tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34939700281471389432024-02-18T23:57:09.644-06:00Adventures with Amy & JohnFollow us on our crazy adventures!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-8452552402723991172015-11-07T15:56:00.001-06:002015-11-07T15:56:06.968-06:00Our visit to the Cup Noodles Museum !!!On Saturday, April 4, 2015, we visited the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, Japan. <br />
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In general, I'd probably avoid going there on a Saturday, but we could see the museum from our hotel room at the Sakuragicho Washington Hotel in Yokohama so it was a short walk - and we were still adjusting to Japan time and up at the crack of dawn anyway - so it actually worked out well. We arrived about 45 minutes before the museum opened (highly recommended, especially if you want to make your own Cup Noodles.<br />
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The museum is located in a really nice touristy area of Minato Mirai 21. It super easy to get to even if you're not staying in Yokohama - you can take a JR train to Sakuragicho Station and then it's a 15 minute walk (or you could take a bus or a taxi, I suppose - we like walking). The area is super easy to navigate and it's not nearly as overwhelming as Tokyo. There's an amusement park and a shopping center very close by and lots of other shopping areas and places to explore in the immediate area. There is lots of familiar American food in this area too. Check out the <a href="http://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/english/">museum's web site</a> for hours and entrance fee and all that since I'm sure they vary.<br />
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We joined the already growing line and waited to purchase our tickets. We almost never had a problem getting English maps and things - at most places we went, they noticed us before we could even ask and rushed to bring us things in English. Japan is awesome like that. The main floor of the museum is open and modern feeling. There's ticket windows and a gift shop and the stairs up the museum.<br />
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We immediately went to get our tickets to make our own Cup Noodles. You don't get these tickets at the ticket window at the entrance - they are on a separate floor. It is a very good idea to head here ASAP - everybody wants to do this and it gets PACKED very quickly. </div>
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After securing our tickets to make our Cup Noodles, we explored the museum. We started in the room with every Cup Noodles EVER on display.</div>
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As you walk through the museum, there are drawings on the wall explaining how Cup Noodles came to be what it is today. All the captions are in English and Japanese.</div>
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While the history of Momfuku Ando and his Cup Noodles are definitely an important part of the museum, it's really all about creative thinking and innovation - super cool. There are a lot of interactive exhibits that show how thinking outside the box leads to innovative ideas. Some of these are in English, but they're all fun to play with and easy to follow.</div>
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There are also art pieces dedicated to Cup Noodles. </div>
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We were able to get through the exhibits a couple times pretty quickly (get here EARLY!!! By the time we left, people were shuffling through like cattle!) By the time we were done, it was time to make our Cup Noodles! Everything in Japan is ON TIME and this place is no exception! If your reservation is for 10:15 AM, be there at 10:15 AM! We joined the line and it moved very quickly and efficiently. They showed us instructions in English and made sure we understood before handing us our cups and directing us to a table to decorate them.</div>
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You can spend as much time as you want decorating your cup. Everybody seems to love doing this - ALL kinds of people are decorating cups. It's a lot of fun. They instruct you to put the date on your cup, but everything else is up to you. </div>
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When you finish decorating your cup, you get to choose the ingredients for your Cup Noodles. It all seems kind of chaotic and crowded, but it's super intuitive and efficient. We have videos of this whole process that I will post soon. After you choose your ingredients, your Cup Noodles gets sealed shut and vacuum packed in plastic. Finally, you put your Cup Noodles in a balloon type bag thing - I have no idea what the purpose of this is, but you see people in Yokohama walking around with them all the time and maybe that alone is why!</div>
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We had lunch at the Noodles Bazaar - basically a food court with different stalls for various types of noodle dishes. </div>
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You buy a ticket for the dish you want and take it to the window. I went with Italian.</div>
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John had traditional Japanese...but was confused when he ordered. He thought he was ordering ramen with 3 ingredients, but this is what he got:</div>
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Luckily, the dishes are small! We shared some shaved ice for dessert. It was super yummy.</div>
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By the time we finished eating, there was a long line to get into the Bazaar so, again, I advise getting there early!</div>
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We really enjoyed our trip to the Cup Noodles Museum. We spent a total of about 4 hours here. I'd highly recommend it to anybody visiting Yokohama and the Minato Mirai 21 area (both of which I also recommend). There is a playground for kids that we didn't check out at all, but I imagine that makes it extra great for kids. We'd like to visit it again with reservations to make our own ramen noodles (see the <a href="http://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/english/attraction/index.html">web site</a> for details about the Chicken Ramen Factory). You can see the rest of the photos we took at the museum <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHskkmWdTd">here</a>.</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-12460269476127109042015-04-13T07:34:00.001-05:002015-04-13T07:34:33.306-05:00Just "like" our FB page...We had good intentions, but we are 10 days into our trip and blogging just isn't happening. We are having an AMAZING time and updating our FB page very regularly with all the epic and less-than-epic updates so follow us there!!! (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/bc7ate9">https://www.facebook.com/bc7ate9</a>) We don't pay any attention to who is following it and don't really care so you're seriously not a stalker for "liking" us. Sorry we suck at being travel bloggers. Live and learn.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-26794914061146250972015-04-10T07:52:00.001-05:002015-04-14T07:18:55.815-05:00Laundry<p dir="ltr">Just a quick point if you're packing light or need to do laundry in Japan.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Some hotels will have coin operated laundry but some (including our current Tokyo hotel) do not.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You need to look for (or ask your hotel front desk) where the nearest 'coin laundry'.  Not laundromat or anything else.  Coin laundry.<br><br></p>
<p dir="ltr">Some require you to add detergent, some don't - we packed a few travel detergents with us to cover all bases.  Also the dryer probably will not completely dry your clothes- be prepared to hang some things in the bathroom to dry.</p>
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You can also "like" our Facebook page to get all the super current updates!<br />
<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-61219252341851885442015-04-02T06:43:00.002-05:002015-04-02T06:45:59.995-05:00Timeline: From Airplane to HotelIt's hard to estimate how long things like getting off the airplane, through immigration, etc will take - and I always wish I'd paid attention later when I want to estimate for the next time we travel. There are so many variables, but at least an IDEA of how long it MIGHT take is nice. Luckily, my iPhone now makes it really easy for me to make a timeline! Here it is:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Landed around 3:20-30 PM</li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Off the plane by 3:36 PM</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wWXvJwno4vfj6twPnLJi3qXZqPyhVq6fAPPsEFTitvYvi1UMiFmjyzysih0DjXvrAGRO659Op3ODe8F2-IzpEftayKiUwtsGsbTetWs2EcUja0RwGH0BHnZ2-1F1nL2JjOvloRFqgf0/s640/blogger-image-2070078850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wWXvJwno4vfj6twPnLJi3qXZqPyhVq6fAPPsEFTitvYvi1UMiFmjyzysih0DjXvrAGRO659Op3ODe8F2-IzpEftayKiUwtsGsbTetWs2EcUja0RwGH0BHnZ2-1F1nL2JjOvloRFqgf0/s320/blogger-image-2070078850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li>Got to Immigration line at 3:40 PM</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3y2g4N-gvq_tBa3p8yzb7OMPU6rWt1no8L_-yS17CxEQVllBZ2HnLvRUtYREBaBKXR5Ul0zu0pyn2c4pArk8IqM1xFPgvbhTSIO4fb9CS7RNKub3XCSIthJvHItXMRTe96M_tYdptOY/s640/blogger-image--348185201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3y2g4N-gvq_tBa3p8yzb7OMPU6rWt1no8L_-yS17CxEQVllBZ2HnLvRUtYREBaBKXR5Ul0zu0pyn2c4pArk8IqM1xFPgvbhTSIO4fb9CS7RNKub3XCSIthJvHItXMRTe96M_tYdptOY/s320/blogger-image--348185201.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>Done with Immigration and waiting for luggage at 3:57 PM (the sign totally lied to us)</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Mm-6qi6iNycMGmLNO-TOmnc2zx6pz9nNpJUsnnJJpcdIrK7C-KOFE-3OgnOakotH3gVs4BE8KtFYaoI6RIXQlPWVAa4hZgu107as69dR7TEeAtbD_I0x-IHpWX20-b4HoGhDaSZV94/s640/blogger-image-617754125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Mm-6qi6iNycMGmLNO-TOmnc2zx6pz9nNpJUsnnJJpcdIrK7C-KOFE-3OgnOakotH3gVs4BE8KtFYaoI6RIXQlPWVAa4hZgu107as69dR7TEeAtbD_I0x-IHpWX20-b4HoGhDaSZV94/s320/blogger-image-617754125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>Got luggage, went through Customs, stopped at post office to pick up our mobile hot spot, and were at the JR Office to redeem our JR Rail Passes at 4:20 PM</li>
<li>Got to the head of the queue for JR passes at 5:05 PM</li>
<li>Got to the train platform for our express train to Yokohama at 5:15 PM</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsO5czGXysBGHVQlJDa_eIRg3y7z5UDmMXVjQzfYPtwQ05GBVZbSM3bbygyYhy3_ZGff1xPAh7Q5uG3Our3Wkr52W4wB9GP4R_slYvfaB9zOleURG475PittGDOM83djAmjjbHpfvfGI/s640/blogger-image-1012490482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsO5czGXysBGHVQlJDa_eIRg3y7z5UDmMXVjQzfYPtwQ05GBVZbSM3bbygyYhy3_ZGff1xPAh7Q5uG3Our3Wkr52W4wB9GP4R_slYvfaB9zOleURG475PittGDOM83djAmjjbHpfvfGI/s320/blogger-image-1012490482.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Train departed 544 (as scheduled) - scheduled to arrive in Yokohama at 7:18 PM</li>
<li>Checked into hotel at 8:00 PM </li>
