Starting out in Tokyo

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Hey everyone....Well, we're finally getting around to posting our first blog, albeit this one will be a shortie - typing on this travel laptop I purchased isn't exactly the easiest of feats; I think fingers might be a little to pudgy, but hopefully a Japanese food diet will change that 😊

Things are going great here in Tokyo. We arrived last Tuesday after a nine-hour flight from Vancouver, and the time change was a little challenging (not to mention a horrendously upset baby sitting behind us the entire way)....We arrived at Sakura Hostel and things have been great. We've managed to check out some of the big sights in Tokyo, and all within a week. Just like last time, we went and visited Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi and Ikebukuro and marveled at the flagrant over-the-top commercialism that Tokyo has come to offer. Of course, we balanced it out with visits to more traditional sights such as the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Meiji-jingu in Harajuku, and Ueno Park. I would go into detail about each, but really, the pictures will speak for themselves.

We hooked up with Weison and Vicky this past week as well, catching up and taking a nice walk through Maguro along the canal, as well as seeing some great art and other sites in Ebisu. My dad actually stopped by in Tokyo as well on his way to Shanghai, which was great - we showed him around the man-made island of Odaiba, went to the Tsukiji Fish Market, and took him to the top of Mori Tower in Roppongi. I'll tell you one thing, we definitely are getting our exercise here as a combination of walking and taking the complex Tokyo subway system are the best modes of transportation. On Saturday night, all of us went out for izakaya in Roppongi, and it was some of the best food we've had here so far (if not the best).

Also, upon our arrival in Tokyo, there was a massive influx of Australians who gathered to watch the soccer match between Japan and Australia in Yokohama. They called themselves the "Green and Gold Army", and wore their colors proudly to cheer on the Socceroos. Unfortunately the game ended in a scoreless draw, but they had a great time and it's been fun mingling with Aussies all week - gave us good memories of our times spent Down Under.

So tomorrow we head to the snowy island of Hokkaido for the next leg of our trip. We're staying in Sapporo at a popular hostel (we're told), and we'll be making day trips to some of the smaller towns around the island and also will be checking out some of the beautiful landscapes and sights Northern Japan has to offer. We're definitely ready to see some of the scenery outside of Tokyo!

We'll send the next blog out when we get to Osaka next week and update everyone on our progress as we move through Japan. It's a nice balmy 20 degrees out right now in Tokyo, so we'll definitely miss the warmer weather of the south - Sapporo will be reminiscent of Canadian weather, so don't worry - it will be cold there just as it is back home. 😊

By the way, if you want to send responses, please just send them to our emails at [e-mail] and [e-mail]. This will be alot easier than trying to respond to this blog!

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Photos

P2120061
Finger-licking good statue.

Comments

[Mary]

Wow!
Looks like you guys are having a blast!!! The photo's are amazing, I can only imagine how the food is! Be safe kids, looking forward to seeing and hearing more from your travels!

[Paul Flanagan]

looks awesome
Hey guys! Pretty jealous over here, it looks fantastic there, great photos!