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Here we are in Tokyo and way across the other side of the globe our darling Katherine is living in Copenhagen. Wednesday night, after we arrived back from Sangenjaya (one of Ross' old stamping grounds and where we'd gone for dinner) we learnt that we were the proud grandparents of Isabella Scarlet who arrived on 21 May, CPH time. Katherine went into hospital at 12 noon, gave birth at 3.59pm and was back home by 8.30pm! You're only kept in hospital for a few hours in Copenhagen unless it's your first baby or if there are complications. Oh, the tyranny of distance! As I write this on Thursday morning in Tokyo it is bedtime in CPH so it will be a while before we can talk to Katherine on Skype.
Since writing that paragraph we've had our Skype chat and seen our latest granddaughter asleep and looking oh so angelic. It's a tad frustrating knowing that we can't give her a real cuddle until we visit them in late August but at least Andrea is there to give Katherine a hand.
While all that excitement was happening over the other side of the world we were getting on with
A new sister Isabella Scarlet
Cuddles all round; with Evie on the left and Sienna on the right our travels. On Thursday morning we met another of our Japanese home-stays, Yuki, at Shinagowa station where we went for lunch together and to do a bit of catching up. The food was good, the company even better.
From there we headed off to the Odaiba district where we checked out a Toyota City showroom before catching a Odaiba - Akasaka water bus; an excellent way to see some of Tokyo. Akasaka attracts many tourists. For many centuries, it was Tokyo's leading entertainment district. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), when the district was still located outside the city limits, Asakusa was the site of kabuki theatres and a large red light district. Things have changed there somewhat now with the new Tokyo Sky Tree - the tallest building in Japan and the second tallest in the world - opening within the last few years.
Nature took its toll on us on Thursday evening when we not only got soaked to the skin (and I really do mean soaked to the skin!) but my lovely Metropolitan Museum of Art umbrella was shredded to pieces. I've never been caught in something quite that vicious!
Friday we headed off to
Tobu World Square. This entailed catching a bus from just outside Ross' apartment building to Shinagowa station; from there we joined the steady stream of human traffic - Kev relates it to a line of ants - to access the many trains going here, there and everywhere. Woe betide you if don't keep to the left in whatever direction you are headed. You seem to be constantly bombarded with loudspeaker instructions since, it would appear, the Japanese like to be told what to do. Onto the Yamamoto Line to catch the train heading to Tokyo; station markers show you where the door to the train will be and everyone waits in line behind the markers. Seeing the train pulling into the station you'll notice a sea of people, standing room only with hardly a hairs breath between individuals on the train you are about to board. Luckily hundreds get off and you make your way on. You'll be standing of course but it's so packed you could fall asleep standing up because you'll be held upright by the person next to you. Forget personal space, that doesn't exist. Once at Tokyo station we then make our way to the Shinkansen
station to catch a train to Utsunomiya which is the best part of the journey; reserved seating and very comfortable. Then it was on to three separate local trains until we arrived at Kinugawaonsen and finally by bus to Tobu World Square. The whole thing was quite an experience during which time we certainly saw a lot of Japanese countryside.
Tobu World Square is a theme park in Kinugawaonsen exhibiting1/25th scale replicas of famous buildings from around the world. The models include ancient monuments, cultural treasures and UNESCO World Heritage Sites - but no Sydney Opera House, mores the pity! The park is divided into zones based on regions of the world. Beginning in the Japan Zone you can view scenes of Japan along with culturally significant sights from across the country such as Himeji Castle and temples around Kyoto which we've visited on our trips here. The Asia zone takes you to Korea and India, as well as some large sites from China such as the Forbidden City. The Europe Zone is the park's largest and most diverse area including the Parthenon, the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, British Houses of Parliament, Palace of Versailles and much more. Then
in the Egypt Zone the Pyramids and the Sphinx while in the US Zone you get the White House and a section of downtown New York City, complete with the Twin Towers, which we went to the top of three months before they were brought down. All in all there are 102 structures from 21 countries. But I think I'll have to write to them about the missing Sydney Opera House!
Travelling back to Tokyo we discovered that by going on a Tobu Limited Express train it only took two hours to Akasusa an area we'd visited the day before. Well I never!
Finally it was off to dinner with Yui and her parents. Kev & I were actually waiting for them at the wrong station; it had after all been a long day. But despite our silly mistake - which I can take the blame for - we finally met up and enjoyed a wonderful evening together. It really was a lovely way to end the day.
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Neta
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Scarlett
Congratulations on your new little bundle of joy, she looks adorable. Thank goodness Andrea is there, they certainly kick you out of hospital very quickly in CPH