</ul>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-43716278601307844712015-04-02T06:39:00.000-05:002015-04-02T06:52:13.334-05:00Thoughts: Our Flight to Japan<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today we took a non-stop Delta flight from MSP to NRT (Minneapolis, MN to Tokyo, Japan). It was right on time and it seemed most seats were filled. We booked late and were in the 2nd to last row. The plane was a 777 with a 3-3-3 layout, but our row was unique: 2-3-2. It was nice not having a random neighbor! Our seats had adjustable head rests with bendable "wings" - a nice touch. There were quite a few very young children on our plane, but they all seemed to handle the flight just fine.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUH_ripQEIlCCJf2KcZAHOj7NUvgkSqUckV_xelMZs7btm9tkhjHTPytuc2vRNVfAJegaXb-FQvhg2HCwf0Dga9N-86tA8xLzW1e94fhb84T0l9RgABmrDbz-6rdcIIlgd4jyHfvFT_RY/s640/blogger-image--1247189143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUH_ripQEIlCCJf2KcZAHOj7NUvgkSqUckV_xelMZs7btm9tkhjHTPytuc2vRNVfAJegaXb-FQvhg2HCwf0Dga9N-86tA8xLzW1e94fhb84T0l9RgABmrDbz-6rdcIIlgd4jyHfvFT_RY/s320/blogger-image--1247189143.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Before each meal, we got a warm cloth to wash up before eating (this is customary in Japan.) Our first meal was a chicken and rice type thing. The menu had said it was chicken and mashed potatoes, but it was definitely rice. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I let the flight attendant know I especially liked the dessert brownie so she brought me 2 more. The person in front of us overheard and also gave me her brownie. I'm perfectly happy with 4 desserts! Alcohol was complimentary throughout the flight so John and I relaxed with beer and wine.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaJlaqB0lzyLwKaymkBQglijVWuQY7LPs-ldgknplx4y0HAtgv3OuQlKCt8P8tcEE5ktXrqn7zcy2POxO2tZbQMeYYlIuSPDFvIfxqqC-5IS8nCUMSg7dFMfgfPfJltbbBMzmRG0aaMo/s640/blogger-image-1043244931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaJlaqB0lzyLwKaymkBQglijVWuQY7LPs-ldgknplx4y0HAtgv3OuQlKCt8P8tcEE5ktXrqn7zcy2POxO2tZbQMeYYlIuSPDFvIfxqqC-5IS8nCUMSg7dFMfgfPfJltbbBMzmRG0aaMo/s320/blogger-image-1043244931.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Each seat on the plane was equipped with a tv screen that provides free access to tons of movies, tv shows, games, and other things of that sort. We watched The P</span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">enguins of Madagascar then we started a Hobbit marathon - I stopped watching after 1 1/2 of the 3 movies to get some sleep, but John watched all 3. I ended up watching my favorite parts of Into the Woods and Frozen and then watched Lost in Translation.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudXEgoWZjl91NW4wN-BAtEcb8_21ZaVU2FgEqrCQRYQlsPvraOEQi4-K-7nDRmx5lt9KaqvWP1wqhU6m2PAZezsTI7foRFVvsuHrC2Xz4xARq62cCBgP8QqusUdQanglW742akrITBRk/s640/blogger-image-1570377261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudXEgoWZjl91NW4wN-BAtEcb8_21ZaVU2FgEqrCQRYQlsPvraOEQi4-K-7nDRmx5lt9KaqvWP1wqhU6m2PAZezsTI7foRFVvsuHrC2Xz4xARq62cCBgP8QqusUdQanglW742akrITBRk/s640/blogger-image-1570377261.jpg" width="240" /></a>We got a snack bag midway through the flight. It included a banana, a sandwich, and cookies. They also passed out 20 oz bottles of water which was very appreciated!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtaavRgIlvVhZEw6OxGvIS-DaHZSpRSnAafIvNS_fY9G6n8d4CEHBzy00qj7ce0rypaJrnhXzkVgTBtwu4CTUTpc0fDxlc_puWEUxblstPusUOYu9KYr6-yVyHs98_QWLWCVTd6zQymM/s640/blogger-image--2042104787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtaavRgIlvVhZEw6OxGvIS-DaHZSpRSnAafIvNS_fY9G6n8d4CEHBzy00qj7ce0rypaJrnhXzkVgTBtwu4CTUTpc0fDxlc_puWEUxblstPusUOYu9KYr6-yVyHs98_QWLWCVTd6zQymM/s320/blogger-image--2042104787.jpg" width="320" /></a>Our last meal was breakfast and it was not the omelet the menu promised, but rather a quiche thing. It was fine, though. It also came with a roll, fruit, and chocolate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, the flight was very smooth and uneventful. We saw Mt Fuji as we landed and that was pretty cool! People around us (and me) were kind of unsure if the plane had actually landed because the landing was so incredibly smooth and quiet! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1p_COraFkzE4lhOEpswCkynwbXjrgEJ0EDAa_Qx2qmjXiTL1UZti-L-Y4Cot4mXeg24oAttg4QD1PBewnu_ZsTRl4jsQOv_Hqu5jkI9sgif5N-0PPX95zIbbsQ_w51li9d2kNwIxKjc/s640/blogger-image-632940678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1p_COraFkzE4lhOEpswCkynwbXjrgEJ0EDAa_Qx2qmjXiTL1UZti-L-Y4Cot4mXeg24oAttg4QD1PBewnu_ZsTRl4jsQOv_Hqu5jkI9sgif5N-0PPX95zIbbsQ_w51li9d2kNwIxKjc/s400/blogger-image-632940678.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More to come on our adventures at the airport!</span></span></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-90100784494206433002015-04-01T12:03:00.001-05:002015-04-01T12:05:14.852-05:00Leaving on a jet plane<p dir="ltr">At the gate in MSP waiting for boarding to start! We had a sandwich (ordered via the ubiquitous on-table iPads at this gate,) then grabbed a bottle of water and a little treat (Reese's mini cups.) Not a very exciting morning but before we sleep again we'll lose a day and be on the other side of the planet!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V-11xjCoF5U/VRwk-foV0lI/AAAAAAAAFFg/s1600/20150401_111652-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V-11xjCoF5U/VRwk-foV0lI/AAAAAAAAFFg/s640/20150401_111652-2.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHfLf1TYfNreZOgUcDk6T1ASmdk-4rqPiMUjqYL9I2DaV34lYVMGbaS6NCidl9cmmnag7kB1P9SrUco-du0Anm8t90tceVV_us7WFLDgT2HnnrulzRMW92G7mSMyQqLzceBpe0GMKH54/s1600/20150401_111652-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHfLf1TYfNreZOgUcDk6T1ASmdk-4rqPiMUjqYL9I2DaV34lYVMGbaS6NCidl9cmmnag7kB1P9SrUco-du0Anm8t90tceVV_us7WFLDgT2HnnrulzRMW92G7mSMyQqLzceBpe0GMKH54/s640/20150401_111652-2.jpg"> </a> </div>John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport, St Paul44.884754 -93.22228tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-90781769554341628852015-03-25T13:05:00.000-05:002015-03-25T13:05:12.289-05:00Mapping our AdventuresWe ♥ Google Maps! It is an incredibly useful planning tool and especially indispensable for traveling in Japan. We add all the sites we want to see and use different icons to create loose categories (parks, shrines/temples, shopping, food, etc.) This helps us to understand the proximity of the various sites we want to see and allows us to group things together to form our itinerary. We use the step-by-step walking directions to determine if things are really as close to each other as they appear to be. It probably sounds mundane, but it's actually pretty cool. <br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=zL_rIrcZ16-U.k2X8Jib02NsM" width="640"></iframe><br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-10456985070653417782015-03-18T17:02:00.001-05:002015-03-18T17:02:49.399-05:00Japan 2015, Week 3 - Itinerary I've never been away from home for more than 2 weeks so I wonder if I'll be homesick by the time we get to week #3...I think I'll probably just be craving real American food - like pizza that DOESN'T have corn and mayo on it.<br />
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These plans are still very much in the development phase so I don't have many details to add, but here's what we have so far...<br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://www.bc7ate9.blogspot.com/2015/03/japan-2015-itinerary.htm" rel="nofollow">Week 1</a> : <a href="http://www.bc7ate9.blogspot.com/2015/03/japan-2015-week-2-itinerary.html" rel="nofollow">Week 2</a><br />
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<u><b>Day 16</b></u>: Kyoto<br />
<ul>
<li>Southern Kyoto</li>
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<li>Fushimi Inari Shrine - we missed this last time so we are excited to see it this time. I dig anything en masse. ☺</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Torii_gates%E2%80%94Fushimi_Inari_Shrine_(9977683204).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Torii_gates%E2%80%94Fushimi_Inari_Shrine_(9977683204).jpg" height="212" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<u><b>Day 17</b></u>: Nara/Osaka</div>
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuf4nPNjvsLm0VTjJd9jx7O4SHNjjJIobs5R7U-ppor13Y_pwMAn322WHxZXr6CBEVjMe3jVCrwqPKjajj9m7jMbhkU2d9goOewk3eqDi7XaI3kf3mmQAGjHfyPjX5zbSDsu64owRQpU/s1600/IMG_5468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuf4nPNjvsLm0VTjJd9jx7O4SHNjjJIobs5R7U-ppor13Y_pwMAn322WHxZXr6CBEVjMe3jVCrwqPKjajj9m7jMbhkU2d9goOewk3eqDi7XaI3kf3mmQAGjHfyPjX5zbSDsu64owRQpU/s1600/IMG_5468.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>
<li>Shin-Osaka Station to Nara Station</li>
<li>Visit Nara - Nara is such a cool place. It feels like a small town (compared to Tokyo and Kyoto, at least) and there are a ton of friendly deer who flock to you for "deer cookies." We went here in 2013 on a rainy day - it'd be cool if we could have nice weather this time! It'd also be cool if John can avoid falling and subsequently surrounded by extremely kind and helpful Japanese people...but that's another story.</li>
<li>Explore Osaka - We spent one very crazy and confused evening in Osaka in 2013...and most of that was underground in the maze-like train station. We are definitely going to try to see more of Osaka this time!</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 18</b></u>: Osaka<br />
<ul>
<li>Visit Himeji Castle - This was under construction in 2013 and is finally re-opening March 27, 2015. Another new site we are excited to see!</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Explore Osaka some more <i>(We need to research Osaka a lot more or probably end up walking around in circles again!)</i></li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 19</b></u>: Osaka?/Travel/Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>We may finish seeing Osaka before we head back to Tokyo</li>
<li>Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka Station to Shiomi Station in Tokyo</li>
<li>Check into <a href="http://www.apahotel.com/hotel/shutoken/11_tokyoshiomi-ekimae/" rel="nofollow">APA Hotel Tokyo Shiomi Ekimae</a> ($63/night via Booking.com) - We chose this hotel because it's right on the JR line and only 3 stops away from Tokyo Disney. Since it's a couple miles out of central Tokyo, it's cheaper, but its proximity to the JR line means it's still very convenient...not as convenient as we'd like for touring Tokyo, but perfect for our last couple days since we plan to spend those at Tokyo Disney!</li>
<li>Do everything we missed in Tokyo and everything we need to do one more time before we leave.</li>
<ul>
<li>I'm guessing this will include a major trip to Daiso ☺</li>
</ul>
<li>Visit Ikspiari - this is a shopping mall-type thing that is sort of the Japanese equivalent of Downtown Disney. We purchased our Disney passes online and this is where we will pick them up.</li>
<li>Ride the Disney monorail and visit the Disney resorts. The Disney resorts in Japan look pretty incredible, but we can't imagine paying $400/night for a room we'll spend very little time enjoying so we'll just spend some time enjoying the lobbies and gift shops. </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn0BOKognpBe4kC-SkO3tO39lo3N3v8IKX3aDMPhd06srbMXwMErOEIxzHUAZD9RUgItLH5nXV5NYokWi7g2HkMmMf95lp4j6WxwWe403LES3vstx9zy1PNsvClhN1nwzGO5FoNgBexk/s1600/IMG_3039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn0BOKognpBe4kC-SkO3tO39lo3N3v8IKX3aDMPhd06srbMXwMErOEIxzHUAZD9RUgItLH5nXV5NYokWi7g2HkMmMf95lp4j6WxwWe403LES3vstx9zy1PNsvClhN1nwzGO5FoNgBexk/s1600/IMG_3039.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Day 20</b></u>: Disney Sea<br />
<ul>
<li>Disney Sea is unique to Japan and from everything we've heard, it's pretty awesome. Can't wait to see it!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Day 21</b></u>: Tokyo Disneyland<br />
<ul>
<li>We only spent half a day at Tokyo Disneyland in 2013 so a whole day should be super cool!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Day 22</b></u>: Tokyo/Travel<br />
<ul>
<li>Finish any last minute touring needs in Tokyo</li>
<li>Fly home from Narita </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
