Mom & Laura were so ticklish at the Dr. Fish place in Chinatown...
Then the following day we packed our bags and took the bullet train down to Kyoto
This was my Dad's first time in Japan so I was incredibly happy for him to be in the land our ancestors. The most important activity on his "to do list" was to do a little family research and visit Okayama, the area where his father, my grandfather grew up. It's located about 45 minutes south of Kyoto so after we checked into our hotel, we immediately hopped back on another bullet train.
This spot is on the former grounds of where my grandfather went to elementary school
Right across the former school is Okayama castle, what a cool view it must have been for him to see
After we spent the afternoon in Okayama doing some family research, we headed back to Kyoto and noticed that they too also have tower right next to the main train station
Our first full day of sightseeing in Kyoto we got to see Kinkakuji Temple, or Golden Pavilion
Kyoto was once the former capital of Japan from 794-1868 so it still has many traditional areas including Gion, an old Geisha district...
The next day we headed to Western Kyoto to the Bamboo Forrest of Arashiyama where huge bamboo trees lined both sides of the pathway...
We also got to visit another very popular site called Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine where thousands of torii gates are placed paying homage to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Trying to get a clear shot was a bit difficult because we went during a Japanese national holiday so the place was packed.
We also decided to take a full day to visit Osaka which is only about a 35 minute train ride from Kyoto. Osaka has much more of a metropolitan feel than Kyoto, so Laura suggested we check out the top floor of the Umeda Building for a bird's eye view of the city...
Next stop was Osaka castle, Dad wanted us to take a group picture in front of the castle wearing samurai costumes. At first we were all kind of hesitant but looking back I'm glad we decided to do it; he called it our "Seven Samurai" photo (after the famous samurai movie).
Shin-Sekai (New World) is a long narrow street filled with many unique restaurants & bars, but it's more well-known for their "fugu" or blowfish specialties. Blowfish are actually poisonous and can be lethal if the fish is not cut properly, so it takes very experienced sushi chief to cut the fish just right. Nonetheless, we wanted to give it a try and luckily we all walked out of there alive! haha It tastes just like any other typical sashimi except the texture was a bit more chewy, but not bad overall.
At the end of the street is Tsutenakaku, a famous tower in Osaka.
Our final stop in Osaka was Dotonbori is one of the more popular tourist attractions with it's bustling nightlife and entertainment. The main canal have huge signboards that look even more amazing at night.
After our trip, we made our way back down to Yokosuka to relax for a few days. Dad's way of relaxing was going out fishing:
Since Laura is the vending machine business back in SD, she was so amazed at all the different Japanese vending machines.
Had Karen try the chu-hi bar..
Of course Bern and I took them out to some of our favorite restaurants here in Yokosuka including the tonkatsu house with papa san...
And the sushi go-around next to our apartment...
We dared Laura to eat wasabi ice cream...which she actually liked:
Karen even managed to get a really cool tattoo on her upper right back;
We then packed our bags again for a few days in Tokyo, seeing all the major spots including Harajuku where Mom & Dad got matching tourist shirts (most likely Dad's idea!)
Akihabara where Laura and Honesty had fun shopping for all their favorite anime items & Karen was on the hunt for some special teddy bear collectibles store:
And got to see the Tokyo Tower at night:
The following morning we went to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. We didn't go to the actual live auction which you have to start lining up for at 3am, but it was nice to make there early enough and
eat some fresh fish & seafood for breakfast.
The final night in Tokyo, Karen and I had fun checking out the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku
After our Tokyo adventure, we then made it back to Yokosuka for the final weekend of their vacation. We took advantage of a tour being offered through the military base of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding areas. The first stop was the Peace Park...
The Cariaga's were able to join us for the tour which was nice because Ted used to work at Paradise Valley Hospital so it was a bit of reunion for them and since Honesty's last name is Cariaga as well, it made for a great group photo.
The entire family here at the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji...
Mom and I at the final stop of our tour, where climbers can start their ascent up Mt. Fuji at the 1st station.
No trip to Japan is complete without seeing the famous Daibutsu, Great Buddha in Kamakura.
Bern and I were so happy that everyone made the trip here to Japan. We managed to do a lot for two weeks they were here and enjoyed every minute of it. We miss them terribly but can't wait to see them again next year on our required home-leave in 2016. Love you all!
