I should have done this earlier. In fact, probably every day since I arrived in Tokyo I should have been dilligent about it. I could have saved myself a little bit of aggravation and probably been a little more energetic if I had only run each morning. I woke up at 6am, even before otoosan was out of bed, and we dragged everyone else out of the front door for a morning jog. It was so nice, and actually cooler than I expected with a bit of cloud cover. We took a short tour of town, passing the family field, train station, and Takae’s old elementary school. Passing a few other joggers, dog-walkers, and morning commuters I learned several new words in Japanese for things around town.

Group stretching in Japan is quite common, but I can’t help but think it’s not as helpful as stretching on my own. I didn’t even like group stretches in high school when I played softball. When I stretch I like to breathe…nice and slowly….

But as a team, otoosan, Takae, Yuko, and I made a circle in the middle of the road outside of the house and stretched before going inside. It was kind of hilarious to look at, actually. Once inside I put a towel on the floor and resumed my normal muscle-stretching routine and realized how much I missed it. Okay, no more 2 week running breaks for me! I’m gonna go hard core now until the Tamura road race.

The rest of the morning we ate breakfast, checked my train schedule, and watched some of the video footage we shot the past few days, laughing at each other. I decided to take a nap and pass out on the couch with Bu-san (the stuffed pig). When I woke up almost an hour later I found that Yuko and otoosan had followed suit and were snoozing on the living room floor! Family naps. Awesome.

After a last supper of scrumptious somen noodles and mochi I spent an hour packing my stuff….wow. I bought a lot of stuff. Actually “stuffing and cramming” is a better way to describe it. Packing sounds so…easy. But I did it.

I had a full escort to the train station and we said our goodbye’s. I’m so glad I live close to them (relatively speaking) because it made it easier knowing that I had an open invitation to visit them again. During my stay I came to really feel like a part of the family. While I learned a few words and phrases here and there my Japanese didn’t really improve that much. Regardless, I felt super comfortable the whole time. Often I would listen to the family conversation and just think I could understand what was going on. When I actually thought about it I would realize that I was hearing words without understanding them…kind of like tricking myself. It was weird. Of course I didn’t want to leave, but I felt better knowing that it wouldn’t be the last time we met. Okaasan stil cried, bless her heart. What a mom <3

So, Takae once again escorted me and my luggage to the Omiya train station where we parted ways and I boarded the double-decker Shinkansen back home (this time I didn’t run over anyone’s foot). That’s where I am now, writing a blog and recapping my adventures with my Japanese family, watching Japan fly by my window at rapid speeds in the night sky.  

While not as early as our little jaunt up to Mt. Fuji, I still got up at 7am to take a shower and get ready. I offered to make something American for breakfast: oatmeal.

I know, I know, none of you are impressed. Oatmeal is one of those controversial subjects; half of America loves it for its convenience (instant!), variety of flavors, and health benefits. The other half can’t stand it because they hate the gooey texture and probably were forced to eat too much oatmeal as a kid and it ruined their appetite for the bowl of healthy goodness. I happen to be a part of the former, and when otoosan bought me a big bag of it at the expensive import store I couldn't just leave and not share it with Japan.

I kind of cheated and let their first experience of oats be swallowed up in a sugary cookie. The REAL oatmeal we all know and love (or hate) is what’s for breakfast.

This was the real deal, and the only Americanish dish that I was making. The pressure was on….cooking oatmeal. How sweet do you make it? Most Japanese foods favor salty over sweet, contrary to our fattened tastebuds.

I boiled the water. Phew. Then I added some oats…not really caring about measurement and hoping it wasn't too soupy. That’s another thing that’s up for interpretation with oatmeal. I chose a more substantial texture and thought if anyone preferred it more soupy they could add milk and give it a stir.

I added some sugar and spice. No brown sugar was available so I just added a bit of white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins. At least that’s how I like it J

I chopped walnuts and got out honey to put on the table. I’m pleased to say that everyone seemed to enjoy it. You never know, but I’m going to call it a win for oatmeal.

Now that sharing a piece of America was finished it was time to start another day soaking in Japan.

We piled into the Prius and took the scenic route to the ocean!