...and that's it...think we'll have enough to do? ☺Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-7887322810861924962015-03-18T12:30:00.000-05:002015-03-18T16:01:59.809-05:00Unless you like being the people with the guidebook...We find it awkward to walk around obviously consulting a guidebook. It's not that we worry about looking like tourists (we're white Americans in Japan...and John is huge...I think they know we're not locals), but it just feels weird. We also don't like to spend our vacations staring at our phones (I have more than enough trouble managing to avoid getting run over by bikes as it is.) Moreover, we don't like being lost and confused so we DO want to have important information, like train numbers, hotel names, and addresses, documented in a convenient place that we can consult quickly and discreetly.<br />
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The very low-tech, simple solution we came up with is a small notebook that easily fits in our pockets:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdle4F41U_Ts5_8zmykCQ4tuJhDqnJukU8EbCBK1Bf_COpObHPE4W-V7hOX8v48vzkcXk7yuP8TzSKF_1xsH70NWkoFWYkux-d3tApwRN6ERG_1QBeyaYVBf-J3n5s3CZJKl1GMoba9o/s1600/notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdle4F41U_Ts5_8zmykCQ4tuJhDqnJukU8EbCBK1Bf_COpObHPE4W-V7hOX8v48vzkcXk7yuP8TzSKF_1xsH70NWkoFWYkux-d3tApwRN6ERG_1QBeyaYVBf-J3n5s3CZJKl1GMoba9o/s1600/notebook.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This particular notebook is a <a href="http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/writersblok-bamboo-small-blank-notebook-pack-of-4.html" rel="nofollow">Bamboo Mini by Writersblok</a>, but Moleskine makes a similar sized notebook - and so do many other companies, I'm sure. It's nothing fancy, but it works for us!<br />
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The hotel name is written in my lovely kanji and our confirmation from Booking.com is hidden under the kawaii rabbit. ☺Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-32526536473005704982015-03-17T17:43:00.000-05:002015-03-17T17:51:23.751-05:00Japan 2015, Week 2 - Itinerary3 weeks of traveling = a ton of planning...especially when you only have just over a month to do all said planning! We are not really, stressing out about it, though - once we got our plane tickets booked (easy) and found hotels (much more challenging), we were pretty much ready to go! Planning helps make the waiting go by faster - and we'll be glad we did it in the end. ☺ Here's the plan for week 2 of our Japanese Adventure!<br />
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You can see week 1 of this itinerary, including where we are staying, what we plan to eat for breakfast, and how we'll be making our way around Japan <a href="http://www.bc7ate9.blogspot.com/2015/03/japan-2015-itinerary.html#more" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br />
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You'll notice that our plans get increasingly "loose" and less detailed - that's because we don't want to hold ourselves to plans that just aren't what we end up wanting to do that day for whatever reason <br />
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<u><b>Day 9</b></u>: Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>Iibadashi Station to Ueno Station</li>
<ul>
<li>"Ueno" is kinda pronounced "way-no," if you were wondering.</li>
</ul>
<li>Ueno Park </li>
<li>Ueno Zoo - I've heard this zoo is old and a bit depressing (similar to Como Zoo in St Paul, MN, perhaps?), but they have giant pandas and red pandas (which I tend to refer to as firefoxes for no good reason.) I'm looking forward to it.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Tokyo National Museum</li>
<li>Shitamachi Museum</li>
<li>Fukagawa Edo Museum</li>
<li>Kappabashi street - this is where you can buy all the fake food restaurants in Japan have on display! That's right - a whole street full of shops selling plastic food.</li>
<li>Drum (<i>taiko) </i>Museum</li>
<li>Asakusa</li>
<li>Senso-ji</li>
<li>Sumida Park</li>
<li>Edo-Tokyo Museum </li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 10</b></u>: Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>Shibuya</li>
<ul>
<li>Hachiko Statue</li>
<li>The crazy busy intersection</li>
<li>Tokyu Hands </li>
</ul>
<li>Harajuku</li>
<ul>
<li>Takeshita Dori</li>
<li>Giant Daiso (ohhhhh, how we love Daiso...)</li>
<li>Kiddy Land</li>
</ul>
<li>Yoyogi Park</li>
<li>Meiji Jingu </li>
<li>Asakusa: Sumida Park and Hanayashiki Beer Garden - another sakura festival!</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<u><b>Day 11</b></u>: Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>Sumo Event in Ichikawa - this is a brand new experience for us and we don't really know what to expect (the web site is almost completely in Japanese). We are thinking it's a tour-type thing where we'll get to learn about Sumo and see some matches, but we know it's not Sumo season so we won't be seeing the big matches. Pretty exciting!</li>
</ul>
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Not sure what we'll spend the rest of the day doing - sooooooo grateful to have lots of extra time in Tokyo! We didn't have many chances to just do nothing on our 2013 trip so I'm really looking forward to all the adventures we'll stumble upon!<br />
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<u><b>Day 12</b></u>: Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>Bunkyo Azalea Festival (Tsutsuji Matsuri) - Nedujinja Shrine</li>
<ul>
<li>Another thing we don't know too much about, but it looks very pretty.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 13</b></u>: Tokyo/Travel/Osaka<br />
<ul>
<li>Shinkansen from Iibadashi Station to Shin-Osaka Station - we LOVE riding the Shinkansen!!</li>
<li>Check in at the <a href="http://www.hankyu-hotel.com/cgi-bin2/cms2/index_en.cgi?hid=remmshinosaka" rel="nofollow">Remm Shin-Osaka</a> hotel ($130/night via Booking.com). We really liked staying in Shin-Osaka when we visited Kyoto/Osaka/Nara in 2013 and tried to get a room in the same hotel (Shin Osaka Station), but it was completely booked so we found this one. The location looks PERFECT (it's IN the JR Station!) and the hotel looks modern and new.</li>
<ul>
<li>In 2013, we looked into staying in Kyoto since that is where we spent the majority of our time, but we didn't want the traditional Japanese experience at a ryokan and western-style hotels were too expensive. Shin-Osaka is a GREAT alternative if you have a JR Pass (and you should). The "commute" to Kyoto is less than 30 minutes via Shinkansen and, like I said, we LOVE any chance we get to ride the Shinkansen! It's a similar distance to Osaka as well (we didn't spend much time there in 2013, though.)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 14</b></u>: Kyoto<br />
<ul>
<li>Eastern Kyoto</li>
<li>Philosopher's Path</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Day 15</b></u>: Kyoto<br />
<ul>
<li>Western Kyoto</li>
<li>Arashiyama</li>
<li>Monkey Park!!! This was a highlight of our 2013 trip and we are excited to visit again!</li>
</ul>
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<br />
...and that's the plan for week 2 of our Japanese Adventure! Up next: Week 3 (and DISNEY!) Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-62546900916897282322015-03-17T14:22:00.001-05:002015-03-17T17:42:47.529-05:00Japan 2015, Week 1 - ItineraryI like having a plan when we travel. Not a rigid, minute-by-minute itinerary, but a solid framework or outline to provide some structure to our days. It saves us from wandering around, trying to figure out what to do - and there are about 3 million options at any given time in Japan, so, multiply that by 20 days...going without a plan would be somewhat insane.<br />
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Developing an itinerary for our first trip to Japan in 2013 was a much bigger task, even though it was a shorter trip. We didn't really know what to expect, didn't know how long getting places would take or how long we'd want to spend there, and didn't want to create a plan that didn't allow for random adventuring. This time, we have the advantages of experience, more time, and just more confidence that we'll be able to get where we want to go and enjoy the crazy journey.<br />
<br />
Here's the plan for week 1, with some helpful planning advice mixed in:<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Day 1</b></u>: Travel<br />
<ul>
<li>Depart MSP (13 hours)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Day 2</b></u>: Travel/Narita Airport/Yokohoma<br />
<ul>
<li>Arrive at Narita</li>
<li>Pick up modem for Internet (ESSENTIAL for Americans traveling to Japan!)</li>
<li>Pick up JR Rail Passes (these need to be purchased outside of Japan and then redeemed when you arrive. We'd argue that these are another essential for Americans traveling to Japan.)</li>
<li>Narita Express to Yokohama Station (JR - 90 min)</li>
<ul>
<li>You can find all the transportation schedules using <a href="http://www.hyperdia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hyperdia</a>. This is an awesome and essential planning site (there are apps for iOS and Android too). When searching for Shinkansen trains (nobody really says "bullet train" in Japan, as far as I can tell) that are compatible with the JR Pass (i.e. won't cost extra money), select "More Options" and DE-select "Airplane", "Nozomi", and "Private Railway" - that combination will exclude everything you want it to.</li>
</ul>
<li>Yokohama Station to Sakuragicho Station (JR Keihn Tohoku Line - 3 min)</li>
<li>Walk to our hotel (2 min) - we find and read as much information for this type of thing as possible. In this case, we learned that our hotel does not have any English signage, but is very easy to find due to its proximity to the station and unique architecture (we've looked at day time and night time photos from several angles.) We also have a small notebook we use to write down important information like the names of hotels in <b>Japanese</b>. </li>
<li>Check in at <a href="http://yokohama-s.washington-hotels.jp/" rel="nofollow">Yokohoma Sakuragicho Washington Hotel</a>, double room with a bay view ($85/night via Booking.com)</li>
<li>Get dinner</li>
<li>Explore the area </li>
</ul>
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<br />
In 2013, it took us several hours to get out of the airport. We didn't know where to get our JR Passes exchanged and nearly waited in the WRONG really-long-line before just asking and realizing we needed to wait in the really-long-line downstairs (and "downstairs" is all the detail we really remember, but I think that is a very important detail - and we also just know what a JR Office looks like - so I think it should all go smoothly.) That being said, it's hard to say how long the really-long-line will be and, thus, hard to estimate when we will arrive at the hotel.<br />
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<br />
<u><b>Day 3</b></u>: Yokohoma<br />
<ul>
<li>Wake up by 8 am</li>
<li>Breakfast in the hotel room to save time and money (and also the snacks we pack and eat insure we'll have space in our luggage to bring other things home!) In addition to things like granola bars, fruit snacks, and trail mix, we are also bringing instant oatmeal. Since the Japanese love tea, hot water is very easy to find (most rooms have an electric tea kettle) so it's a good option for breakfast. Easy Mac (not easy to find in Japan) would likewise be a good option.</li>
<li>Cup Noodles Museum</li>
<li>Sakura Dori (cherry blossoms should be in full bloom!)</li>
<li>China Town</li>
<li>Ookagawa Sakura Festival</li>
<li>Sankeien Garden Cherry Blossom Night Viewing 2015</li>
</ul>
<br />
