Tokyo...

Our decision to travel to Tokyo at this time of year was based simply on the multiple requests we received from the boys to travel somewhere where they can play with snow.  Their hope was to sled, to ski and to enjoy the white stuff.  I can't say Mike was too excited about the thought of cold weather (I am not sure how he will ever go back to Canadian weather) but the boys are very convincing and our tickets and hotel were booked just a couple of weeks before our departure.

We left a few days after Christmas and I have to admit by then we were exhausted so it meant traveling on very little stamina but we were excited to see Tokyo and excited for the kids to play in the snow.  We are not very familiar with Japanese food, but were lucky to have friends who are experts in everything Tokyo and in Japanese food so we experienced Ramen, Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki with them just before we left.

The boys were very well behaved on our 5 hour flight there and the 1 hour train ride from the airport to the hotel.  We decided to take the train so we can experience a train ride but in hind sight it would have been better to take the bus which is what we did on the return ride.  Because it was already night time when we arrived the train provided no scenery.  We arrived to the train station and rushed to catch the shuttle to our hotel.  It was an interesting trek with three suitcases, two carry ons, a stroller and three young kids but we made it and again the kids were troopers.  Tokyo time was two hours ahead of Bangkok time.  All the restaurants in the hotel closed at 9 p.m. so we went to the streets starving and the first place we saw was Outback Steakhouse.  It was definitely not Japanese but it was familiar and super family friendly.  I hate to admit it, we ate three times there in the six days we were in Tokyo.  It was just too convenient and a nice break from Asian food.

We arrived! 

Hungry boys

Super yummy ribs

Tokyo is a very cool and organized city.  Everyone is properly dressed, all traffic and public transportation run smoothly, people are very polite, public places are organized.  Its structure and calmness distinguish it from Bangkok.  Bangkok is busy, hectic and crazy and definitely not organized!  I think we all enjoyed the break from the Bangkok craziness and we also enjoyed the break from the steamy hot weather. However, I now remember how much I don't miss how dry and cracked my skin gets in cold weather, how my nails break, and how long it takes to get kids ready to leave the house in cold climate regions.  The kids even got mad at me for not bringing them a no socks shoe option for this trip.  We all got used to how easy it is to dress for warm weather.  I love the look of winter fashion but I love the freedom of summer fashion probably much more.

A few interesting observations:
- After tipping at a couple of restaurants and receiving confused looks by the recipients, we realized maybe it was not customary to tip.  We Googled it and learned that tipping is not customary and in restaurants if you tip it may be seen as an insult.

- There are designated smoking areas everywhere.  Even restaurants have smoking sections inside.  This is something we are not used to anymore.

- I would say 80% of the men we saw were wearing ties and dressed in a suit. I actually liked how formal and trendy they looked.

- They are very conscience of your behaviour in public as it affects those around you.  In the train station they have announcements asking people not to talk on their phone or use their phone while walking as it can be dangerous.  At crowded public places they prohibit the use of selfie sticks as it could be obstructive of other people's enjoyment.

- Taxi cars are very different looking (picture below).  The drivers are dressed in suits and they press a button to open the door for you (A was very quick to notice this).

- The train system is super convenient and efficient.  There are so many trains that the train line looks like a web, yet it is very easy to use.  The trains are on time and if they are not, there is an explanation that is published on screens in the train cabins.

The Taxis

So well behaved on the train

One of the signs about social respect

Luckily the train station was just across from our hotel.  We took the train every day. Unfortunately the park we wanted to visit was closed and the boat ride we wanted to take was also not operating.  We continued to our next area and we had a wonderful time.  The kids' favourite part was the rickshaw ride.  In this very touristy area, we bought famous Japanese rice squares, souvenirs, a barking/walking toy dog and a kimono for me.

Asking for directions and being told about the closures.  People were very nice to us.  Especially because we learned to use some Japanese words, even the boys did.  Konishiwa (hello), Arigato (thank you) and Sumimashen (excuse me) go a long way.

Fishing for gold fish.  A got the hang of it and was determine to catch more gold fish.  Such a cutie.  This was a random gold fish shop.  You can take home the fish you catch.

The famous rice cookies.  Super yummy.

Having our first taste of Japanese food in Japan (it was not a hit!)

Rickshaw time!

Everyone had a great time

Even our rickshaw driver

One of the many temples we visited

Loving these cool Japanese protective statutes.

The kids now understand the benefit of a Starbucks break because they are the ones who ask for them.

Starbucks provides the best place to nap

Hot coco time

On our second day we headed to the train station to buy our tickets for the bullet train to take us to a near by mountain for a day of snow.   Unfortunately, tickets were sold out and we were told it was too late to head up to the mountain at this time.  It was poor planning on our part.  We returned to the hotel and Mike went on a hunt for tickets for the next day.  Day two ended up being a slow starting day but we visited a very busy and interesting shopping area.

Shibuya

Crazy crowds

They make friends wherever they go.  Yes, friends is what they call people they meet.  In Bangkok they get a lot of attention and everyone wants to shake their hands and touch their hair. In Japan its not the same, but they still got some attention especially at restaurants.