After arriving in Kumakura we backed into a space big enough for a motorcycle and spilled out onto the hot asphalt. Being the first day of a national festival (obon) the streets were crowded with both Japanese and foreign tourists peeking into little shops and devouring weird flavors of ice cream. You doubt? Try sweet potato and green tea MIXED. Yep, that’s what I had and it was delicious.

We visited several shops including an old kimono shop, hand-crafted pottery, and facial paper. That’s a special paper made in that prefecture that you can put on your face to remove oils without ruining your make-up.

We entered a beautiful garden and took some pictures as we followed the crowd up a path. It ended at a beautiful shrine where some people were holding a service in front of a massive Buddha. From an observation point I looked out and saw sailboats on the ocean. My first glimpse of that beautiful body of water that connects us all. I also got a few whiffs of fresh salt air…mmm….just like home.

The rest of the afternoon we spent in one of the popular shopping districts, a crowded street full of various food and goods vendors. There were so many beautiful things there: fabrics and hand-pressed paper, clothes and fashionable purses, traditional clothes and geta (wooded) shoes, fancy omiyage treats and street food. I’m so glad I have a “Try everything at least once” policy. Yummmmy.

I left that street with more that I brought…are you surprised? Not me. I’m on vacation!!! I also left with a few more calories than I brought…and I added a few more later on.

Us girls napped in the car for an hour and a half while otoosan drove us safely home. That’s where we picked up ojiichan, okaasan drove the car, and otoosan zipped along on his moped as we caravaned to the sushi restaurant. Being Saturday night and vacation time in the summer, we had a little wait for an hour and a half. That was fine because between the breakfast oatmeal and various treats throughout the day I wasn’t the least bit hungry. Yuko, Takae, and I visited the bookstore across the way for awhile. When we  were finally seated in a spacious booth at the round-a-bout sushi I was hungry…and I expressed it in an appropriate manner by following directions to “please eat a lot.” Yummmmmm! The coolest thing about this particular place is that instead of stacking your plates and counting them at the end to determine the cost, you deposit them in a little slot at the edge of the table and it automatically counts them for you out of sight. Even better is that for every 5 plates you get to watch the computer play a game with itself and if it wins you get a prize. It’s completely random, but out of 50 plates we devoured we won twice! Otoosan and I were particularly excited about it.

As soon as we got home I went straight to bed and didn’t even write this blog until the next day because I knew it was going to be an early morning….

Well at least I got to sleep in until 10, but that didn’t reconcile the fact that I went to sleep at 3am writing blogs….and dealing with this website that deleted one of them :(

After breakfast I browsed my pictures from yesterday, fixed the website, and skyped with my family back in Washington. It was cool because my brother and grandpa were visiting my parents so both families got to talk to each other. I’m all about bridging the gap.

Speaking of bridging the gap, let’s talk about the food gap.

It doesn’t exist for me. I like to eat everything!!!

When otoosan bought some oats for me the other day I got inspired to make oatmeal raisin cookies. They’re not my favorite, but they’re good enough to eat of course. I suggested the idea and otoosan was quick to take a walk with us down to the local grocery store and pick up a few ingredients like raisins and walnuts.

We started by taking the butter from the fridge and putting it upstairs in an un-airconditioned room…it became “room temp” very quickly.

It turns out when Japanese people make sweets the measurements are very precise, wheras I was just following a basic recipie and guestimating measurements. I put in extra spice and nuts since they’re my favorite ingredients next to sugar.

I smelled ‘em before the timer went off and my inner cookie monster said “they’re done!”

So good, especially with rich Japanese milk in a glass. Mmmmm..

Would you believe they’ve never had cookies before?! A cookie in Japan is more like a biscut, hard and crunchy.

My favorite part of this whole day was sharing this excellent custom of cookie dunking with my Japanese family. It was great to see their faces as they tasted it and let out a chorus of “it’s so good!”

Cookies and milk are my new favorite way to bridge the gap. Let’s be friends, peace, love, happiness, kum ba ya, eat yummy cookies.

Of course there was reciprocation and okaasan made tempura for dinner. I helped a little by slicing carrots and deveining the shrimp. We finished the evening watching “Tangled,” the story of Rapunzel. I’m going to sleep happy, and sharing oatmeal for breakfast in the morning. 

