At the end of my trip with my family, we spent several days in Tokyo. When we arrived, the first place we went was to Odaiba. Here we rode in a Ferris wheel, had rice omelettes, and did some shopping. We also stopped in a game center and my mother and sister played a drum game.
The next day went for a sushi cooking class. I was very surprised to find that the sushi rice was made without a rice cooker. The teacher told us that when we prepare rice, the kind of rice, and the quantity of water are more important than using an expensive machine.
After that we went to the Meiji Shrine in the late afternoon. In the photo below the shadows of me and my mother are visible.
And in the evening we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. This building is not the highest or nicest observatory in Tokyo, but the admission is free.
At the top we had a nice view of the city, and stayed there to watch the sunset. Below is a video of the sunset and clouds from the top.
One of the next days we went to the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest building in Tokyo. I had never been before, so it was an interesting experience for all of us. The Skytree is a little ways away from the other tall buildings in Tokyo, so from the top the building looks really tall.
Another place we went was to the Tokyo Edo Museum. This very cool museum has life size models from the history of Tokyo. Above is my sister on a bridge in the museum. Below are some pictures from the most modern portion of the museum. I especially liked seeing the boxed copy of Windows 95.
While we were in Tokyo, we tried to spend all of our time doing things. I really enjoyed getting to be the tour guide for my family because I was in a unique situation; I have become familiar with Tokyo and Japan, and I know the kinds of things my family likes to do.
Below me and my sister are enjoying the massage chair section of an electronics store. Followed by a photograph from Kikanbo Spicy Ramen, my favorite spicy ramen store I have tried in Tokyo.
One further thing we saw in Tokyo were several foods cooked with gold foil. We tried eating the bar above and found that there was not really a taste from the gold.
At the end of the trip we had some interesting times at the train station. In the picture above is an unusually large crowd waiting for a delayed train. Below, I tried to record a video of my mother, but we were interrupted by the farewells of some Japanese men.
The next stop on my trip with my family was Kyoto. In Kyoto we visited three popular shrines.
The first shrine we visited was Fushimi Inari-taisha. This popular and heavily photographed shrine has many paths under tunnels of Torii. In the picture below you can see there was a heavy stream of visitors entering the path.
Along the way my sister and I decided to take an unmarked path and make our own way ahead. We expected that the path we took was a shortcut. It had some very nice views of bamboo.
After walking on deserted paths for half an hour we realized we were a little lost. Instead of turning around however, we pressed ahead and enjoyed the scenery.
Eventually we came to a sign for the top of the mountain, and followed that path up. The way down was easier than the way up.
The next shrine we went to was Kinkaku-ji, another popular and famous destination. This site was so crowded that it was difficult to get in, and we had to wait in a thirty minute line. The photograph above is of the closed off section of the shrine.
The last place we went Ryōan-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple. Pictured above and below is the rock garden here. The meaning of the garden is up to interpretation, and so there is a place for guests to sit and observe.
I thought that this temple was the most beautiful of the ones we visited on this trip. To come into the building and view the rock garden you had to remove your shoes, and inside it was very pretty and quiet.
This temple even had a miniature model of the rock garden so that blind guests could observe the pattern of the rocks.
After a few days in Aizu, the rest of my family arrived and we made our way to our first destination, Osaka. In the picture above we are on the train from the airport to Tokyo. On the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, you can see Mt. Fuji on a nice day, and so we were able to see the mountain for a few minutes.
After getting settled in our hotel in Osaka, one of the first places we went was Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Osaka. From here we could see a lot of the city. The building had a bear mascot, and for a fee you could get a picture with it. We wondered who was willing to pay for something like this.
We then went on to pay for a picture with it and answered our own question.
This building also had bathrooms with very nice views.
Another day we visited Sumiyoshi taisha, an old Shinto shrine, before taking a train to Osaka Castle.
The grounds of Osaka Castle are massive. It took us a long time to walk from the entrance to the castle itself. Along the way we walked along long roads, up steep stairs, and beside two moats and walls. Along the way we took many pictures.
When we visited Osaka, it was too early for many of the flowers to bloom, but we could see the very first blossoms still on the trees.
In Osaka we saw more things. We walked along Dotonbori and saw the Glico man above, and we tried some Osaka foods like the Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki pictured below.
The next stop on our trip will be the ancient city of Kyoto.