Something to note about cherry blossom season is that you're likely to find large festivals just wandering around in Tokyo and Kyoto (and I'm guessing most places). We didn't account for this in 2013 and mostly just rushed through them on our way to other things. This time, we are finding out about as many as we can and planning to make an effort to utilize them to sample Japanese foods while enjoying the sakura.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Day 4</b></u>: Yokohoma<br />
<ul>
<li>You can assume most mornings will look like day 3 ☺ </li>
<li>Possibly take the JR Train to Shinjuku to visit the Shinjuku Gyoen - we did this a few mornings on our 2013 trip and it was really magical so we may try to get there while the sakura is at its prettiest!</li>
<li>Yokohoma Flea Market </li>
<li>Ramen Museum</li>
<li>More exploring in Yokohoma</li>
<li>Night time sakura festival (sakura viewing at night is called <i>yozakura </i>and it's very beautiful!)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<u><b>Day 5</b></u>: Day trip to Kamakura<br />
<ul>
<li>Make our way to Kamakura via JR and spend the day exploring the area</li>
</ul>
<br />
<u><b>Day 6</b></u>: Tokyo<br />
<ul>
<li>Sakuragicho Station to Iidabashi Station in Tokyo (you can easily find any of the places I mention on Google Maps, by the way - we use Google Maps HEAVILY for ALL of our adventures.) </li>
<li>Move to our hotel in Tokyo - <a href="http://www.jrhotelgroup.com/eng/hotel/eng112.htm" rel="nofollow">Hotel Metropolitan Edmont</a> ($125/night via Booking.com)</li>
<ul>
<li>We will probably be too early to check in so will likely just store our luggage and head out for more adventures.</li>
</ul>
<li>Head over to Sumida Park (via JR Trains whenever possible - local subway when it's not...sorry for not providing more details here, but as I said earlier, we don't plan in that level of detail.)</li>
<li>Sumida Park Cherry Blossom Festival</li>
<li>Sumida River Boat Ride to Hama Rikyu</li>
<li>Take the Yurikamome Train across the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba</li>
<ul>
<li><i>We didn't make it to Odaiba in 2013 so this is all new to us - it's not a huge area so we plan to explore it "thoroughly"</i> <i>(I don't even know what that means in a Japanese context!) </i></li>
</ul>
<li>Explore Odaiba</li>
<ul>
<li>Panasonic Center</li>
<li>Toyota showroom - Megaweb</li>
<li>Palette Town</li>
<li>Venus Fort</li>
<li>Diver City - with the Gundam robot statue </li>
<li>Aquacity and Decks</li>
<li>Trick Art Museum </li>
<li>Odaiba Kaihin Koen - Statue of Liberty</li>
<li>Fuji TV</li>
<li>Miraikan - N<span class="st">ational Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Lunch/dinner somewhere fun, like the Hello Kitty Pancake Party, a Maid Cafe, or King of the Pirates (yarrr!)</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span class="st">Head back in the direction of our hotel (again, Google Maps is your friend if you want a visual - that's what we use and you can too!)</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Rikugien Garden - Weeping cherry tree and feudal lord's garden light-up event</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span class="st"><u><b>Day 7</b></u>: Sanrio Puroland and Western Tokyo <i>(weather pending)</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="st">Iibadashi Station to Tama Center Station</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Sanrio Puroland!!!!!!! aka Hello Kitty Land ☺ </span></li>
<ul>
<li><span class="st"><i>Since this is an INDOOR theme park, this is a very tentative plan - we definitely do not want to spend a beautiful day inside, especially during sakura season! This is an easy trip from Yokohoma or Tokyo - and it's even do-able from Osaka. We will adjust our plans accordingly!</i></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span class="st">Explore Tama</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Squirrel Park (!!!)</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Tama Center Station to Kichijoji Station </span></li>
<li><span class="st">Inokashira Park<i> </i></span></li>
<li><span class="st">Kichijoji Station to Nakano</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Explore Nakano Broadway</span> </li>
<li>Chidorigafuchi sakura</li>
<li>Yasukuni Shrine</li>
</ul>
<br />
<u><b>Day 8</b></u>: Day trip to Hakone<br />
<ul>
<li>Make our way to Hakone and spend the day exploring the area</li>
<ul>
<li> Hakone Open Air Museum</li>
<li>"<a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html" rel="nofollow">Round Course</a>" - ropeway cars, pirate boats!!!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
...and that's our plan for week 1!<br />
<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-29737693481562964462015-03-09T18:51:00.002-05:002015-03-17T14:22:51.066-05:00Japan, 2015Hello World...<br />
<br />
We are just over 3 weeks away from our 2nd trip to Japan - and we are super excited!<br />
<br />
We hope to be more diligent about tracking and posting about our adventures this time. We find other people's travel blogs very informative and useful - and we've referred back to our own documentation quite a bit in planning for our Adventures in Japan 2.0. <br />
<br />
That being said, adventuring is our top priority so no guarantees...<br />
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Kanpai! 乾杯!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-41116969337359939112013-04-16T22:35:00.001-05:002013-04-16T22:35:01.427-05:00Japan: Public SpacesThere were a few things we noticed pretty quickly in Japan.<br />
<br />
First was there obviously are a lot of people. No kidding.. We got into Shinjuku at about 9pm on Friday night.. For those who don't know Shinjuku has a lot of entertainment, bars, arcades, big stores- a place people flock to for fun- like on Friday nights. So we were thrown into the bustling sea of people to try to find our hotel. Thus leading to item two...<br />
<br />
Except for the bigger streets, most streets don't have street signs. Or even names really. Walking directions from google maps can literally be 'go straight, cross a crosswalk, cross a crosswalk, go left, cross a crosswalk, cross a crosswalk, go right, destination will be on the right.'. Not necessarily the most helpful directions when many of the streets look more like what would ne an alley in the US, or don't exactly go off at angles. Nor when on a Friday night in Shinjuku after traveling for close to 20 hours. But we found our hotel thanks to Amy's notes, which lead to item three...<br />
<br />
Japanese people are polite. And nice. And respectful. And polite. Did I mention polite? The greetings, the bowing, the thank yous- it's probably how rich people get treated all the time. But the convenience store clerk at 11pm in a super busy part of town when dealing with an American doesn't know a 100 yen piece from a rock... So patient and polite. It just seems to be so engrained in the culture. I'm under no delusion that people didn't get super annoyed by this foreigner who doesn't speak more than 5 words of Japanese taking super long and have to be asked 4 times if I wanted my food nuked in the microwave.. But they were so nice, and apologized if some on their side held things up... Which leads to item four...<br />
<br />
People do their jobs... and take them seriously. Yes, I did see people doing jobs they clearly weren't enjoying and there's obviously people who don't have any passion for their jobs. But they did their jobs. And not halfway- they did it the best they could. Service was amazing, food ordered came out freshly cooked and in almost no time at all. If someone wasn't in a task they would be restocking, dusting, reorganizing, greeting customers coming the door, cleaning... or just patiently waiting for someone to need help. Which leads to item five...<br />
<br />
You don't tip in Japan. It's just not done, I think even rude or insulting. I guess they will run after you down the street if you leave anything. I'm assuming everyone at least is making an acceptable wage, but it's also cool. Everyone working there is all working there- you may be greeted and seated by a cook, have 3 different people come to your table when you press the button (there will be more on the button...)... Such amazing service, like 20% or easily more worthy tips... But nope. No tips.<br />
<br />
That's all for now, there's a lot more to brain dump so will update soon!<br />
<br />
John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-80215456358300073302013-04-13T23:33:00.001-05:002013-04-13T23:33:32.769-05:00Monkeys!!!<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8634986758/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Sakura at Shinjuku-Gyoen" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8634986758_11121ddfe2_s.jpg" alt="Sakura at Shinjuku-Gyoen" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647616506/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8258/8647616506_2583dccc3b_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646519983/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8646519983_b0e96d41a5_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646520031/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8646520031_2f433ddf00_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647616668/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8647616668_2df2d34657_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646520349/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8646520349_ca5230650d_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646520607/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8528/8646520607_9fe15e263e_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646520831/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8646520831_c6fb36b88c_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647617468/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8647617468_6b17bfa207_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647614560/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8647614560_53e10eec3f_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646520999/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8260/8646520999_c0c0448120_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647614982/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8647614982_eaa8ce4b8d_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646521197/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8646521197_d4dda1c9b5_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646521333/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8404/8646521333_97e39f0795_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646521423/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8111/8646521423_25f18db446_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647618076/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8647618076_f83f83408c_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647614838/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8647614838_f87f3a8bac_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8646521815/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8646521815_d9b85843d2_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647618438/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8647618438_2e2f119ea6_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647615156/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8647615156_0f83d679e9_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647615206/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8647615206_05e9558c3c_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647615354/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8647615354_c7eef0efdd_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647615420/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8396/8647615420_b4b620fdbf_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/8647615506/in/set-72157633124943502/" title="Monkeys!!!" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8647615506_ec92f16a6b_s.jpg" alt="Monkeys!!!" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/sets/72157633124943502/">Japan, 2013</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>Pictures from our trip to the Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama - among lots of others from Tokyo and Kyoto - have been added to our Flickr page! I'll work on actually writing stuff (and finishing writing stuff) once all of our pictures are uploaded so stay tuned...</p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-89058298656660319632013-04-13T22:34:00.000-05:002015-03-17T14:26:29.824-05:00WiFi or: how we really were on the internet in JapanWe were able to have internet pretty much at all times when in Japan. Whether on a train, in a park, temple, or 100 yen store we could get to the internet. But the truth is there was almost no open free WiFi anywhere.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