5am wake up call.

Get your stuff together.

Grab your water.

Change your shirt three times until you find the right one.

Bring an extra pair of shoes…just in case.

Go back inside for you sunglasses..

Wait….you forgot your camera battery that you left in the wall charger.

Okay, lets’ go! Everyone’s excited for the trip until you realize you still have another hour in the car before stopping for breakfast.

So we passed the hour in Disney style, singing songs and making jokes through two prefectures out to Yamanashi-ken and th home of the majestic Mt. Fuji. Otoosan was the designated driver assisted by the lady on the GPS navigation system. Okaasan rode shotgun, taking charge of the music selection and occasionally passing back a communal thermos of iced green tea.

Our plan was to take the car halfway up, take pictures, and scope it out for when we climb it next year. Turns out you have to take a bus up due to the volume of people going up and down but that would mean we’d miss our soba lesson…not cool. So we wasted time getting to the soba shop by visiting volcanic lakes along the way! Each one was beautiful, varying in size and depth. However, they all hosted a line of fishermen on the shore and out in boats, young and old, everyone trying to catch some lake trout for dinner. It turns out I have a knack for catching fish that I didn’t know about. I took off my shoes and waded out up mid-calf…not that far. The fish came flocking around me and I stood really still so I wouldn’t scare them away. I shouldn’t have been worried about that because soon enough they started nibbling my feet! Pink nail polish is in these days.

Somehow I found a rock and did a Little Mermaid impression, you know,the whole “Part of Your World” scene…very entertaining.

Yamanashi-ken is lustrous green, hosting hordes of evergreen and deciduous trees on the steep mountain sides. The azure sky was blotchy with patches of white and gray pillar clouds, but it only made the contrast between blue and green more clear. Fuji rose in the distance, capped not with snow but a lone cloud that refused to leave the summit.

The soba lesson took place in a traditional Japanese-style building with a thatched roof. From mixing the two kinds of flour in a bowl with hot water to kneeding and rolling it a hundred times into a square shape, we all took turns shaping the culinary masterpiece. Cutting the noddles with an uber sharp knife was one of the exciting parts, though the consistency of the thickness varied between the five of us. It took only a minute to cook and rinse before we were all kneeding at a low table partaking in a meal of soba we made ourselves. It was a very authentic expeience and I felt quite Japanese, if such a thing can happen. At the very least I felt like a tourist…oh wait…

Before leaving we opened the trunk of the car and lugged three large plastic containers up to the outdoor sinks. The water from the spickets is natural mineral water from the nearby mountains. It's unfiltered and full of natural...things. I didn't ask questions but it tastes good!

We made it to Fujisan and rode the lesisurely tour bus to station 5, about 45 minutes up. We willed the clouds to part, but they only collected more fiercely as the day progressed, typical of the weather pattern for the mountain at this time of year. Arriving at the log buildings we saw plenty of potential climbers sending postcards, buying walking sticks and last-minute necessities. As for us non-climbers, we settled for some melon bread shaped like Mt. Fuji and freshly made—sooooo good!

Having a bit of spare time we leisurely walked down part of the hiking trail along the side of the enormous sleeping volcano, last erupted in 1707 and ejecting tons of ash, volcanic bombs, and pyroclasic flows. We admired the colors of the reddened pumice, especially the contrast between the red holed rocks and the green trees and bushes flourishing in nutrient-rich volcanic soil. Completely surrounded by clouds the mountain was refreshingly cool. Mr. Sun managed to peak through a few fluffy clouds and give them a shiny silver lining. Setting down our purses the four girls stepped to the edge of the trail and looked out in the cloudy vacancy before us. Breathing fresh mountain air I led an improptu Tai Chi warm-up exercise, much to the amusement of hikers passing by and staring at the awkward gaijin. I also led a few yoga poses I knew like "The Eagle," "Sun Salutation," and "Warrior." Yep, we looked pretty funny. I'm glad otoosan got a good video of it.  


