artistswife

I finally got to the place I have been most excited about, Goldfish Hill. They have been breeding goldfish for over 300 years and have also been serving food and coffee in the attached cafe. The fish were amazing. Then we took the train over the Rainbow Bridge where we saw the Statue of Liberty that was given as a gift. We wandered around Venus Fort where there was a really cool doll exhibit and some neat pet stores. Then we went to ethe Odaiba onsen. It was only $12 for that night and it got us into every hot bath you can imagine, everything from outdoor barrels to milk baths to baths filled with rose water. There was even a tub filled with fish that nibbled the dead skin off your feet. It felt likea ... read more

We slept in and then I went to enjoy the pool filled with streams. And I used the woman's hot baths. Very relaxing. We then wandered around the hotels, had lovely meals, and did some shopping. ... read more

Today we headed to Disney Sea. This park is really beyond description. Everywhere you turn is some tiny detail. You walk into a giant revolving earth and in teh background is an erupting volcano. The best rides were Journy to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues under the sea. There were two ships, one lavishly detailed with two rides and one pirate ship. One part of the park is a New York street with steaming manholes, another Cape Cod with a light house, another an Italia harbor with gandolas, another a jungled forest. After the park closed we headed to our hotel for two nights, the Hilton across from the monorail. It was a large room by Japanese standards, but even better it overlooked the entire park and every detail was taken care of. ... read more

I woke up with a slight hangover, but managed to make it to Kita-Kamakura in time to meet the group. We toured the first of many stunning shrines of the day. Everywhere we turned was another moss-covered treasure. We had a group lunch at a traditional Chinese resturant that overlooked a koi pond and the ocean. We were served over ten courses in a three hour period. Each course was more succulant than the next, finally ending with an almond cherry pudding. We then toured the Great Buddha shrine with was built in 1250. I can't even describe how awe inducing it was. We toured a shrine then dedicated to children who had passed on and another hidden in a stream filled cave with statues that climbed up to the ceiling. Just as dusk was approaching ... read more

We woke up to the wonderful realization that we didn't have to carry any boxes anywhere and we were finally able to enjoy our trip. We made it to Ueno in time to stop at a bakery for treats and green tea lattes. Then we traveled to the Edo Museum which was filled with incredible intricate models. The group enjoyed a traditional Japanese lunch where we all took our shoes off and ordered with tickets through a vending machine. The cold barley tea hit the spot. We then toured the Contemporary Art Museum and managed to hit a great Mary Blair exhibit. Our final stop was to tour the Ginza area and to have sandwiches in our first basement floor in a department store; the food selection was astounding. ... read more