We rented a mobile WiFi hotspot, which connects through the mobile cell data networks- mostly LTE and dropping back to 3G when in lower coverage areas. It was probably one of the best things that we did for the trip- being able to do a google search or lookup directions on the go with google maps with our own devices at any time.<br />
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There were quite a few different companies that rented the devices, we ended up going with Telecom Square. Most of the places had kiosks/storefronts at the airport, was really easy picking it up and getting going. We were able to connect either up to 6 or 10 devices (I forget) and had pretty much unlimited data usage- the two weeks was around $150 or so. You can also get phones and other things from most of these services, some that can also act as WiFi hotspots for other devices- but we didn't really have any need for phone service so we just went with data only.<br />
<br />
Quality of the services was really good, would have to be inside a big building or in the subway for service to get kind of spotty. Battery lasted about 8 hours straight, so usually had to charge up a little if using it all day long.<br />
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The only places we really had WiFi was in the hotels (which we were essentially paying for.) There were a lot of places that had WiFi, but required a subscription of some type. We would highly recommend this for anyone traveling to Japan, this link goes to the Narita airport site that lists some of the companies for these services- I'm sure they're all pretty good - <a href="http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_19.html">Narita Airport cellphone/mobile wifi rentals</a><br />
<br />John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-4191255058158324782013-04-13T22:15:00.001-05:002015-03-17T14:25:56.692-05:00Japan in review- drinks<div dir="ltr">
Since there were vending machines and convenience stores everywhere we went in Japan there wasn't much opportunity to go thirsty. I tried to keep a list of all the different drinks we tried, I know it's not complete and I may not have gotten my notes 100% correct, but better than nothing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><u>Beer</u></b><br />
- Asahi Clear<br />
- Tastes like a light rice beer, slightly bitter bite. Not much to say.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf3xFXrUQey78ahKSd6Yf16hIwLMpE08AgeMkdd3HiKvAwffWzF1qBJbB-VQjgBEW6rz7o13T6urD97oE01lqLKM4thiOqkbTo3m9_oGFrMNT__qmdhdB3WsTEMXT68vTw-6ZSM9sMyU/s1600/20130405_230912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf3xFXrUQey78ahKSd6Yf16hIwLMpE08AgeMkdd3HiKvAwffWzF1qBJbB-VQjgBEW6rz7o13T6urD97oE01lqLKM4thiOqkbTo3m9_oGFrMNT__qmdhdB3WsTEMXT68vTw-6ZSM9sMyU/s200/20130405_230912.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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- Asahi Dry Black<br />
- A richer bodied dry, it is dark but doesn't have much heaviness. Very tasty.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7US-OjgpR21Fx26SepvsNKtkGaTiXy5Ib2VpKrbWab8zbEZZydOxwkRZg7HXsBEeknY-iz-qNs3pucBSGAGv0n22nLD3A2hLd3d8sp-o-D3CuISSuubMoaYnUvWjmyHgouEF039kp0O8/s1600/20130407_200507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7US-OjgpR21Fx26SepvsNKtkGaTiXy5Ib2VpKrbWab8zbEZZydOxwkRZg7HXsBEeknY-iz-qNs3pucBSGAGv0n22nLD3A2hLd3d8sp-o-D3CuISSuubMoaYnUvWjmyHgouEF039kp0O8/s200/20130407_200507.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Asahi Light Something<br />
- Couldn't tell for sure what this one was called, but it was being advertised quite a bit. A light beer (18 calories / 100ml.) Was good for a light beer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMffcwvJ_hwilkQHpKjwekrb2WMU3aXILWQg9lL1o2b93HWHTPq7eHkEpeCq1VL2zleSHTwnJbO5tWV7sqJAaszlatgSiBVpiDbzJRWTuhjQEuE6Fq_gn0_9Zk5VW5kh7gW59suY41nmU/s1600/20130409_205927.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMffcwvJ_hwilkQHpKjwekrb2WMU3aXILWQg9lL1o2b93HWHTPq7eHkEpeCq1VL2zleSHTwnJbO5tWV7sqJAaszlatgSiBVpiDbzJRWTuhjQEuE6Fq_gn0_9Zk5VW5kh7gW59suY41nmU/s200/20130409_205927.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Asahi Super Dry<br />
- Mild dry ale. Very good but nondescript. I couldn't find a photo if I took one.</div>
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- Kinshachi Golden Ale<br />
- Malty, medium bodied, nice hop flavor. Very very good.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfFr7DtBiR-0GkTYeCVR19VRH-wq7e1QSqXBT5pO5GHjty1fkRB1NYj5XggCBcZYbe8kw_DcUlKrYpjTpvpUt3S1j1yTPyDU6C8ffl02JntWUDA980KydETxr2DufIgZYYmTsbZ_NIB8/s1600/20130406_213109.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfFr7DtBiR-0GkTYeCVR19VRH-wq7e1QSqXBT5pO5GHjty1fkRB1NYj5XggCBcZYbe8kw_DcUlKrYpjTpvpUt3S1j1yTPyDU6C8ffl02JntWUDA980KydETxr2DufIgZYYmTsbZ_NIB8/s200/20130406_213109.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Classic Lager<br />
- Light tasting rice based beer. Comparable to Miller or Budweiser.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMBvjzLcfViTSaB5nJrBYoQC0X0VXJOiLi5xPq0BZ_nJ9Vb01pITdG4yCEk9trN8A9pD5XKJ-JcCPd10w2ZQtvo5q6XMoYKvN9FYS4BLqSFykfTXr62_aCdiQWvf-OoA7BpbLcyfLleQ/s1600/20130402_204047.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMBvjzLcfViTSaB5nJrBYoQC0X0VXJOiLi5xPq0BZ_nJ9Vb01pITdG4yCEk9trN8A9pD5XKJ-JcCPd10w2ZQtvo5q6XMoYKvN9FYS4BLqSFykfTXr62_aCdiQWvf-OoA7BpbLcyfLleQ/s200/20130402_204047.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Green Label<br />
- Very mild light tasting beer, not much more to say.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4ycfxR-kkOt3DGtTi-6xPRwDZPUhFMk5FZ_2NlpT2MvHRchG0U46BjS5SZisuMlOZeCrZV8MqT5SXRD6VV-ZaXeka1c5zg_r_xBzkZHczxOFaDG3Lbx-FL1xNjkYGNlrgG4f7R5S9To/s1600/20130404_204122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4ycfxR-kkOt3DGtTi-6xPRwDZPUhFMk5FZ_2NlpT2MvHRchG0U46BjS5SZisuMlOZeCrZV8MqT5SXRD6VV-ZaXeka1c5zg_r_xBzkZHczxOFaDG3Lbx-FL1xNjkYGNlrgG4f7R5S9To/s200/20130404_204122.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Kirin Honkaku Karakuchi Mugi<br />
- Almost tasted like Bud Lime without the strong lime. Maybe I'm way off but it was a weird one.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlAyDchq2Nv5o0sKmWgMRMVw2SZv0iXxlPw3LLhOfwhbUBz3hLSolh0JeTIlhoQeZnpFoRuCYx7yYrQKI1Edzc21J_28q3XwhzysTntWYfQfSFeL7TBpGDBZn9yElzilh6DUYUaaLR_k/s1600/20130404_200720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlAyDchq2Nv5o0sKmWgMRMVw2SZv0iXxlPw3LLhOfwhbUBz3hLSolh0JeTIlhoQeZnpFoRuCYx7yYrQKI1Edzc21J_28q3XwhzysTntWYfQfSFeL7TBpGDBZn9yElzilh6DUYUaaLR_k/s200/20130404_200720.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Nodogishi</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- A little more bitter light beer, not quite an IPA. I think I crushed the can before taking the photo and forgot to grab another.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Original Lager<br />
- Mild tasting with a little sweet, reminds me of regular Lienenkugel.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7XUooaoFK5YfGaQi2qWwdwmyEqwTzs1FxdurhpLe5UT1vlDVwS0Zo6u3rT4WHexygz2gMFGHZmJJPoBMUeJk-p6AD_EKrxthCCgQ9_Z1ATImxceYtypjxG9cSAYkfDVSXSZg3EFVSd0/s1600/IMG_20130401_165801.730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7XUooaoFK5YfGaQi2qWwdwmyEqwTzs1FxdurhpLe5UT1vlDVwS0Zo6u3rT4WHexygz2gMFGHZmJJPoBMUeJk-p6AD_EKrxthCCgQ9_Z1ATImxceYtypjxG9cSAYkfDVSXSZg3EFVSd0/s200/IMG_20130401_165801.730.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Sakura Lager</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Might be the original lager in a seasonal can, but seemed lighter than I recall from the regular</div>
<div>
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3Zagw8kfGWhwZKtOht1BZrignqYOu0b6BBoZ0CCVc0EFVNUcHgywT1RmqjqikUCmkeeWrqxqkwdmXu3fp5hM5L8C9S0qHikhLmtFuFNajRY3VotgfieWsishaXNJLnrhyrp-pzahOks/s1600/20130403_212051.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3Zagw8kfGWhwZKtOht1BZrignqYOu0b6BBoZ0CCVc0EFVNUcHgywT1RmqjqikUCmkeeWrqxqkwdmXu3fp5hM5L8C9S0qHikhLmtFuFNajRY3VotgfieWsishaXNJLnrhyrp-pzahOks/s200/20130403_212051.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Stout</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- A stout obviously, has nice rich chocolate taste but not thick enough for me- not really watery, it's good.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oZxvyulRPEue4L-eXXJG6XZfkKnTMKGHgJJq7QMcTpOMLT2r-B0pDEoZSFe0lEtqpZG0LPOkZXqmFVvNAuQ1Byq13TQDQdSyukNaU2ViFL4EzgoYHDMzq53MIk83wvwmG_JQ3THVKTI/s1600/20130406_220145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oZxvyulRPEue4L-eXXJG6XZfkKnTMKGHgJJq7QMcTpOMLT2r-B0pDEoZSFe0lEtqpZG0LPOkZXqmFVvNAuQ1Byq13TQDQdSyukNaU2ViFL4EzgoYHDMzq53MIk83wvwmG_JQ3THVKTI/s200/20130406_220145.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Kirin W Tanrei Double<br />
- Heavy bodied, something about it makes it want to almost be a bit skunky but isn't quite there- it's good.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eXg0U3HIHKvvU7mf1Jzr_Y1EdRVUF9VET4nkM3v3phVMeT3jtHW-wk7cMFgOUNw-FXiKMMOAfKvov4fmfDVw_UzuJcpHN9IPmhfSKomwvQebc5a6VOMScPEa5LXkaRCpVBVDc44hQjQ/s1600/20130405_225129.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eXg0U3HIHKvvU7mf1Jzr_Y1EdRVUF9VET4nkM3v3phVMeT3jtHW-wk7cMFgOUNw-FXiKMMOAfKvov4fmfDVw_UzuJcpHN9IPmhfSKomwvQebc5a6VOMScPEa5LXkaRCpVBVDc44hQjQ/s200/20130405_225129.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Tanrei Draft</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Pretty light and malty flavor, seems like it wants to be an IPA but doesn't have the bite.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa_Cu2w9ANkBeyLZBE6fQXsetMqirktoquoCo5mKtC0Pg_w46UcXq2SYQEo-lP-rjC9yIMMHeoJuMxAKaZkZBoFx8xXWM7e8M-0yEdcWTQgAvd_WFguMvNh7y6hgb4P70X2rJcQvHbyA/s1600/20130409_205941.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa_Cu2w9ANkBeyLZBE6fQXsetMqirktoquoCo5mKtC0Pg_w46UcXq2SYQEo-lP-rjC9yIMMHeoJuMxAKaZkZBoFx8xXWM7e8M-0yEdcWTQgAvd_WFguMvNh7y6hgb4P70X2rJcQvHbyA/s200/20130409_205941.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Sapporo<br />
- Mild ale, standard rice beer.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_FOUKcZvkk4MPHfzfmiYYXFYUrmdW2vjRlO8u0DQZQGfjTQVOdMtD3XzKs1dH2CZykTNCuvnJb8y_2Z1STZSXFtBtu-seh_9moPE6FFHpPKZkz3DIHZbjXwN0HTJ-wT8qsz4wxqJync/s1600/20130409_211139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_FOUKcZvkk4MPHfzfmiYYXFYUrmdW2vjRlO8u0DQZQGfjTQVOdMtD3XzKs1dH2CZykTNCuvnJb8y_2Z1STZSXFtBtu-seh_9moPE6FFHpPKZkz3DIHZbjXwN0HTJ-wT8qsz4wxqJync/s200/20130409_211139.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Suntory Malt Pilsner</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Tasted like a heavier MGD mixed with a bit of malt liqourness.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdBCC7ToJ-8_alcVNRiAQrawyrvAxCqHJJDZlU10gKwPMLxrILwOR4JwB9fd34gj4O1kZo4tT4IKiUVCv9BkWD9TtZk0f8QC9kn0FaG4ITHQ_I1wt1EAxKZVdAeufkPL0cM57R5k-sxU/s1600/IMG_20130402_201841.963.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdBCC7ToJ-8_alcVNRiAQrawyrvAxCqHJJDZlU10gKwPMLxrILwOR4JwB9fd34gj4O1kZo4tT4IKiUVCv9BkWD9TtZk0f8QC9kn0FaG4ITHQ_I1wt1EAxKZVdAeufkPL0cM57R5k-sxU/s200/IMG_20130402_201841.963.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