On the bus ride down the mountain we all passed out in the back seats, reclined and drooling on each other's shoulders. At least it gave otoosan a chance to rest so he could drive us home for the next 2 hours. As we pulled into town we stopped by a ramen shop. My bowl consisted of ramen noodles in a miso broth, complemented by onions, green onions, marinated pork, half and egg, and unidentified vegetables. Women and children enjoy a complementary soda popsicle which actually tasted more like bubble gum. This happens to be a popular candy and soda flavor in Japan. As soon as we reached the house I sought refuge in the cool kitchen with my computer and uploaded over 300 photos from the day, afterwards writing two blogs and filtering through the photos. I went to bed at 3, but was promptly woken up a half-hour later by an earthquake. I think it's calling me back to Funehiki. 

But seriously, making your own soba and climbing Mt. Fuji....I think I won the game. 

A non-stressful day. I love those days! I'm pretty sure everyone's vacation should be as wonderful as this. 

After breakfast I played the piano, chatted with okaasan, and we made plans for our Fuji tour tomorrow...actually I wasn't really part of the planning. I was playing on the computer. But, when asked if I wanted to either go to an onsen (Japanese bathing house) or take a lesson on making soba noodles from scratch I chose the latter since I've been to onsen already. (See previous blogs from May)

The only item on today's dockett was to get my hair cut and boy did that turn out to be an adventure!

Let's get a little background on this story....this is not your ordinary haircut. 
First of all, I visit the hair salon approximately once per year. Yep, that's me, saving money and just letting my hair go through it's annual short-to-long cycle. 2 years ago when I first seriously started thinking about taking a trip to Japan I told my friend, "And I want to get my hair cut in Tokyo and get a Japanese-style cut!" Okay, whatever that means. 

Last year I tried something different with my hair and got it permed....loved it. This year since it's grown out quite a bit I decided to re-cut and re-perm it since it served me well all year. Absolutely NO maintenance which is my cup of tea. 

I've never actually gotten a professional hair cut by modern standards. I guess that means I've never been charged more than $30...actually that's how much my perm cost last year because it was done by a friend in her kitchen. She was multi-tasking while baking cookies in the oven...yeah. The other times I had it cut in college consisted of me paying $5 or $10 at the local beauty school...you can imagine how my hair turned out at in the end....

We were supposed to take the train into downtown but Otoosan, thoroughly enjoying his first day of vacation, drove us over an hour into town just to drop us off at the salon. On the way there we passed a grocery store that apparently carried quite a bit of imported foods. We stopped and Otoosan blessedly bought me some granola and cooking oats!!! Woohoo!!! I also suggested they try some Hawaiian Kettle chips (Sweet Maui Onion and BBQ). I'm considering it part of a cultural exchange program. 

Despite the short detour, we made it to the salon with 9 minutes to spare. I'm not sure how they advertise because I only heard about it through Takae, but the place was inside this little alcove on a back street and downstairs...Nice place, actually. Very nice. 

With my translator by my side I filled out the sheet and basically said, "Do whatever looks good as long as it doesn't require me to spend any time on it."

When the hair-stylist came over to take a look at the nest of hair I was prepared for the "your hair is so fine! Wow, I can't believe your perm stayed so well! It's perfect! Wow, that's your natural hair color?!" I've heard it a few times since being in Japan...foreign hair...I would describe it as flat and boring but it's really all about perspective and no one being satisfied with what they were born with, including myself. 

In the end he was reluctant to re-perm it because the chemicals used here would probably be different and (he thought) too harsh for my "fine" hair. So, using the perm I already had, he made it into a very nice and Japanese-stylish cut with plenty of layers :)

This was after Erika washed my hair...twice, conditioned it, gave me a scalp massage, a shoulder massage, and we talked (in Japanese) about her trips to Canada and England as part of a homestay program back in the day. Nice girl.

So my haircut was a success and came out cheaper because new people get 20% off...it was around 5,700yen. 

We started to head leisurely to the train station, enjoying the slightly cooler evening temperature though the sun hadn't set yet. As we neared the tunnel for the train station we stopped in Starbucks and treated ourselves to frapps. 

Swiping our train pass cards at the turn stile Takae suddenly realized---we were on the subway route, not the train! Looking at the map she planned a route to a familiar train station for a transfer and I looked at the map and saw a short cut: Roppongi. It was also a name I saw often on traveler's brochures :) So I suggested it. 

