Japan: Part 1

Guest blogger here, Brent.  Though by necessity not choice on this one, with a Japan family trip that turned into a partial family trip last-minute.  When Grant severely sprained his foot at a soccer game the day before we were due to fly to Japan, our family was committed to making the long-planned trip still work, albeit with some mobility modifications.  All 5 of us got as far as the Seoul airport the morning of our departure, but Grant's pain was bad on the ride there alone.  After some tough decisions, next thing you knew it was just me and the twins checking in for our flight to Tokyo.  So you're stuck with my sub-par prose and iPhone pics, but hey, we'll give it a shot.  Dad and twin bonding here we go..

The vacant seats across the aisle from us were a sad reminder on the flight to Tokyo that we were missing out favorite travel partners =(.

Determined to make the most of it though, we landed in Tokyo and jumped right in, meeting a friend of mine near the famous Shibuya crossing.  The boys here are looking over the scramble madness as the crosswalk lights turned green.

For dinner it was ramen and dumplings, though Hayden and Colter weren't fans.

Being the good dad I am I made sure they got fed... surprised?

We did some wandering in the area, akin to the Times Square of Tokyo.

Arcades full of these "UFO Grabbers" - various forms of the claw machine game - were a hit to watch, play, and lose yen on.

The Hachiko Statue though was a win, which commemorates the loyalty of a dog that continued to meet his owner at the subway station each afternoon when he was due home from work - even 9 years after the owner's death.

Day 2 in Tokyo brought a trip up the towers of the Metropolitan Government building to the observation decks.  An obvious choice since 1) The Kings always seek out the best viewpoint to get the lay of land in a new city; and 2) this one was free, as opposed to Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Skytree! 

Views from the top - hard to see in this pic but there are at least 6 helo pads on the various rooftops out there, Gotham City indeed!

It was then off to the Harajuku area for Japanese kitch, including crepes...

and candy!

After a visit to Kiddyland (sort of like a Japanese FAO Schwartz) and Oriental Bazaar (endless Japanese souvenirs) we'd worked up an appetite.  Conveyor-belt sushi it was, though to avoid another McDonalds run, you'll see I made sure the twins capitalized on their edibles - fruit, edamame, etc. Good fun!

After a hop on the subway we explored Akihabra, a district famous for its anime, manga, and video arcades.  First stop, Gachapon Kaikan, a store with hundreds of vending machines disbursing plastic bubbles of junk toys.  More yen lost in the name of fun.

Then it was video game time, with 2 multi-story Sega buildings to explore.  We were clearly amateurs, and it was as much fun watching the Japanese play as it was to try ourselves.

Dinner led us to "Yakitori Alley", with a strip of restaurants scattered under the railroad tracks near our apartment rental.

Can't go wrong with grilled chicken on skewers!

McDonald's averted again, lets roll!

Our last full day in Tokyo began with a surprise - a trip to Tokyo Disney, and Tokyo DisneySea.  Will admit we missed Grant and Rach a lot today, and know it was tough for them too back in Seoul.

The twins were just tall enough to ride everything! But it took some convincing for Hayden to commit to Indiana Jones.

You'll notice me and Colter on the left, but Hayden is ducked so far down in this pic (right of me) that it's as though he wasn't there.

Naturally, after the ride both proclaimed it was "awesome".  Next up was Raging Spirits, their first roller-coaster with a loop.  They rocked it!

Thanks to smart planning and FastPass "strategery" we saw it all...

...to include slews of dedicated Japanese Disney fans on their own missions. 

Being DisneySea, the parades took on a different theme, centered on boat floats on a large lagoon.

Tower of Terror was another that took some arm twisting.

And we ended the full day walking out of the park just before the evening fireworks went off.

After a lazy post-Disney AM we headed off to store our bags at the train station before doing some last Tokyo sightseeing.  McD's was there and easy, and we'd only hit it once thus far, so why not?  A cultural experience for sure, with the 2nd floor jam-packed but not a peep - all the locals were on their phones eating in crammed silence.  The partition across from Hayden and Colter separates them from strangers at the opposite end of their same tables.  High-density living at it's most civilized!

We then hit up Kappabashi, a Tokyo district known for supplying the restaurant industry, selling knives, and...

...plastic food, ubiquitous in restaurant displays around the country.

Check out the fake ice on those beers.

After a stop at the Tokyo Station Pokemon store to nab some cards and this Pikachu in a train conductors outfit for G, we were off on the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto.

I'd heard you want to sit on the right side of the train for a chance to see Mt. Fuji en route, and sure enough we lucked out as we zipped by it at 200mph.

Alas we made it to Kyoto, our home for the next couple days was a traditional matchiya house in an alley just behind the twins.  We'll pick up there in Japan Part 2...