Day three had its ups and downs.  We woke the poor kids up at 5 a.m. Bangkok time and headed to the train station to catch our bullet train up to the hill.  We had an awesome day playing with the snow.  The kids didn't get to ski because there were no English speaking instructors available and Mike and I were not ready to take them up alone.  Instead we spent some time sledding and most of the time playing with the snow.  We were so lucky it was sunny.  It made for very enjoyable snow weather.   Unfortunately, when we got back to the hotel for some reason the room started spinning on me and my night was done.  I spent it in the washroom very ill or on the bed unable to get up.  It was New Year's Eve and I was definitely very bummed out.  Poor Mike had to take the kids out for dinner on his own and our night was ruined.  I think the early wake up, the motion from the train rides, change in altitude and little food intake all contributed to how sick I felt.

The bullet train that took us to the ski resort

View from the gondola

Everyone is ready to play in the snow

He was so happy

Even M enjoyed going down the hill

They were going around picking up snow blocks and delivering them as Christmas presents.  C was Santa and A and another girl were his elves.  C always finds something to do.

C then started delivering blocks to a family building a fort.  They spoke only Japanese but he found a way to communicate with them and they took a real liking for him.

Even in snow, it's fun to take a nap on dad.  It was so sunny the weather was perfect for a nap.  Mike certainly enjoyed it.

Sitting in the fort.  He made himself at home.

C and his friend.  She is from the Philippines and spoke a perfect English. They hit it off and they had the longest goodbye.  It was so cute and actually kind of sad to see them part.  They just kept coming back to each other to say bye and then C asked me if he would ever see her again. I explained that sometimes we meet people we will never see again but that it's ok.

On the way down after a wonderful day in the snow

They were so happy and satisfied.  They didn't ask what we were doing next.  They just talked about how much fun they had.

His new thing is that he laughs at everything they do.  He sometimes laughs just looking at them.  So cute!

The next day, it was C's turn to be sick.  Poor kid had episodes in the train.   The motion was not helping him.  We toured the shopping areas and the best part of the day was our walk back to the hotel.  We decided instead of taking the train back and risking someone getting sick, to walk back.  It was a long and difficult walk as we had to carry the boys on and off, but it was worth it.  We had beautiful weather and we saw different parts of Tokyo.

Fish always keep them intrigued.  There are plenty of fish ponds in Asia.  This one was in the garden of our hotel.

Also in the garden.

Everything in Tokyo has a character on it, even the buses

Happy New Year! Poor A was without a hat because it was the closest thing to a bag I had when C got sick on the train.  A's reaction was classic.  I wish I had taped it....he was like noooooooo, not my hat.

Of course we had to stop by the Disney Store

A very busy crossing

Time for Singapore crab

M started eating by himself.  he does a really good job but makes a huge mess!  He loves his noodles.

Mr. Crab....thank goodness I finally had a small appetite.  The crab was yummy.  Poor C only had rice :-(

We visited a huge toy store and I was in heaven on the Snoopy floor

He wasn't unhappy...he just likes to make different faces for pictures and look at them and laugh.

Strolling fun

Beautiful church in a very nice neighbourhood on our walk back to the hotel

There were so many nice cars on our walk.  I didn't get to take many photos because I didn't want to wake M.

Sometimes it's nice to just have one on hand.  A was sleeping in the stroller and M was sleeping in the carrier.  It was fun to chat and just hang with C.

Coca-cola building on our walk.

Fortunately on the next day we were all feeling better.  We shopped and took advantage of new year sales, visited a shrine visited by many Japanese people at New Year's and visited more sites.

He wanted to take a picture in front of where the shoppers were sleeping over night to be the firsts to get their hands on "Happy Bags".  Happy Bags are a Japanese New Year tradition.  Shops fill the bags with a bunch of items and sell the bags for a percentage off.  What you get is a surprise. This mall is famous for Happy Bags and the women were already outside examining what they got and some even prepared to exchange with others.  C really wanted to sleep outside and get a Happy Bag too.

These characters were everywhere

The salesperson saw how excited he got with the shoe box paper, she wrapped it nicely for him.

Big shopping at one of our favourite shops.

Inside the park on our way to see the Meiji shrine

We ended up waiting in a long crowd to get in.  There were letting only a certain number of people in to visit the shrine at a time. People were very patient and luckily so were the kids.

We reached the gate to the shrine

Standing at the front to throw coins on the shrine and make New Year wishes.  Can you spot A and C?

Coins!

At the end of our stroll we took a nice walk through the pretty decorations

On our last day we were thinking of taking the kids to Disney but tickets were sold out.  Sold out means crazy crowds so we were not upset about not going and we compensated by going to the zoo and seeing the pandas.  We were so tired by then anyway that even our trip to the zoo was short.

I think we would go back to Tokyo to go to Disney, for a properly planned ski trip for longer than a day so we can avoid too many train rides in one day, and for some shopping as we didn't take advantage of shopping for more cool trinkets and toys. Maybe next February!