Disembarking at the Roppongi subway station we made our way above ground and found a map with a nice walk down the streets to the train station. We got about 10 feet before I got distracted by a really tall building and said aloud, "gee, it would be sweet to go up to the observatory and look at Tokyo from up there." So we did.

Turns out there's also an art museum and an aquarium up there. The tickets to the observatory are only sold with the museum...so we went there too!

It took us forever to walk around the 360 degree observatory because we kept getting caught in the tourist traps and enjoying them!

The first one was innocent enough: A huge fish tank with little Nemos swimming around under the blue and green mood lighting. One could take a picture of the fish and still capture the Tokyo skyline in the background. That's what most people were doing via their smartphones. I had actually brought my camera.

The second trap was a nice big window with a view of Tokyo tower lit up in orange lights in the background. There was a lady standing there and was very willing to take your picture for free. While you were standing there, she also took your picture with a professional camera and after the flash you could walk over to the booth in the corner were they had ALREADY printed your picture and you could chose to buy it or just keep the one on your own camera for free.

I was just gonna bypass it but Takae said we had to at least go look and say thanks but no thanks. Well, turns out the picture they give you also comes with 2 other professional photos of the building and the city (they know your own photos with point-and-shoot cameras from a glass building are crap). 

So we got two. 

I spent some time trying to get some nice shots of the horizon lights with only marginal results. As we walked around I found the omiyage shop and of course was obliged to buy some since that's what you do here. Takae got some postcards for art inspiration. 

Since we were on the picture-hype we certainly couldn't bypass the puriculaa machine. I'm sure you've seen it: the little photo booth with a curtained entrance just big enough for a toilet but instead we cram 4 or 5 people into it and make crazy faces with weird backgrounds and write words on top of the photos with digital pens. This one wasn't that fancy and only let you take 4 pictures, but the background was a nice shot of the Roppongi tower in the nighttime. 

As our walk continued we found a really cool gift shop with interesting items; the most impressive to me was a projector for your bathroom (it's also waterproof) that will shine the milky way and over 10,000 stars on the ceiling/walls. Not sure if they're actually arranged in constellations, but even if they were I wouldn't be able to identify them. 

Almost all the way around I thought I made it out alive...until we happened upon a restaurant and bar....and I ended up paying 900 yen for a Long Island Iced Tea cocktail. Sadly it's the first time since I've been here that I've been able to find it, hence my willingness to empty my change purse. It was quite a lovely time though, sipping my drink and looking 52 stories above the skyline at the night lights of Tokyo. You can be sure the drink had flowers IN IT and also a large flower as garnish. I love Japan.

Not really having a curfew but wanting to get plenty of sleep before our Fuji tour the next day we decided that we could afford a quick tour of the art museum as long as we didn't stop to read everything. 

Well, when you get and art major and a nerd in the same museum it turns out that you read everything. Maybe even twice. So by the time we got out of there and we grabbed teriyaki burgers from McD's and walked to the train station we were late. 

We came into town around 11, sheepishly calling okaasan to pick us up from the station. I was deeply invested in a great conversation about a book I was reading called "The 5 Love Languages," and I also encourage each of you to read it. 

We quickly headed off to bed, barely able to show off my new hair cut to okaasan and Yuko. I didn't sleep very well. 

I didn't know it was possible to sweat by just existing...but it is. All you have to do is stand in an un-airconditioned room and there's beads of sweat running down the back of your legs. As for me, the sticky moisture runs down my back and collects at the hem of my pants....which eventually soaks in a downward direction and leaves me looking like I peed my pants. Great.

So far I'm doing pretty well at following my schedule. Today's schedule said: nothing to do, sleep in. Okay...no problems here.

Following suite of the past week's schedule, we got up this morning at our own paces. Of course okaasan cooked a yummy breakfast and we ate around 10am. I got dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, prepared for a day of walking in my tennis shoes. 

Takae caught me after breakfast: 
"Suz, maybe you should dress in something a little fashionable today."

Oh. 

I guess that means I have to go shave...

So, I changed my shorts and shirt for a little more fashionable style including my shiny new red belt. Swapping my sneakers for silver sandals, leather purse for backpack, and curly hair in a clip instead of pony tail, I put on a bit of make up and prepared for a trip into one of Tokyo's shopping districts. It's not the most fancy area to be sure, but there are definitely stylistic expectations. 