- Suntory Gran Dry<br />
- Smooth dry beer, good but forgettable.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01LlYSnJ1RvfxMKlUtnCT-APtP6pY25AxOLAb535PMIFzatrq07Vjc1RRBPtCFSS4s5HWKuSwSo3WDGxLrFKk5rskvjsDwmz9Dm6QeVYh80QnIhlh54QxKDyhOlDwPXCsACPRZ6G3rP8/s1600/20130406_212757.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01LlYSnJ1RvfxMKlUtnCT-APtP6pY25AxOLAb535PMIFzatrq07Vjc1RRBPtCFSS4s5HWKuSwSo3WDGxLrFKk5rskvjsDwmz9Dm6QeVYh80QnIhlh54QxKDyhOlDwPXCsACPRZ6G3rP8/s200/20130406_212757.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
- Suntory Rich Malt<br />
- Very nice thicker bodied malty beer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIh1JhHGlqdwZRT_aSK0J8qnfWc3cB_ix9Lf2r8VZrDrXPK9c3tCEZ9295W4hFnYwpbOa3SqmACHUulQLfhH_COBP5Brt8qQpEmIeetloQq9kYLwwhTMwfnyS_Vp7MjV1o7KbIF5kYm4/s1600/20130405_233208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIh1JhHGlqdwZRT_aSK0J8qnfWc3cB_ix9Lf2r8VZrDrXPK9c3tCEZ9295W4hFnYwpbOa3SqmACHUulQLfhH_COBP5Brt8qQpEmIeetloQq9kYLwwhTMwfnyS_Vp7MjV1o7KbIF5kYm4/s200/20130405_233208.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Suntory Rich Malt : Sakura Can<br />
- Sakura themed can, I don't know that it actually contained sakura. A medium bodied beer, not bad.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cxNllw-jc7nIfunfrbTVMJeCh2T1PFX8WQ_EugBASW9pBG6qRByc8ewuBRkr2YMVt958zTBisW-YCP_DEm2jGPEGXsRXH157HIc8mHwsbyFbzTI2viwBWmDZVlQXa4bhsVod2tviMGM/s1600/20130407_205801.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cxNllw-jc7nIfunfrbTVMJeCh2T1PFX8WQ_EugBASW9pBG6qRByc8ewuBRkr2YMVt958zTBisW-YCP_DEm2jGPEGXsRXH157HIc8mHwsbyFbzTI2viwBWmDZVlQXa4bhsVod2tviMGM/s200/20130407_205801.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Suntory Royal Bitter<br />
- Like a very malty IPA. Not overwhelming bitterness- it's like a mild aftertaste and then the rich malt flavor takes over. Good.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIPKLPfvxupoovVysl_94tI5a88Fl-Sy0_SRp3bMHMOJgfui4a0NnTPnOMgWpG1urTRbM5fc8YPV-j9esqRuIMhyphenhyphen8FXt38sB4RTtfWC_GgkizZOWn9XOuR78sZ6bKDbttF5yBG8Epruw/s1600/20130407_200530.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIPKLPfvxupoovVysl_94tI5a88Fl-Sy0_SRp3bMHMOJgfui4a0NnTPnOMgWpG1urTRbM5fc8YPV-j9esqRuIMhyphenhyphen8FXt38sB4RTtfWC_GgkizZOWn9XOuR78sZ6bKDbttF5yBG8Epruw/s200/20130407_200530.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
- Yebisu Premium - All Malt Beer</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Obviously very malty beer, with a bit of an edge. Seemed like what a heavier, more full bodied Rolling Rock would be. Hard to pinpoint.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguntHGKs5obdVkbhc9SsvJlml3aNlU9U3d7ukEvtR-9AXOw72EQ9Cqg3hEBt51BzLMb39WXdjo8IaxyAc6t3NGFAPup5XuBxsC8qb6YgCmDMgIGURnN-BkRv5HqeNNfkfbs3WULvOsDrQ/s1600/1364940606120.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguntHGKs5obdVkbhc9SsvJlml3aNlU9U3d7ukEvtR-9AXOw72EQ9Cqg3hEBt51BzLMb39WXdjo8IaxyAc6t3NGFAPup5XuBxsC8qb6YgCmDMgIGURnN-BkRv5HqeNNfkfbs3WULvOsDrQ/s200/1364940606120.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Yebisu Premium - Joel Robuchon<br />
- Similar to a Killians Irish Red, solidly rich and slightly bitter. Really good.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K8S3u3zNjtdQCFN1Ybz-rsNmFPXtT8W4f7UNxzG7EjsYK-ovmfthL0bFTN45q1y9g2mnGNapJhsvF-dFaMlePCR29N7vdfd9wZu552L40kT4HJDtWdMqOb2JINsiDor0UxGsBZHS93s/s1600/IMG_20130401_165858.852.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K8S3u3zNjtdQCFN1Ybz-rsNmFPXtT8W4f7UNxzG7EjsYK-ovmfthL0bFTN45q1y9g2mnGNapJhsvF-dFaMlePCR29N7vdfd9wZu552L40kT4HJDtWdMqOb2JINsiDor0UxGsBZHS93s/s200/IMG_20130401_165858.852.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Yoho Suiyoubi Ni Neko<br />
- White Belgian style, tastes like a wheat beer but a bit smoother than a lot of Belgians. Solid.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGau-pcebUJFjuSzbuJYsi37qNBu08Pvg2SfOlIuT_17KBgXLRPglDrXl10_mm7HjfP5I-_PHDZQnZGnC58hNxoLAJd0wSiIzyB1DQr0bY96NTzEcBfiSmpSrYs9U_jy6iWTBWZjavYE/s1600/20130410_214802.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGau-pcebUJFjuSzbuJYsi37qNBu08Pvg2SfOlIuT_17KBgXLRPglDrXl10_mm7HjfP5I-_PHDZQnZGnC58hNxoLAJd0wSiIzyB1DQr0bY96NTzEcBfiSmpSrYs9U_jy6iWTBWZjavYE/s200/20130410_214802.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
- Yoho Aooni<br />
- An IPA, a sharp bite with a mellow aftertaste. Really nice.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-1jMRJN3kmgKSDraaaMee5K4M-qfkathWLR3dVuyK60Qf55nM4ZFMj3EyHRDozEV3B445HNdKOXvdRTRgpniHMdDSU4CO-VMsrQXPmqPkEV0dqDgnhgBmWrFpNPpMT50UU4adA7ekNY/s1600/20130410_220809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-1jMRJN3kmgKSDraaaMee5K4M-qfkathWLR3dVuyK60Qf55nM4ZFMj3EyHRDozEV3B445HNdKOXvdRTRgpniHMdDSU4CO-VMsrQXPmqPkEV0dqDgnhgBmWrFpNPpMT50UU4adA7ekNY/s200/20130410_220809.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Yonasato Tokyo Black<br />
- A real nice porter, smooth again and not very thick bodied.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-k-kP5NgpW_fAAHZjhr-rAt55ExvBQVOhBIbtTgPoFwgYlEwFLFK2UZQ1ejzmpxDF3grZ8irv-AtX4BLlxFwrBqBLThmPk5r-UAAzvYUgf4XE7CpG5_G8H2m4a6QAbrzdYyBbaiPUuY/s1600/20130410_223148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-k-kP5NgpW_fAAHZjhr-rAt55ExvBQVOhBIbtTgPoFwgYlEwFLFK2UZQ1ejzmpxDF3grZ8irv-AtX4BLlxFwrBqBLThmPk5r-UAAzvYUgf4XE7CpG5_G8H2m4a6QAbrzdYyBbaiPUuY/s200/20130410_223148.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<b><u>Other Alcoholic</u></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Strong Lemon<br />
- Like a Mikes Hard Lemonade but much more of a real lemon squeezed lemonade taste<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaMDBLQmTcHomOMlEU56HEbgNhZAdbgPnnKXyI2HAxdtUU_Mx90j9TI-tRn6TwWyRioGccTWhD-hDfiP-Bbb-yQWEGY4P67MaAJyfiC56eRESTX6XOf-GraF66cNNRhhshNvL-M0NIJM/s1600/IMG_20130330_063903.517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaMDBLQmTcHomOMlEU56HEbgNhZAdbgPnnKXyI2HAxdtUU_Mx90j9TI-tRn6TwWyRioGccTWhD-hDfiP-Bbb-yQWEGY4P67MaAJyfiC56eRESTX6XOf-GraF66cNNRhhshNvL-M0NIJM/s200/IMG_20130330_063903.517.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
- Kirin Double Strong Zero<br />
- same as strong, just stronger, just about the same can. Amy's favorite was the lemon/grapefruit flavor.<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<div dir="Ltr">
<b><u>Non Alcoholic</u></b><br />
- Burn Energy Drink</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- A strawberry flavored energy drink. The can indicated there we BCAA's (amino acid supplement used for fasted workouts) so this is also probably one of the many diet associated drinks they have on the market here. Half of the non-alcoholic drinks seemed to have a health/diet related benefit being touted.</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-FBOXBpIrxl7REny8uw-gEsVqsEHH-Wemh16S_sIvwUs44Erca1J7AW293kZnsZJGI_iuyQl80QOdtYZjjqcznPOFNWn4rOSmab642cvmEunmPoLrUBIdJEe-xGIIWWY0LPIR0hPTGw/s1600/20130409_105411.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-FBOXBpIrxl7REny8uw-gEsVqsEHH-Wemh16S_sIvwUs44Erca1J7AW293kZnsZJGI_iuyQl80QOdtYZjjqcznPOFNWn4rOSmab642cvmEunmPoLrUBIdJEe-xGIIWWY0LPIR0hPTGw/s200/20130409_105411.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- DragonballZ Cola Zero<br />
- I watched DragonballZ and the original when they got played on US TV with the English subs- so when I saw Vegita on a can I had to have it. It's a standard cola. In a DBZ can. That's all. I fell down some stairs a few minutes after this, I credit it for helping prevent any serious injury.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc_-ui-cgpBwWhpovNMnEbfXaWUkJaKyeiR6Q4NB2nqvfxcqMYhxt77gxwEgpsb5txxqDu7AMxPcmUHeNiBdgfyFYy0t19orJTkqBsInOVrnUC35WutfTVcx7DVNuhVs0RUKFDFpxBtE/s1600/20130406_132715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc_-ui-cgpBwWhpovNMnEbfXaWUkJaKyeiR6Q4NB2nqvfxcqMYhxt77gxwEgpsb5txxqDu7AMxPcmUHeNiBdgfyFYy0t19orJTkqBsInOVrnUC35WutfTVcx7DVNuhVs0RUKFDFpxBtE/s200/20130406_132715.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Hardwild<br />
- A good canned coffee if I recall correctly (was one of the first days, didn't make any notes.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1DvrRrrOBH6JtYQEjyOEOLEkegWAmpGcXQO-Omz_rh-DaULmP9hzQgW9icCm7toQEGwdBgRubTBt_ItEavCJNKsfOl5pSYpaFesUQ0RSwIhlZlfe94H9QzWBfetenLvJlC6tlyM4aBI/s1600/20130401_081438.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1DvrRrrOBH6JtYQEjyOEOLEkegWAmpGcXQO-Omz_rh-DaULmP9hzQgW9icCm7toQEGwdBgRubTBt_ItEavCJNKsfOl5pSYpaFesUQ0RSwIhlZlfe94H9QzWBfetenLvJlC6tlyM4aBI/s200/20130401_081438.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Healthya<br />
- Another fitness drink, kinda sour lemony flavor.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wH_43S-Hr0-mfZpXWbZA5AnakochigYcaRAOc4znk_CIenObArTWBxAtjZS5HILi3neJ_OZRKELo2nBtQqJ90vgjfpMTredzeSFZYIwh9h7OIohR7_vU1pc0f1_W4fTMwxnfQNn6Peg/s1600/20130408_151344.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wH_43S-Hr0-mfZpXWbZA5AnakochigYcaRAOc4znk_CIenObArTWBxAtjZS5HILi3neJ_OZRKELo2nBtQqJ90vgjfpMTredzeSFZYIwh9h7OIohR7_vU1pc0f1_W4fTMwxnfQNn6Peg/s200/20130408_151344.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- I Lohas<br />
- Flavored waters of a couple varieties, had very nice subtle taste.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLt4OOq2mLlRYqgcZLX0ghJDxZU3uG-tYezxbNFqprNI_WtH92eIz3CVLgVmcqBmRZsXe_s_Z0ebZ0SaKqXLV59ulwparzvt4RVI66Q4ORpmchb9RdDdXqQBA5i5D1vtQN69WUA8t7uo/s1600/20130405_101902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLt4OOq2mLlRYqgcZLX0ghJDxZU3uG-tYezxbNFqprNI_WtH92eIz3CVLgVmcqBmRZsXe_s_Z0ebZ0SaKqXLV59ulwparzvt4RVI66Q4ORpmchb9RdDdXqQBA5i5D1vtQN69WUA8t7uo/s200/20130405_101902.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Itoen Stylee Sparkling Lemon<br />
- Wasn't sparkling water like I was expecting, just a lemony water. Kind of bitter, wasn't horrible.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwHCrlPIknLCwCLnK_dtDQCOOKdT4FSY7jX-LI5pBHaPMjO2poNWVjRUx5amdZvTE9JhJR6AQj9nqzqdW9uWcxluQlzkgdY24aIJYWkhPe2z59NRi0sfv7lXMfSMBSSBsUd-DQ81z1zw/s1600/20130405_162403.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwHCrlPIknLCwCLnK_dtDQCOOKdT4FSY7jX-LI5pBHaPMjO2poNWVjRUx5amdZvTE9JhJR6AQj9nqzqdW9uWcxluQlzkgdY24aIJYWkhPe2z59NRi0sfv7lXMfSMBSSBsUd-DQ81z1zw/s200/20130405_162403.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Kirin European Style tea- Sakura and Peach<br />
- Obviously a seasonal drink, very tasty tea with peach flavor with a twist- not sure if it actually has sakura pedals in it, but tasty either way.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPz9rQAVnkiNMUAHC1UAiEKl1X2OTh4BH2G8NEwsEgf_58hXTTEwjD9EBHoBdQJHEp1xftx0YUhbVsDoiVnL-GiSTH0mzaygulz-HLz1FuJpZzuCRt0jYfToZF0MyD_blcIDbtBH0_Y4/s200/20130403_103205.jpg" height="200" style="text-align: center;" width="150" /><br />
<br />
- Kirin Mets Zero Cola<br />
- Very tasty diet cola, seems to have a mild spice to it- maybe ginger.. I could be wrong. It was my go to soda.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYz1CyvFP-rUp8aOMmAjfJMaoLaz8M8s2weLQ4oav4B_fPycKvJfrWe1XHf5k36O3gsXMKD5UR_POFOSorItjGeZBf9Mcy8dl0qAWVnAXt2BCsDE9epHUrELrQ96Tb3V03C64bLhGPw4/s1600/20130406_104626.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYz1CyvFP-rUp8aOMmAjfJMaoLaz8M8s2weLQ4oav4B_fPycKvJfrWe1XHf5k36O3gsXMKD5UR_POFOSorItjGeZBf9Mcy8dl0qAWVnAXt2BCsDE9epHUrELrQ96Tb3V03C64bLhGPw4/s200/20130406_104626.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
