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Published: January 7th 2007
Christmas dinner
Don't they all look so shnazzy? Dressed up for our big night out.Winter vacation got off to a shaky start. After twiddling my thumbs and counting down the minutes Monday following our closing ceremonies at school, I rushed home to change and grab my pack. Downtown Matsuyama I met my fellow English teachers and walked to Niccori, a buffet style restaraunt near Okkaido. We had reservations for a Christmas dinner. To my surprise, the cost was all you can eat AND all you can drink. I hadn't planned on that one. Needless to say, towards the end of the meal I checked my cell phone to see the time had flown by. And I now had only 10 minutes to make my overnight bus to Tokyo! AAHHHHHHH!!! Panic! I quickly gathered my things and paid my bill, asking them to call a taxi. The waiter told me (in Japanese but thankfully I caught the gist) that it would take about 5 minutes. With no time to spare, I bolted down the street towards the station. My attempts to hail a taxi all failed until I turned the corner. Once in the cab I explained my predicament with lots of gestures. The cabbi called the bus company and found out there were multiple stops
The other side of the table
Me, Vania (Canada) and Princess (South Carolina) downtown. Turning onto the main street I turned left to see the double decker pulling out; BEHIND us!! I was going to make it after all! I repeatedly thanked the cabbi and attempted a tip. But for those of you who know Japan, tipping is not in the vocabulary. I boarded my bus with a slight headache but a large sigh of relief. I was on my way.
12 hours later we arrived in Tokyo at 7am. A slight drizzle became a downpour throughout the day. I skipped along the Starbucks to stay warm and dry while checking out the high class shopping centers in Shinjuku. Then I regretfully boarded another bus to the airport to meet the parents. Mom and Dad came in with smiles. So excited that they had been upgraded and could almost fully lay down in their seats on the plane. Quite different from my overnight experience, punks. The rain continued and so did our bus ride. Almost 3 hours later, due to heavy traffic, we arrived at the hotel. Not to be stopped I forced Mom and Dad out onto the streets of Shinjuku to find dinner. Dad was a bit annoyed at the
Fuji on the horizon
View of Tokyo from the Metropolitan Government Tower extensive rain and his small umbrella (oops, I should have bought a bigger one!). We ate dinner on the top floor of the new Times Square building overlooking Shinjuku station. A traditional Japanese meal with Kobe steak to get them in the mood for the trip!
The following days were sunny and fairly warm. Our guide on Wednesday took us on a whirlwind tour of Tokyo. After the catching the view from the 44th floor of the Metropolitan Government towers near our hotel (where we could see Mount Fuji), we walked through Yoyogi park to Meiji Jingu Shrine, Takeshita Dori, lunch in a new mall in Roppongi Hills, the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, a cruise on the water up to Asakusa, and Asakusajinja Shrine. After all this, the guide was ready to keep on. None of us were ready to let that happen. We were exhausted. So we took the subway home and bid farewell to our knowledgable guide. Dinner across the street (so we wouldn't have to walk to far, but Dad had to sit on the floor!) was satisfying.
The next day I became the guide and picked our sites for the day. Tskiji Fish market
Oh those Unitarians
Mom adding a prayer at the Meiji jinja shrine. after a late start in the morning, Ueno Park (where we found the majority of the museums were closed for the holidays, but made it to the Salvador Dali exhibit anyways) and an early evening. I went for a run downtown just for the experience and to view the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. Dinner at the Keio Plaza (Italian...the parents can only take so much purely Japanese food).
The next morning we headed off for Hakone.
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Aubrey
non-member comment
Yay for mama and papa Nelson!
Hey Mar! So glad to hear that your parents made it alright and that you are all enjoying your time. How long are they staying? A couple weeks? And love the pics, as usual, especially the one over-looking the city with the tower shadow - very cool, my dear! Love and miss you! Alls well here...no snow, thanks to el nino apparently. Booya.