We transferred onto several trains, following the first part of our route from when we visited Disney Sea. The first stop after disembarkation was the Starbucks in the station. That was a no-brainer and I purchased my new favorite drink: soy macha frappachino (macha is green tea). 

Right next to the eki (station) we entered a park sporting a huge tori gate and visited by foreigners and locals aplenty. We walked down the wide path and took pictures on our way to the shrine. In shinto custom, one must wash their hands before entering the shrine for purification. I politely declined, seeing as the Bible is pretty clear about false teachings and being involved in such activities. I think it's easy to get caught up in the "cultural experience" of everything and think that it's not such a big deal to wash one's hands in the cool water. Shoot, just forget about the religious significance and wash your hands! They're probably dirty anyways! 
Although I know some people share this view, I'm not in favor of it. Today I broke a rule and didn't wash my hands. 
Inside the shrine grounds we walked up to a particular building where people were throwing coins into a...receptacle of sorts, bowing, clapping twice, and bowing again before leaving. I had been told this was a ritual to ask (who? or what?) for good fortune or a blessing or offer a prayer. I took a picture. Then a guard came up to me and told me that in this particular place there was no photography allowed. Whoops. I broke another rule.

We left the shrine after passing by a shop that sold charms for ailments and life decisions. You could also pay 500 yen to have a priest offer up your prayer the next day...as long as it fit into an appropriate category.

The next stop was "the street" that probably has a name...but all that really matters is that it was crowded. At least Japan is organized enough to keep people on either the right or left side depending on direction of travel. I told Takae that I didn't need to buy anything, especially clothes, but if she wanted to stop then I'd go in with her. I promised myself I'd only buy gifts for other people today. We stopped in several stores and I got sucked deeper into Japanese fashion. I ended up buying more than she did, thus breaking my own rule. 

This part of Tokyo happens to love crepes, and there's literally a shop on every corner that offers dozens of different flavors and combinations of toppings. I chose number 80, caramel, custard, cheescake, and vanilla ice-cream. 

Just as we finished our crepes it started to rain, a nice summer rainstorm complete with crashing thunder and lightning cleared the streets like a stink bomb. 
We left the casual atmosphere of the street life and made our way to a mall...a bit more classy (and air conditioned!). I was feeling a little artistic and staged a little photograph shot that happened to include a hat from the shop we were in...I got in trouble for that and was told not to take pictures. Just broke another rule. Freaking camera Nazis are everywhere...
Walking around we found more things to marvel at and things to buy. At least a few things were gifts...
At the end of our little shopping tour we saw a huge 2 story mosaic on a wall that Takae's dad actually helped assemble! Taking the train home we were picked up from the station by otoosan (are you surprised?! He's so thoughtful!) and we all made dinner together....gyoza! For those of you who know them as "potstickers" you should note that they're far better fresh when you make them at the dining room table. With all the rules I was breaking I figured it was time to earn a point. I toasted and konpai'ed with ojiichan and otoosan before dinner and we enjoyed our little sake custom. The boys had a little more than me, and by the middle of dinner Takae commented on the redness of otoosan's face. This made everyone look intently at otoosan who became a little embarrassed. I innocently commented, "I'm sure it's just because he's so close to the hot takoyaki burner." I was awarded a point for cleverness and saving face. Yesssss.
In the evening we watched a TV show about a family who went to Disney Sea...but they're experience was a lot different from ours, in fact I'm wondering if we went to the same place as them. 
After our evening family conversation and dessert (provided by otoosan of course) I taught an impromptu tai chi class...it was pretty hilarious. 
Tomorrow is sleep-in day and I'm pretty excited about that. 
I'm also excited to wear my new clothes :)