- Lifeguard : Original Bionic Drink</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- Touts 7 vitamins, 7 amino acids, and Royal Jelly. Tastes like a mix of an energy drink (e.g. Monster) mixed with Gatorade- both of which I like, and I like this. </div>
<div dir="Ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltBDLzBcMRBKr-8l5Wc6FX8WnJEGHpp1oUA0pLrhyUGHuhMkv-X5YsPVlMzodNhU_NtoiHqbghDwaZOPDegonXuMkPnR8-UXa1FUx8lY4rqsPODMNuFAklJoSu4gg7-OFSKh5LXc8w6c/s1600/20130409_120654.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltBDLzBcMRBKr-8l5Wc6FX8WnJEGHpp1oUA0pLrhyUGHuhMkv-X5YsPVlMzodNhU_NtoiHqbghDwaZOPDegonXuMkPnR8-UXa1FUx8lY4rqsPODMNuFAklJoSu4gg7-OFSKh5LXc8w6c/s200/20130409_120654.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- Match</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- Another energy drink/sports drink mix, citrus and fizzy- good.</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9MIDM-NZZAuM2WZPnnHVJjvdBsT0LirniytTJ1E4aPc-GeZKNOi0IJ4mdTTHTgfnZO9-_0wkEhnZ6DfBO-An8iuy8yWk9eOpaTFGGJgLgrcbZqItQ5kF0DnvVh74EdCJ55c4mSZFOFY/s1600/20130411_132531.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9MIDM-NZZAuM2WZPnnHVJjvdBsT0LirniytTJ1E4aPc-GeZKNOi0IJ4mdTTHTgfnZO9-_0wkEhnZ6DfBO-An8iuy8yWk9eOpaTFGGJgLgrcbZqItQ5kF0DnvVh74EdCJ55c4mSZFOFY/s200/20130411_132531.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="Ltr">
</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
- Pepsi Nex<br />
- Seems just like a standard zero/diet cola, was pretty much every restaurant soda machine. Never got it in a can/bottle, so no photo.<br />
<br />
- Pepsi White<br />
- Reminds me of OK Cola, but with a bit of bubblegum or melon taste to it. Very very awesome, I didn't see it often enough.</div>
<div dir="Ltr">
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteMGwItbSz9z9xTyAtad1cyXtdUXf692TFzfU9DCOskwkzjjRdEY0iVLasVaXzWcv-2UPq9NCcs-UGqNRKGDt_OLK93ZqdthQp40Jh639BukGg_ihwOT37i5MKVG4Vbno-IjITFtKADo/s200/20130404_140337.jpg" height="200" style="border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px;" width="150" /><br />
<br />
- Pocari Sweat<br />
- Another fitness type drink, tastes very much like original style yellow Gatorade but milder and less syrupy. I really like this stuff. I can't believe I didn't grab a photo of this, I probably drank at least a bottle of this a day.<br />
<br />
- Suntory BOSS Black<br />
- Ubiquitous coffee in a can, really good. Drank it too fast and forgot to get a photo.<br />
<br />
<br />
- Suntory BOSS Cafe Au Lait<br />
- Again a coffee in a can, again really good.<br />
<br />
<br />
That's about all I can find for now, will update if I find anything I missed.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-33215373749706457482013-04-12T03:49:00.001-05:002015-03-17T14:27:09.758-05:00Japanese Adventures with Hello KittyIn planning our trip to Japan, I randomly found an app on the iTunes store for my iPhone called "Visit Japan with Hello Kitty" - it was, apparently, only available from September 3, 2012 until March 31, 2013. The official site was <a href="http://www.visitjapanapp.jp/">here</a> and there's more Official info about it <a href="http://www.seejapan.co.uk/JNTO_Consumer/media/press-releases/press-release-detail/12-09-03/Japan-Releases-Hello-Kitty-Tourism-App">here</a> - those are probably pointless links if the app is no longer available, but if you are able to find it, it's fun and I used it earlier today so I know it still functions. I played with it a little before we left, but I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to do, besides provide a bit of info about touristy places in a cute format, and almost deleted it. Luckily, I didn't - and happened to open it and click on the camera button - Hello Kitty magically appeared on my camera screen!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a> We first met her at a temple in Kyoto:<br />
<img alt="IMG 5430" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCjel-vto_p1tDL8JpdtQckNMlqiSSNUl4m5SzHje36sSOP03A7TPhm6RCZVKJ5INYZbPP_LZlueVMlZl9IuYXQhtiRK6Nqp56CcyNRHhBG4v9SxpwhyRwmKUU-TfXYuLnirsY2BFZhk/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5430.JPG" width="300" /><br />
She followed us to Osaka where she and her little bunny friend frolicked around our room with John:<br />
<img alt="IMG 5462" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF2gVF8UnboAVmcSLUP7irojREbfg_gNPkPi0ZCsxjbjzG4le30mbaWwIHdShiOUPF2wKutMRo7mYxrHlvhvNNhVR66kXnNwJnW_W6F2q5E84cKl4vdcqnZMZANh6wK7fo_TBSAjZd2Y/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5462.JPG" width="300" /><br />
We found her again in Nara, looking adorable hanging out with the deer:<br />
<img alt="IMG 5466" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC71YDubTBUjIgncJIktZ8cL4kkE2jVgPOrulQvCIKLblBIUkJ_yThDsebKlg_sOTx7htHBa6sgzCQhDnzM2_G74pYcHMA3w0OsUizsqnbRynIUnVDP4TlfVyy5obZsbQcfDuXtsnSB0A/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5466.JPG" width="300" /><br />
While waiting to board the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, we spotted Hello Kitty once again:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="IMG 5472" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3ntcI80lQ9Rtk-uj6IwVvjVQRGELgWy4498lulyAWKOKc43tiT2xJdkNKzpFaJokuLTs5trKLqbwbD8kt3t8Nwf0-JULdkYEiH031b9bJlKA1y48urYHv6xx7rP4G-BMv797EnM_KXo/?imgmax=800" height="300" title="IMG_5472.JPG" width="300" /></div>
I guess she enjoyed our company because she seemed to be following us on our way from Osaka to Tokyo - with some creative modes of transportation...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="IMG 5474" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZw6ojWMwx9IfLzPXJaQKiSlUn49pk_4B-zJuHJAb58nKpReMXFbjI9u7hOBqCGt38sVS5b0C-BNLqrhTag3kivDtY2Stu3P2Kgxe5NacAIcHapTWJUaaGROQI0fiPjCBM2-n-aE0KWzU/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5474.JPG" width="300" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="IMG 5480" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzoRV0n8hAvy1Y8xcWOhkUWnLjglTXmD4LYhPqO6lsLs_cmp3FUGvy-w_trws1tiZ2WDiJbheBFio4y3v52hJwZV72HcOGgC1IUHEwpVbYl-8WsB99bsnOp6gFQgmn9xoGMpN61jttoc/?imgmax=800" height="300" title="IMG_5480.JPG" width="300" /> </div>
She was very adorable...<br />
<img alt="IMG 5478" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecDGgmUmgMHqH0-oI43RYiLaSRIb7xlIPtH3OZFl1ytq6Wed4xjV9xPaCaA1W6362DvEDx95mBcvaGlcHJX2PffFtH6ujYLZ592fcypujNh04lCE4yoLYH-37jMlxoZ1cJND1k-elDFo/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5478.JPG" width="300" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
…so, fInally, we just invited her to ride with us...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="IMG 5475" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljB-DJlydfGGitkLviIfLNbXJ3mdu8VMIgfr0GSzLyORIFoCCG3Ep-HFu2jhzHJ1OqM4R_WDTpvSHFEH8Yi6uhEggE355IXIycbS0wJFhVnhKwEwtHJPRfBd9bFiCNvgh2Yr-qmfuN3Q/?imgmax=800" height="300" title="IMG_5475.JPG" width="300" /></div>
She was happy to show us the sites:<br />
<img alt="IMG 5477" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-D0zyuXkw9GMWMLBcvn3BMyrU3OVIWX9ul0gIl7D84Y9uJ__qbiTfeDwTyPTZ315WW4Z8MLJZMhvCNpbARUjqmvgcU7sIX-TP1X9oEMKlnIjYPjNPhPOhnF1iiRqhsnmMCIsk39l8-Q/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5477.JPG" width="300" /><br />
<img alt="IMG 5582" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG5CSm0VUAHrq6AD4ClP2QsHWtbgT44xkZEbgcEf_UR9yBKqTCjuKHSuUGNOpmmmC07FCBw4nTjXLPJuToOFhHZ4lIkLP16u-LN7crkFKQ8xAWcRrEKSEwB5U4q-ck_he8A62MYGmUo4/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5582.JPG" width="300" /><br />
…and she was always up for a drink!<br />
<img alt="IMG 5484" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocEAIXM6PEdBOHpoXbkoI44Ba72uSSc42vpgbwtrGCJBjLI_qlSha7_6UE51NySxBhJb-2cqKwuOFqe_Hr0oAiLxXGEihCM00jQ45aINh3YNjdAcKheTXcBbIDDhYAgGwe4Lsun2aUKk/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5484.JPG" width="200" /> <br />
<img alt="IMG 5482" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs9JKxqlhng5p9DmR6mFD44EQoKe76hBzXS0de7MVx885GENV12YYmlXClEQrimXrJfwSZDv7fwyufHlt2l4AMx84gPNOcWvtBp0IhAlc3_kRNjSye3frfdlmvB4jqvWP0Ys9hJA29Xo/?imgmax=800" height="300" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5482.JPG" width="300" /><br />
She was definitely an adorable addition to our adventures in Japan!<br />
<img alt="IMG 5692" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhOou8fVBZwHdBTehjFf0aSN5FqT_5jIk6iC2Avkb0XC21BF-aDx0NJALDNkDh6MLVXBmX-Oh17y3K20lmrZ7Zvrghp2tdQh7yjZFQwY74CCAqOWMQIz9i6jSzCFNQpdLknnqTTnDruc/?imgmax=800" height="299" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5692.jpg" width="300" />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-24815628462840207472013-04-10T23:48:00.001-05:002013-04-10T23:48:04.130-05:00On the train to the airport...<p dir=ltr>We are on the train to the Narita airport.  It's been a quick two weeks, so much seen and so much left to see.  We have tons of photos, videos, recaps, thoughts, and other random things we will try to update or upload as soon as we can.  </p>
<p dir=ltr>In a couple hours from now we will be on the plane, and after about 12 hours of flight we will be arriving a couple hours earlier than now today (gotta love that timezone flip.)</p>
John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-74873159615389220692013-04-10T17:36:00.001-05:002015-03-17T14:27:49.673-05:00Tokyo DisneylandWe spent our last day in Japan at Tokyo Disneyland! It was bittersweet - all the awesomeness of Disney, but a little sad since we couldn't forget our adventure was almost over. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Anyway, the layout is very similar to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando - same castle too. I think it's smaller overall. The line areas felt especially claustrophobic. The walkways, however, seemed wider. We picked a really good day to go - I imagine those walkways get PACKED on busy days...and I don't want to think about what the lines would be like.<br />
<br />
I noticed 2 big differences: 1) There were very few snack vendors and the options were very limited; and, 2) they didn't really sell souvenirs (besides character hats/ears - everybody had those.) <br />
<br />
...and I will finish this later... <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2gmSFL0-GeReu7TA8obsObADvReYkfWuOKQSUGiqMvoV69VLJRZ-dIyT5SHxmXUilu91mfYhJlR0_CsH-aKuBNmEwPpn1YWZhIKJzdCAR0YA_cVCUrtt0Rurw7oRkc-iBxogK5hpA-8/s640/blogger-image--1207536655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2gmSFL0-GeReu7TA8obsObADvReYkfWuOKQSUGiqMvoV69VLJRZ-dIyT5SHxmXUilu91mfYhJlR0_CsH-aKuBNmEwPpn1YWZhIKJzdCAR0YA_cVCUrtt0Rurw7oRkc-iBxogK5hpA-8/s640/blogger-image--1207536655.jpg" /></a></div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno 3−19−7 Higashiueno, Taito35.712215 139.778358tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-50864711291593277572013-04-09T09:18:00.001-05:002013-04-09T10:11:52.325-05:00Updated photos!We have uploaded more photos from Japan, there are tons left to be uploaded but we are trying to squeeze as much out of every day while we are still here!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/sets/72157633124943502/">Flickr Japan Spring 2013!</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW7Vn09phyphenhyphenj5J8WWILKdLgGkrAVqfgyAPRlju2krknDBPb63U4IsvDKjm-Z6buO8_wurzI92oPhQfhzBr6jzdJCkgfRsyRQYZ4t3NmyT_1I1KxMEniNRI-5phvn5PWrSiprfgqJC28p0/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW7Vn09phyphenhyphenj5J8WWILKdLgGkrAVqfgyAPRlju2krknDBPb63U4IsvDKjm-Z6buO8_wurzI92oPhQfhzBr6jzdJCkgfRsyRQYZ4t3NmyT_1I1KxMEniNRI-5phvn5PWrSiprfgqJC28p0/s320/IMG_2044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-19073571802288840192013-04-06T10:03:00.000-05:002013-04-06T10:03:30.951-05:00Kansai region, (pre) part 1We're heading back to Tokyo tomorrow so I wanted to save a place for a summary of what we've done the past few days in Osaka and Kyoto. John and I are both so completely exhausted by the time we are back in our hotel room with nothing else better to do than blog about it so you'll have to wait for more detailed accounts...(I'm not sure that sentence even made sense...)<br />
