the famous three wise monkeys which influenced the proverb "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." After exploring the extremely immense grounds of the forested area, seeing countle
ss temples, shrines or otherwise we finally decided to exit the grounds. We first ate at a diner and
had delicious tempura lunch. We then caught the bus to the Lake Chuzenji. On the bus route we stopped by Akechidaira Ropeway, a cable ride to a vantage point costing 720 yen each. The fogginess at the vantage point spoiled the possibly spectacular view of Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. After that disappointing trip we continued to the lake. The
lake was beautiful in the small quaint area. We spent a bit of time enjoying the breeze of the lake and the harmony of th
e silence.It was finally time to go home and we boarded the bus back to the train station. The ride was very nauseating with hairpin turns down the mountains. By the end of it I felt so sick and to top it all off, we had an unbearable 2.5 hour ride back on the local train not the luxury train (the train stopped at every local station and there were no reclining seats). When we finally were liberated of the train ride, we dragged ourselves back home for a well needed rest.
August 24, 2010 - Ginza, Shibuya
After the long hectic adventure to Nikko yesterday, we decided to relax and not go to Disney Sea. We instead decided to spend the day seeing more Tokyo attractions. We had our typical buffet breakfast and in no time we were out on the city.
Our first stop was the Tsukiji Fish Market and we took the usual metro there. The market is the largest wholesale fish a
nd seafood market in the world and it attracts tons of foreign tourists every day. However, when
we got there, there was not much for us to see. It was too late by the time we got there and the market seemed more of a work area than a place for tourists with forklifts darting dangerously around. The only active parts were restaurants. After this disappointing realization we decided to eat some sushi as this is probably the freshest place to buy it. We found a small restaurant and enjoyed the amazingly fresh sushi that seemed caught probably just hours ago.
appointing look at one of Japan’s most famous industry, we 
took a taxi to another famous industry of Japan, the Sony Building. This building is a show case for the newest products released for Sony. The prominent product was of course 3D. The showrooms had high tech equipment such as cameras, TV’s, phones and Walkmans. We soon exited the building and too
k the subway back to Akihabara Electric Town to enjoy one of my favourite atmospheres. We searched the m
any stores for a Gundam 00 figurine for Alex to buy for Dennis. The stores we went to had rows and rows upon figurines and Mom was star struck having the need to buy countless expensive souvenirs of anime characters that she had no idea who they were. We managed to find Dennis’ gift and after that we walked around a bit to enjoy the atmosphere. However, the inevitable groaning of Dad would signal our farewell. Dad needed to go home for rest, but the rest of us wanted to go to t
he Shibuya shopping mall. In what we blamed to maze
ophobia (fear of getting lost) Dad reluctantly agreed to come with us.Shibuya is one of the fashion centres of Tokyo specifically for young people. The area was extremely busy bustling with many odd looking young people. For example, many teenage girls adopt the style to dye their hair blond, put make up on to the full, wear fake eyelashes and dress in very creative ensembles.
Before shopping we saw the famous Hachikō dog statue. To free Dad of his torture, we dropped him off at the Starbucks overlooki
ng the famous Scramble Crossing. We walked into a large building that looks like the popular 109 Shibuya mall. Too tired to shop, we left Alex to meet up at th
e Starbucks. Dad was relaxing and I decided to take photos of myself in the middle of the Scramble. When Alex returned we went to look for dinner. Not finding any attractive restaurants we found a mysterious Teppanyaki bar (Japanese grill) hidden away in the buildin
g. Confused we felt like leaving but to our surprise the waiter served us our towels with his head low, trapping us in our own guilt. The menu was not in English so the chef had to order for us and we had vegetable, steak and fish. The steak was hands down the best piece of meat we have ever had. This special beef is from the massaged cows called Kobe beef. The meat just melts in our mouths without even chewing and the juices are perfectly maintained and spill out onto our tongues. However, we each
only could enjoy about 6 slices and in reality the place was a charming rip-off. After that Japanese culinary experience we finally headed home. On the way home we saw the Kabukicho area in detail. Specifically the many sex clubs and bars with skimpy dressed women in the front. After these interesting sights we were ready for our last sleep in Tokyo.
August 25, 2010 - Farewell to Tokyo
This day was our final day in Japan. To cap off our adventures in the land of the rising sun, we decided to visit the iconic Tokyo Tower. We packed up all of our scattered possessions around our rooms including the stuffing of too many souvenirs. We had our usual bre
akfast at the hotel and afterwards gave the hotel our luggage to hold for the day.We first went to the JR o
ffice at the Shinjuku station to reserve seats for the NEX trip back to Narita this afternoon. After that we took the metro to the Tokyo tower followed by a long walk in the burning sun. When we finally got there, the red structure was a spitting image of the Eiffel Tower. We took a few pictures, bought our tickets and went up to the observation floor. The view was interrupted by the smog in the sky shrouding Mt. Fuji in the distance.
With some time left, we
decided to head back to the Oriental Bazaar located on the shopping Omotesando Avenue near the Meiji Shrine. The place was a store with a multitude of Asian arts and crafts. Mom bought a few souvenirs including a large painting.
With time running low, we headed back to the Best Western for the last time to pick up our luggage. We quickly rushed to Shinjuku station with a taxi that slowed us down with langua
ge barriers. By this time Mom was going insane over the soon departing Narita Express. We dashed to the gate and made it with 3 minutes to spare. The ride was a comfortable hour and in no time we were at the airport. We checked into our 
flight to Ho Chi Minh City on ANA Airlines.
good amount of time left, we had our last Japanese meal, a delicious serving of udon and ramen. We said our goodbyes to the wondrous city and headed to the gate. We soon realized the amount of change in my pocket and knew we had to get rid of it. We stormed the gifts shops and bought tons and tons of snacks. We boarded our flight for a 6 hour flight easily done with our personal TVs.Next - Viet Nam