Takae has been to Tokyo Disney Sea and Disneyland enough times to know that even if you go for a whole day, it's actually a two-day experience because you need the second day to chill out....and that's what we did all day. I got up at 10 and did a whole lot of nothing as I stayed in bed and skyped my parents. I eventually went downstairs and took a shower. A hot breakfast consisting of an egg sunny side up, 3 spicy sausage links, fruit, granola, and green tea was a perfect start to my day. We chatted around the breakfast table and otoosan was eventually convinced that us girls were in no shape to go anywhere today...I almost took a nap right there! We lounged around the living room and I plugged my camera into the flat-screen HDTV to give a slideshow of yesterday's amusement park adventures. Takae showed her pictures after that, so all in all we got a comprehensive replay. We ate some Haagen Daaz. Somewhere in there I took a nap. I woke up and we started to watch "Castle in the Sky," a Miyazaki film I'd not yet seen. In the next room, otoosan and okaasan were bustling away in the kitchen together preparing dinner. We stopped halfway through the film and I was sent on my evening mission: to practice my Japanese by poking my head into ojiisan's room and asking if he wanted sake with dinner. For the past 4 days the answer has always been "yes." I'm beginning to see a trend.

I suppose I'll have to journey back in time a little for this post. 

My family never really went anywhere exciting for family vacations. In fact, most of our vacation time as a family was spent visiting other family across America, playing with cousins I barely knew and meeting relatives I didn't know existed. We never had a "typical" vacation, whatever that means. To me, it means we never went to Disneyland. My parents sent my brother and I to CA when I was 5 to visit my aunt and uncle and they blessedly took us to the Magical Kingdom. 
I have about 5 memories of that place: 

1. Buying a Daisy Duck hat which I LOVED until I lost it...possibly the same day, I'm not sure...I can't remember because I was 5.
2. Looking at a big tree house...but I don't remember if I went inside or not.
3. Thinking I didn't want to go on Splash Mountain
4. Being in a gift shop and REALLY wanting to buy a stuffed Perdee, the mom dog from 101 Dalmations. That movie had just come out and was super popular...it was also my favorite movie for obvious reasons. The store was littered with stuffed animals and various paraphernalia, but that's the one I wanted. It cost $12 and some change. I distinctly remember asking my aunt if I could buy it and she said that my mom had sent me with exactly $10 to buy something in the gift shop. I ended up settling on a small dog that supposedly resembled Lucky. I wasn't satisfied, but I still have that stuffed dog and will always keep it.
5. Being ridiculously scared on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and thinking that the pirate sitting on the wall had shot the people behind me. 

As you can see these memories aren't exactly pleasant, nor are they complete because I'm sure that I enjoyed that day at the time and probably talked about it for awhile. In short, I think that Disneyland and that kind of attraction is utterly wasted on the young. Truly they're for the enjoyment of adults. The adults get enjoyment out of seeing their kids' eyes light up, taking their picture with famous characters or their daughter's favorite princess. The kids enjoy it at the moment, of course, but under a certain age they're never going to remember it. I have more enjoyable memories of simple things and moments in time as a child than I do of visiting an expensive theme park. But that's just me...

Coming to the present day, one must remember I'm carrying a little bit of emotional baggage from the past. Perhaps I'm being a little dramatic but let's go with the story.

Today I went to Tokyo Disney Sea, not knowing what to expect other than I knew it was supposed to be different from Disneyland...which was fine by me. 

Takae, Yuko, and I got up at 5:15, showered, shoved some breakfast down our throats and ran to catch the train. The two experienced members of our expedition donned Disney t-shirts and explained that lots of Japanese people like to dress up when they go to Disneyland. 

The train ride required at least 5 or 6 transfers as we traversed downtown Tokyo at morning rush hour. The lines boarding the trains were impeccably straight and everyone knew their place. They probably stand next to the same people every morning because their routines are so ritualized...but I bet they never talk to each other. For the amount of people on the train, sandwiched between each other, it was deathly quiet. I was thinking about how Americans don't like silence and how it's so awkward for us. I was going to break the silence to make this little comment to Takae, then thought, "That would totally prove my point." So I stayed silent. It was awkward.

Approaching Disneyland the crowded trains of white-shirted men changed to trains of anxious children holding on to their parents' hands. Mothers often pushed a stroller while dads carried the family video camera and popcorn buckets for refills. While there is no lack of children's attractions, adults are more suited for Disney Sea compared to Disneyland. It is a little more "real;" less cutsey and more adultish in entertainment, they also allow alcohol consumption within the park.