<br />
TUESDAY:<br />
<ul>
<li>Amy vs. Dehydration </li>
<li>Tokyo to Shin-Osaka via SHINKANSEN!</li>
<li>Checked in to the Station Hotel Shin-Osaka</li>
</ul>
<br />
WEDNESDAY:<br />
<i>Kyoto</i> <br /><ul>
<li>Silver Pavilion</li>
<li>Philosopher's Path</li>
<li>Sakura!!!</li>
<li>Temple with the Twin Dragons...</li>
</ul>
<br />
THURSDAY:<br />
<i>Western Kyoto</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Monkeys!</li>
<li>Bamboo!</li>
<li>Buddhas!</li>
<li>More Buddhas!!!</li>
<li>Even more Buddhas!!!!! </li>
</ul>
<br />
FRIDAY: <br />
<i>Kyoto</i><br />
<ul>
<li><i> </i>Golden Pavilion</li>
<li>Big Boy...in Japan</li>
<li>Shopping in Kyoto</li>
<li>Narrowly escaped disaster #1 </li>
<li>Sakura: After Dark</li>
</ul>
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SATURDAY:<br />
<i>Nara</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Osaka to Nara</li>
<li>Oh deer...</li>
<li>Narrowly escaped disaster #2 </li>
<li> Technology is rad</li>
</ul>
<i>Osaka</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Amy and John make a very solid <i>attempt</i> to take Osaka...<i> </i></li>
</ul>
<i> </i><br /><i> </i>...the suspense is killing you, right???!!! Probably not, but feel free to fake it for us - we don't think we're all that interesting we like inspiration (thanks, Mom! We hope you noticed that we mentioned both the weather AND eating in our last post!).<br />
<br />
Anyway, we are happy, we are tired, we have sore feet, we love Japan.<br />
<br />
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-75265352135335356502013-04-04T18:56:00.001-05:002013-04-04T18:57:19.265-05:00Quick update...We added some more photos from our adventures in Tokyo - you can see them <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_jane/sets/72157633124943502/">here</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FAqlSahjWfVmDTXUkHgtHlLSxNzbb-F-IywIuSrcseP9cs7O2-6XERLNE4gSJ78UdMzl3X5XpCTIOxWt57iA45XVZFHsaxoiRZ_ThlDrDHItRh2fQCXIdorTmSbuum_C_kFHX5PQZlw/s1600/IMG_2139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FAqlSahjWfVmDTXUkHgtHlLSxNzbb-F-IywIuSrcseP9cs7O2-6XERLNE4gSJ78UdMzl3X5XpCTIOxWt57iA45XVZFHsaxoiRZ_ThlDrDHItRh2fQCXIdorTmSbuum_C_kFHX5PQZlw/s320/IMG_2139.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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We're currently staying near the Shin-Osaka JR station in Osaka - it's a nice hotel and a very quick and convenient Shinkansen ride to Kyoto! We've spent the past 2 days seeing the sites in Kyoto - temples, shrines, and monkeys!!! We're going to do some more of that today, starting with the Golden Pavilion, then maybe we'll check out Osaka. Tomorrow, we're thinking we'll go to Nara, stopping at Fushimi along the way. As always, we'll do our best to keep you posted...but we are having an awesome time and we are EXHAUSTED by the time we get back to our hotel at night so be patient with us! </div>
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The weather has been perfect - about 55-65 during the day - and we're keeping ourselves fed and watered. We'll be in Osaka till Sunday then heading back to Tokyo (change in plans! More on that later...)</div>
<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-85843943586299615722013-04-01T19:43:00.001-05:002013-04-04T18:58:16.238-05:00Tokyo, part 1おはよ!!!<br /> <br /> We are leaving Tokyo and heading to Osaka/Kyoto for a few days so I thought I'd sum up how we've spent our first 3 days in Tokyo.<br /> <br /> FRIDAY: <br /> We arrived at our hotel Friday night around 9 PM. We checked into our hotel and then wandered around Shinjuku a little, got some pasta from the Lawson convenience store under our hotel, and went to bed - we were pretty exhausted!<br /> <br /> SATURDAY:<br />
<ul>
<li>Walked around Shinjuku a bit before getting the train to Kichjoji (Shinjuku to Mitaka station)</li>
<li>Walked to the Ghibli Museum - we met a couple of friendly Australian girls on the way</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Explored the Ghibli Museum and watched the current short animated feature, <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">コロの大さんぽ</span> (<i>Koro no Daisanpo) </i>- it was completely in Japanese - with Japanese sub-titles, but the story was simple and cute so we managed to follow along just fine. We stopped at the gift shop where I got Catbus and Little Totoro keychains and some Totoro stamp sets.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/images/koro.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="171" src="http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/images/koro.gif" width="320" /> </a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Walked through Inokashira Park - lots of Hanami spots and lovely sakura trees</span> </li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Had lunch at Freshness Burger in Kichijoji before heading back to Shinjuku</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Walked along a lovely path full of Sakura trees and </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">visited the Yasukuni Shrine </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wandered around the Roppongi area a bit before taking the subway back to Shinjuku</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i> </i>SUNDAY:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Visited the Hanazono Shrine - we didn't find anything about this Shinto shrine in any of our guidebooks, but we could see it from our hotel room so we decided to check it out. I'm sure we'll see bigger shrines that will make this one seem very uninteresting, but for our first time exploring a shrine, it was pretty cool (we didn't really do much exploring at the Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday - just took a few pictures and took a quick walk through their exhibit of "gifts", I guess.) </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Walked around the Shinjuku Gyoen which we <i>loved</i>! This park didn't seem especially interesting when we read about it in our guidebooks, but again, we were VERY pleasantly surprised! It is a large-ish, quieter park - unlike Inokashira, alcohol is strictly prohibited and tripods ARE allowed so there is a lot less of the "Hanami action". It is filled with gorgeous sakura trees, ponds, gardens, a tea house, and some lovely wooded and also open spaces.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Walked around the Ginza area and the Sony store - lots of big-name-brand, expensive stores and fancy things of that sort. We kept seeing the police blocking roads and white vans with loud speakers, but we don't know what they were saying - it didn't seem especially pleasant, though.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Took the subway to the Tokyo station to get to the Imperial Palace. We did lots of walking around the grounds and gardens...and more walking...and more walking…</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Walked back along the street LINED with bookstores of all sorts - and then the street full of music shops (we'll probably check those out again in Tokyo, Part 2.)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
MONDAY:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>We loved the Shinjuku Gyoen so much that we went back - still absolutely gorgeous…</li>
<li>Walked to the Meiji Shrine and wandered around there a bit.</li>
<li>Had lunch in Harajuku - and braved the SEAS of Japanese teenagers in the Takeshita-Dori.</li>
<li>Walked to Shibuya and used all 5 crosswalks in Shibuya Crossing, visited the Hachiko statue, and got some stuff at Tokyu Hands.</li>
<li>After returning to our hotel for a short rest, we went to the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices to get an awesome view of Tokyo.</li>
<li>We stopped at the arcade for a few rounds of Taiko no Tatsujin and some (mostly failed) attempts at the UFO (claw-grabbing) machines - John did win me a fork-playing Rillakuma with a chocolate-covered strawberry on his head, though.</li>
</ul>
TUESDAY:<br />
<ul>
<li>Checked out of the Best Western Astina Shinjuku - we LOVED this hotel so it was sad!</li>
<li>Stopped by the massive Kinokuniya bookstore and the Uniqlo/BIC Camera…complex(???) in Shinjuku.</li>
<li>I ended up getting a wee bit sick (dehydration, exhaustion) so we decided to get a taxi to the Tokyo Station and make our way to Osaka!!!</li>
</ul>
<div>
I was feeling fine by the end of the day - just needed lots and lots of water - so stay tuned for our adventures in Osaka and Kyoto!</div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03827880955061028816noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3493970028147138943.post-56031394860769914942013-03-30T21:46:00.001-05:002013-04-01T03:35:51.994-05:00Some of John's initial thoughts on JapanSince Amy posted while I was sleeping I'll get some in while we rest up quick before heading out to lunch.<br />
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1) People who are working take their jobs seriously. I haven't noticed anyone on their cellphones or Facebook or anything. There is always someone walking around and making sure items are stocked and orderly and dusting off things. If their job is to take orders or greet or help the public they stand at their counter or entryway or wherever they are until they need to do their jobs. And no matter what their job is they seem to try their best to do it well..<br />
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2) Speaking of dusting in point 1, I haven't noticed dust. There obviously is if it had the chance to sit undisturbed, but everything is so clean....<br />
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3) People are aware of their surroundings but mind their own business. Even people we walked by that were obviously out to the bars to get their drink on might be loud and in party mode, but not the kind of frat boy PARTAY obnoxious or we're partying noise and if you're not as loud as us we'll be louder and make sure you know we are drunk..<br />
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Ok lunch time.<br />
Part 2.<br />
4). Everyone seems very well dressed. Like not just nice cloths or anything, but like properly up together outfits. Even people you'd expect to not be, like some of the punks, dorky guys, and other random people... It's like if there was a professional photo shoot and they just walked off the set. It's just noticeably perfect.<br />
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5) Everyone is always moving but they don't seem to be in a super rush, even when they are. Like people will be running to catch a train or whatever, but if they miss it they just politely wait for the next one.<br />
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6) Traffic. Crossing super busy streets is hectic and cars turning will advance right up to the crosswalk but don't threaten to run you over. They just queue up and just wait. Very disconcerting the first few times with a big truck just rolls up on to you while on the road.<br />
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7) TV is a weird mix of the Today Show, the gong show, public access, and the Jerry Springer show. Or anime.<br />
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8) The architecture is very varied. We have seen buildings shaped like battleships, Jenga, wavy slides, castles, old European buildings.... It's very cool that they aren't boring.John Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09599959559462040306noreply@blogger.com0