From Harajuku to Home

 We had a busy last day in Japan.  We decided to head back to Harajuku for some more shopping fun.  The girls were on a mission from some candy from a fun candy shop they saw last time.  We were just happy to keep them busy because our journey home wouldn't begin until 4:45 and we had already checked out of our hotel.

Had fun on our 2nd trip down Takeshita street.  We popped in and out of shops that we had remembered.  On the way back to the station, we stumbled across Mejii Shrine.  We had talked about visiting there earlier but knew Mack wouldn't be happy seeing another temple or shrine.  We just happened by it and casually walked in.  She saw it and started crying.  She cried on the beautiful, damp, forest walk all the way to the shrine.  It makes it a little (lot) less enjoyable but we continued on.  It was a lovely sidestep from our voyage back to the train station, which we did immediately after leaving.  We saw a man with owls sitting on his arm when we left.  The girls were thrilled with that.  A bit random if you ask me, but all in all it was a great end to the trip.  Got em nice and tired and headed for the airport on the train.  We had a red-eye flight to Honolulu to catch!  After a month, we were headed home. 

I am blogging from my living room tonight.  The suitcases have been emptied.  Half of the laundry has been washed.The dog has been loved, cat snuggled, souvenirs carefully placed in their new place.  Brian and I have been talking about where we'd like to visit next.  Well, after our October trip to Yosemite.  Travel makes you want to travel. 

This trip has been a really great experience for us.  I asked everyone to think about one thing they liked, one thing they didn't like, and one thing they learned about the trip.  I don't have a list of those things to share with you other than that Mack liked the water park the best and the temples the least.  Fiona learned that there are people in the world less fortunate than she is.  I am happy to know that she saw that. I think Fiona grew as an eater too!  She was a little more brave than we expected and taking the cooking class helped her know what goes in the food.  It's a breakthrough for my burrito eating girl.  

I liked so much about this trip.  A few things were not my favorite but really, I enjoyed those too.  I loved watching our children navigate in a different country for a month.  They were pushed way out of their comfort zone a few times and even though some things are hard for our family because of special needs, we did them anyway.  A friend of mine sent me a note to tell me she was happy to know that we don't Mack's needs slow us down.  She is right.  We just have to go on with life and make adjustments as needed.  In all honesty, we had some moments where I was embarrassed by the behaviors because culturally they were very disrespectful.  But, those people don't know our story.  We are out in the world still writing it and I am so happy we decided to write these chapters in Japan, Thailand, and Cambodia.  I see lights of inspiration after our travels.  I will continue to savor this trip for a long time as I continue to put away our things and sort through our pictures.  

All the tickets, maps, and guides we gathered along the way.

Thank you for coming along with us and reading our blog.  I am happy that I have a daily record of what we did for our girls to remember and see as they grow.  Do take time to travel.  Go somewhere you have wanted to see.  It changes you for the good.  Sayonara. Laagorn Ka.  Choum reap lear.

A Lovely Day for Walking

Today was a great day.  The stars were aligned and everyone spent most of the day in a good mood.  We had some moments here and there but we did a boat-load of walking today, so that was to be expected.

Oh my did we walk.  We started the day by sneaking out while daddy slept and having a girl-date breakfast.  We found a 4 story McDonald's near our hotel.  Mack was craving a pancake and that did the trick.  It gave Brian an little bit more time to sleep without listening to giggling.  Plus he woke up to a hot coffee and a McMuffin.  That's not so bad.

Our first stop today was a walk to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.  They have an observation deck on the 45th floor (202 meters up) which you can access for a free view of the city.  Who doesn't love a free touristy activity?  It wasn't too hard to find but it was a bit of walking.  The girls enjoyed the long elevator ride that they had to clear their ears in several times!

Shinjuku Park where we walked to after the sky high viewing.  Yes, walked.

This building was created by the same architect as the one we were in.  Short to tall it represents yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  I thought that was really neat.

100 Days per year, you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance.  Not today.

When we had viewed the city enough, we set out to find our way to Shinjuku Gyoen park.  We used the clock tower as a guide to help us find our way but ended up in a sea of tall buildings which blocked it.  We walked for an hour and then ended up in the park.  We stopped for some snacks and juice for the girls to eat when we got there to help stop the hungry whining.  It helped a little.  

The park is a large sea of trees in the middle of the city. It is one of Tokyo's largest and popular parks.  It used to be the residence of the Naito family long long ago.  It was so big and spacious that I can't imagine it as someone's home.  It was really beautiful.  We visited an English Garden and the Japanese Garden.  A long game of tag happened between the garden visits.  Mack loves to run.  I do not.  I did, however, play tag in a skirt today.  We had a good time.  We both burned a few calories today.  After tag, we continued on in the park and I went photo crazy.

 Our lunch search happened after the park and was a wee bit of walking again.  Found some noodles and air conditioning.  After lunch we took a cab to a place we thought we could find some good deals on some hand-crafted Japanese items.  It was really nice stuff, but really expensive.  The craftsmanship was worth the money but not in our budget after traveling for so long.  So, back to the hotel on a train.  Easy.  Fi and I broke away from the group for a few to hit up the 100 yen store and get some deals.  We also bought M&M's and stood on the sidewalk and people watched.  She was excited for a treat with mom.  

Night time brought Tokyo Tower.  It's the second tallest structure in Japan and it's bright orange!  It looks like a bright orange Eiffel Tower!  We decided that we didn't want to spend the money to go up onto the observation desk.  We spent it on dinner instead! 

Tonight was our last night of vacation.  Unless you count the night of our red-eye tomorrow.  It was a pretty great day and night.  I did a lot of chatting with my little one and helped her manage herself through the day with some success.  Definitely had some moments, but I have all my hair and a smile on my face.  Well, the smile has faded into a tired face but I enjoyed the day a lot.

Not sure what we have going on tomorrow.  We check out at 11 and plan to have them hold our bags.  Our train isn't until around 5:40 tomorrow evening.  Maybe a little less walking?  Or maybe a lot so they are tired for their night flight?  Hmm..