Day 12 - Tokyo

Start from the beginning

Blog index

The day started out early as a smaller group of us went to the recently relocated fish market.

It wasn’t as impressive as I imagine the original to be in terms of size and busyness.

I did try, I’m a bit embarrassed to say, a $40 Grade 5A (highest grade) Waygu beef stick. And I forgot to get a photo of me enjoying it. Was it worth $40. Yes. Yes it was. I’m planning a whole post about the various beef sticks I ate on the trip.

That’s $440 worth of beef on a stick right there.

I also tried some fresh tuna. Also delicious!

Then we headed back to the hotel. Kenzie really liked the Ao Dai from Vietnam.

Next we headed out to Chiyoda, known for lots of shops focused on anime and high tech stuff.

Our group split up for the afternoon and Tien and I went to another famous temple, Demboin. It was spectacular.

We then met up again and walked to the famous Meiji Jingu temple in the center of a huge park in Tokyo. It was so good to be back among nature for a long walk.

We ended the day back in Shibuya for conveyor belt sushi. Why not!?! And it smelled like a fresh fish market when we walked in so we knew it would be good.

So fresh!

After dinner we wandered through a department store and I got a chance to try PlayStation VR

Shibuya at night is special. Full of light and energy. And lots and lots of people.

Day 11 - Tokyo

Start from the beginning

Blog index

The day started out with laundry. I know! Exciting! Necessary!

Then we took the metro to Shibuya. We had to see the famous Shibuya Scramble. It lived up to my expectations. It was cool and crazy and strangely organized.

Shibuya is alive with color

Then we had some lunch from a few different food stands.

The deep fried cheese stick tasted like a perfectly grilled toasted cheese sandwich.

A $12 wagyu beef stick. It was very tender.

And bubble tea for dessert

We walked from Shibuya to Harajuku. As we wandered towards Harajuku we saw a Flipper’s pancake cafe and had to stop and try some. OMG! 😮 🤯 These are amazing!!! So light and fluffy and melt in your mouth. We quickly devoured a mango and fresh fruit version. So good!

Harajuku was so cute and filled with many small shops many fashion focused.

We stumbled on a huge street parade, that was also some sort of competition.

The day was wearing on and we needed to head back to the hotel to meet up with Tracey, Kenzie, Kyle and Andy who were joining our group for the remainder of the trip. But first, more food! We ate at a restaurant that overlooked the Shibuya Scramble. It was fast cheap and good.

The fried chicken in Japan has all been perfectly cooked and tasty

We met our new travel companions and headed to Shinjuku, famous for many restaurants and vibrant lit up streets with flashing neon (now LED) lights. We ate some dinner and then wandered around for a bit.

Look close….

Godzilla is peeking over one of the buildings! 🦖

Sashimi

Tien’s sister Tracey and her two kids along with Khanh Tien’s oldest all joined us in Japan. Of course I forgot to get a photo of all the kids. 🤦‍♂️

Promo for the “Robot Restaurant” Kenzie ate here with her boyfriend’s family who also happened to be in Tokyo.

We needed a break. Shinjuku is overwhelming. We sat here and had a beer and watched people go by. Very entertaining!

Another long full day! We’re definitely getting our sightseeing in while here in Tokyo. More to come tomorrow!

Real-time Update - Tuesday, August 27 at 9:41 PM (local time Kyoto)

Start from the beginning

Blog index

We’ve arrived in Kyoto for two nights. And the forecast is non-stop rain. We’re going to try and press on with our sightseeing plans. Even if it’s like this outside…

I’m always a few days behind posting on the blog. It’s been busy packed days everyday. That’s a good thing! We want to see as much as we can.

More from Tokyo coming up next..

Day 10 - Kamakura

Start from the beginning

Blog index

View from our Airbnb in Tokyo

The day started off with breakfast from 7-11. In Japan, 7-11s are everywhere and they sell really good food. I should also mention Caelan spent the day with his friend that lives in Tokyo. That’s why no photos with him in them.

One of these things is not like the other… but it’s really close! 🤔

We took a train to Kamakura to visit the Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Shrine. There were lots of cute shops and many people along the road from the train station to the temple.

Lam and I practicing our selfie technique

Lots of beautiful fabric

Feeling strong… ready to climb some stairs to the temple

The path leading to the temple

The lotus pond near the entrance of the temple grounds is magnificent

We stopped for lunch and had some delicious katsu (deep fried breaded) chicken, pork and fish.

After visiting the shrine we took a bus to visit another temple, the Taiizan Kotokuin Shojosenji. This one is famous for the giant bronze Buddha.

We stopped for some cold drinks on our way to the temple. The elder man that ran this store was very kind and seemed like he’d been running the cafe for a very long time.

From there we walked to another famous temple, Hase-kannon, famous for the giant wooden statue of Kannon. There are many Buddha statues and a cave on the grounds of the temple.

After seeing the gorgeous beach from the overlook at the temple, we decided to walk there for dinner.

That was a full day! And it was only our first full day in Japan.

And oh yeah, there are so many cute cars in Kamakura!

Slideshow - Vietnam 2019

Start from the beginning

Blog index

A 30+ minute slideshow of photos from our Vietnam trip. The music is a bit repetitive. But hey, it’s created entirely on my iPhone while we’re still traveling. Technology, so amazing! 📱

Click here to watch the video on YouTube

Or watch it on this page below.

All the best photos from our 2019 Vietnam trip.