Notes from my Vacay

Wow.... you know December is busy anyway, but add an over sea trip to the mix and I am really just a bit behind. I will be posting about this surprise vacay over the next few days.... enjoy!



This is my honey and Masty G enjoying their Bento Boxes for lunch.....my little guy was so cute working with the chopsticks (I sucked, and my hubby was embarrassed to ask for a fork and knife for me). I took this picture because they looked so happy and cute. I, on the other hand, was recovering from a small breakdown of sobbing and starving. Apparently in Japan you don't just eat anywhere....you find a proper bench or table to eat at respectfully. It took us a LONG time to find this little sitting area, and I was tired and hungry, and well, I am kind of like a toddler like that. Sorry honey...I promise I will do better next time.



At the Giant Buddah, in Kamakura, this was one of my favorite stops. The courtyard was empty so we had lots of time to roam and take pictures and sniff the giant pots of incense that were burning. Yummy. (seriously, I loved it). Surprisingly, my son said this was one of his favorite stops as well. You can go inside it, and it looks like the Statue of Liberty from inside (just smaller, but same material). The overall feeling of this shrine was just beauty and peace......I was so glad I got to see it.


At the mall, it was the 15 year anniversary and Christmas all rolled into one. I kind of got a kick out of the Christmas "I Love You" theme of the mall.....it reminded me of Valentine's Day, but hey....who's going to say anything? Another thing I saw was "Happy Merry Christmas" which struck me as funny. (But more on the English signs later). This was on the last night, as we were heading out to dinner (the best Katsu and Tempura ever!) a bittersweet night. I was anxious to get home and see my 2 boys, but so sad to see my Japanese adventures end.



At the train station- please note the CROWD of people pushing their way onto the train. It was not unusual to see a few small school children running to and fro on and off the trains alone- that freaked me out. I was so worried for them. Then we stepped into the middle of this mess to ride a train to Tokyo, and I was worried for US! It was JAM PACKED, and I tend to get a bit anxious and claustraphobic, so this took some effort to remain calm, but it was so funny, being squished in this train, where not a person spoke or whispered (well, except for me, the LOUD AMERICAN). They were so polite they even wore a doctors mask if they were feeling under the weather- which looked weird and took some getting used to also, like being surrounded by a bunch of Asain Michael Jacksons or something. It was all a bit of an adventure- and I would never had made it from one place to the next without my hubby and his Japanese skills....
Well, enough for now. I am off to an Activity Days field trip. Be PATIENT as I try to catch up on blogs. I swear, I will be a nice bloggy friend once again very soon!