Family Vacay to Japan

So I guess the best way to update about my trip to Japan is just to edit my e-mails, so it will prob seem a little jumpy, but here goes:

March 16:
We just got back from being up in the mountains where we got to see Mt. Fuji. I`ver eaten a ridiculous amount if crazy stuff, like fish that have eyes and stuff. We`ll be in Toyko pretty much the rest of the time we`re here. I:m trying to get my parents to go to Tokyo Disney, so we`ll see if that happens.

Would you have eaten the cold semi-cooked poached egg at breakfast today? (Out of the 4 of us only Josh ate it.)

our plane was reallllly late. We litterally had to sprint all the way across the airport to make our connection. (We landed at gate 42 and left from gate 7) Plus we had to exit security and go back through, and of corse as we're almost at the gate they annouced over the intercom that boarding was closing. But we made it. Our lugage did not. And the next Northwest flight to Japan wasn't till the following day.And then they had to ship it to us. But we got it yesterday.

Then over the weekend we were at this Japenese bed and breakfast type place called a ryokan. It was like one of those traditional Japenese places where they lay out mats on the ground for you to sleep on. We did like a pottery class there. And they like served us 12 coarse meals in our room each night. With some really weird food. Octopus, baby eel, and alot of stuff I don`t know the name for. I did better at eating everything the 2nd night, I think it was because I was less tired. O! And there was all a hot spring there, and we booked a private one together.

March 17:
So I`m back. We had the breakfast buffet, which was all types of stuff. A bunch of pasties, fresh fruit, salad, miso soup, pancakes... I had hot chocolate and they gave me my own little like kettle? I don`t know the word I`m looking for, like POT duh. My own little pot of hot chocolate.

Did I tell you my suitcase broke? It was when we were getting off the subway yesterday on the way to our new hotel. I had my rolling suitcase, and pulled on the handle to roll it off, and the handle came with me, but not so much the rest of the suitcase. Luckily my dad was right behind me to pick everything up.

After we check into our new hotel today, we planning on stopping at this 3 story art store. We went there last night, but got there 5 mins before it closed, and we didn`t make it past the 1st floor (they had like Japenese type scrapbooking stickers there) Last night we also
went to this other multi-level store. From the outside it looked some some touristy junk, but once you went inside there was so much there. The 1st floor was like costumes and underwear and t-shirt. The basement (which we never actually went to) was like food and household goods. I don@t remember what was on the third floor, but the 4th was all electronics, and then
the fifth floor was all designer bags. Like coach purses and louis vuitton, and prada, and gucci. Kinda ridiculous, but unfortunatly it was all pretty much full price.

Lets see... what else. Sunday when we were up in the mountains we took one of the gondola cabel type things and got to see Mt Fuji. Normally when you go up there its to cloudy to see it but the weather was perfect for us. Then at the top there was a volcanic typr hot springs.
Me and Josh walked to the top of it, and they sold like hard-boiled eggs that had been cooked in the hot srpings water. The outisde of the eggs were like black from the sulfur, but on the inside it tasted like a regular hard boiled egg.

I still need to pack up all my stuff. Check out time at this hotel is 11 (its 9:45 right now) But were not supposed to check into our other hotel untill 2 I think. Me and my mom our just taking a taxi with all the bags to the other hotel. My dad`s actually a some type of
bussiness type meeting right now. My brother went along to translate. This trip would have been so much harder with out him he to translate for us. We had lunch with his host mom yesterday, and she spoke no English, and we spoke no Japenese so it was interesting. Did I tell you we made pottery too when we were up in Hakone (ie the mountains)?

Also the town we were in had a Little Prince musuem. You know the french book? We had no idea why it was here and Japan and it was just so random because they had so many artifacts. The authors childhood bed. The first book he wrote as a child. His passport. A bunch of
family pictures. So weird, and then there was a french type garden which was a replica of the garden at St. Auxpery's childhood home. Cute but so random.

March 18
We went to a park in hopes to see cherry blossoms today. They're just on the verge of blooming but not quite. There were a few buds on some trees that had started opening, but nothing too crazy. But with the amount of trees there were you can see how pretty it would be.

March 19
There was one tiny cherry tree that had blooms open. But most of them you could just see the buds ready to put. My parents told Josh he needs to come back in like a week because theyll def be in bloom by then.

We're going to Toyko Disney tomorow! AT least we're planning to. Although not like the main park, but Disney sea. I was looking at a map and they have like a mermaid cove there. I'm really excited. They were origonally going to build Disney sea in Long Beach, but plans fell through and they figured itd make more money in Japan. From the looks of the map they have like a Queen Mary replica there too.

So yes, thats Friday. And then Saturday we flight home. We leave Sat morning fly for 18 hours and then arrive Sat afternoon. Then Sunday I fly back to the other LA and I will be able to see you then. I've already read all four of the magazines I brought with me to read. I do have two books though, but Ill prob buy a new magazine to read on Sunday. Plus on the flight
to Japan we had our own little tv where we could play games and like watch a billion different types of movies. I was "The Aristocats" and "The rescuers" Two Disney movies of corse.

March 20
Lesson learned today: When climbing a mountain walking on dirt roads and stone steps in the rain Uggs are not the correct shoe to wear. Also a Vera Bradley bag is not the correct bag to have esp when it keep slipping off your sholder due to the big peacoat. We hiked up to
a 1300 year old temple today. It was really pretty but it took like forever to get there. First we took the metro like 15 mins. Then we changed to like a metro train going out of the city, and were on that for an hour. Then we could have taken another train, but instead took
a bus. And the bus dropped us off at the start of the walking trail. Which was like a 2km walk uphill. In the rain. Not that fun. But the temple was pretty and all in all it was a fun place.

That was pretty much all we did today since we spent so much time traveling. We got back to the hotel, and wound up going to this restaurant. Which had like this chicken soup kinda thing, and then they put soba noodles in at the end. We also got like some chicken wings.

O! The other reason we went to the temple is because the city its near is famous for its eel. (Yuck) But Josh really wanted to try some. So we went to this restaurant to get some. Me and my mom didn't really feel like eel so we got tofu instead. It was like 2 cubic inches worth
of tofu total. Well for each of us. They gave us rice too but I wasn't really hungry so it was fine.

March 21
Well I have no more e-mails, but I can write what went down our last day. We did go to Disney Sea this day. We got there at like 9 and stayed till 5-ish. So about 6 hours, and we managed to go on 5 rides. About 1 every hour which isn't bad. We did: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; Journey to the Center of the Earth, Stormrider, Sinbad's Storybook Adventure, and Indiana Jones and the curse of the Crystal Skull.

The Saturday night we went to Roppongi Hills to get a skyline view of the city. We had chinese food for dinner. Afterwards when we went to the bathroom I noticed something interesting about the toliets. See almost every one we used had some type of spray on a remote. Most also had buttons for seatwarming and de-orderizing. But this was the first one with a music button! You pressed it and it just made the sound of flushing, but I'm sure there's ones out there programed with other things, so of corse no one actullay hears you as your going.

And well that is my trip to Japan. Jumbled I know, but I hope it was at least somewhat comprehendable.

~Shoshanah