Tokyo Disney Sea is a theme park divided into several sections, not necessarily based on specific movies. Here are examples of the different areas:

Middle East: This was based off of Aladdin, featuring architecture of the Sultan's palace, water fountain, market place, and a camel. Jafar was waltzing around in a very affluent manner, while the ride attendants were decked out in outfits mimicking Aladdin's puffy pantaloons and vest. Curry popcorn was my favorite feature, aside from the entertaining 3D genie show/movie.

Mediterranean: The center of the park was a large lagoon, and one side hosted a myriad of mediterranean style architecture, cobble stone streets, romantic violin music from Lady and the Tramp, and Gepetto-style gift shop. 

New York old town: NYC got a little shout-out here as visitors walked down an old part of the water front/loading docks and also a street featuring "Broadway" and New York style deli. The musical of choice was a jazz/big band style number, complete with REAL American singers! There was a live band, tap dancing, and jazz hands!!! You can't really trace this back to a particular movie...

Under the Sea: Ariel's underwater castle, basically. Not my favorite place, but it was in a cave-like structure and a cool place to escape from the hot sunshine. 

Other places included Cape Cod, Port of Discovery, Indiana Jones/Central American jungle, and Captain Nemo's adventures into the center of the earth and under water. 

We waited in line for about an hour for the park to open at nine am. I saw some gaijin, or foreigners, and realized how much we stick out. It seems this group of white guys were from Canada because of the flags on their bags. We noticed each other, but tried not to notice that we had noticed. It was awkward, but kind of funny. 



Entering through the gates on this cloudless morning I felt like a new person. I was with my two friends and no cares or worries. We could go anywhere or do anything we wanted for the whole day. It was so freeing! We settled on a show right after going on the churning seaweed ride. Sitting in the cool auditorium we faced the stage set up in the middle of the room. Ariel, with red hair flowing down her back, emerged from a treasure chest in the middle of the stage and soared up into the sky (or water, if you please) and burst into a perfect recitation of "Part of Your World," mimicking the Disney princesses movements and mannerisms. Her sea friends joined her, in a Japanese sort of way due to choreography and costume design. I felt like I was in the movie, taking part in that musical number with Sebastian, Flounder, and friends. Sinking into my seat and drinking in the magical aura I thought of my BFF Julia and I as little girls playing with Ariel paper dolls on the bedroom floor. I almost broke down crying it was so touching. 
Turns out that in Japan, Ariel doesn't lose her voice or give into the temptation to become a human but decides that she does indeed belong with her friends and family under the sea and lives happily ever after without meeting Prince Charming. Who knew?! But, when you only have 25 minutes you have to make exceptions.

I won't bore you with the details of every show and every ride I went on, nor will I expound on the beauty of design, lighting, music, and overall quality of the attractions. I'm going to refrain from detailing my feelings when we saw an afternoon water show and boisterous latin rhythms played over the loudspeakers. Knowing that most Japanese people work 50 or 60 hour weeks (or more) without complaining, knowing that most children will finish an American equivalent of bachelor's degree education by the time they finish high school, and seeing every person putting all their energy into enjoying the hot summer day, eyes glued on the entertainment and participating whole-heartedly...this gave me more joy than I imagined...and brought a little guilt into my heart. American's think they are entitled to so much, but how much are we really GIVING to each other? 

I think we have a lot to learn from each other, and from the Japanese. 

Here are some of my favorite attractions: Tower of Terror, Broadway Big Band show, Journey to the Center of the Earth ride, "Okinawa Party" show on the water, jungle rhythms show, Genie show, tasting several kinds of popcorn like curry, milk tea, and caramel (I didn't get around to the strawberry, sea salt, and pepper), Little Mermaid show, trying on different hats, gelato, a cold Coca-Cola, and being happy all day long on a perfect summer day in Tokyo with my friends. 

After the last show I bought my omiyage (gifts) to bring back to my work and bought a Minnie Mouse shirt for myself. Otoosan was soooo nice! Even after working a full work week, he got home from work only to turn around and come back into Tokyo to pick us up so we wouldn't have to ride the train home. Our feet were so tired...I figured we only sat down for 2 hours total the whole day, from 7am to 9:30pm. 

Now that I have lots of pictures, video, and good memories of visiting the Magical Kingdom, I think I can let go of the past and live happily ever after.