We flew from Seattle to Narita Airport then took an airport express train to Tokyo station. We hopped on Shinkansen (bullet train) from there to my hometown, Osaka. It was a very long trip, but the girls did great thanks to iPads and personal TV on the plane. I was able to relax for a change and watch some movies myself.
Once we arrived in Tokyo, it finally hit me that we are in Japan. There were people everywhere walking fast paced in all directions. I told the girls to stick by me otherwise they could be swallowed into the waves of people. I exaggerate sometimes for their benefit :-) Girls walked by me quietly mesmerized by the difference between their pine tree filled world in Washington and bustling urban chaos of Tokyo.
Grandma was waiting for us at the train station. I made it! I thought. When traveling as far as where we went, the process of getting there is a big stress factor. Now there was only one thing to do - to have fun! My Dad was waiting for us at home. The home smelled the same way and the carpet felt the same way. All the furniture seemed like they shrunk again but that is to be expected. I am just used to American-sized furniture.
It always amazes me how the time passes the same speed yet the experience is completely different from my life as four kids in America (with a wonderful hubby of course). I guess that is the beauty of vacation. I became a daughter again instead of Sergeant Mom and it is comforting to be able to go back to the way things were in more peaceful time of my life. I am lucky that my parents still think of me as their kid girl.
The girls had an awesome experiences in Japan. First of all though, they acted like spoiled brat most of the time. Is it something the grandbabies do on purpose? They were demanding their grandmother to buy toys for them, refused to comply with my simple request such as get dressed for the day, wouldn't listen at all to their grandfather etc... It was embarrassing! I certainly wanted to show them that I am a capable mother but I don't know if my parents are convinced that I am. Raising children with special needs sometimes throws you off from the "regular" parenting style. For example, they are used to seeing Sean or Noah having sensory issues which may look like he is simply misbehaving. If the boys are ok to do it, why are we punished for it? - they may wonder. It is a complex situation at least until they are old enough to understand their brothers' challenges. It's hard for people around me to understand this, but I hope my parents do.
Anyhow, despite their misbehavior, we packed in a lot of fun outing with the family. We went on a family trip to northern Kyoto to see the famous view of Amanohashidate, a sand bar separating Japan Sea and Aso Sea. It is considered one of the most beautiful sights in Japan for it's mystical beauty. The first day was very rainy, but we were able to see the famous view the next day perfectly. We took a cable car up to the view point and we had fun looking at the sand bar traditional style - upside down! We enjoyed staying at a beautiful hotel with superb hot springs and crab dinner. It was a luxurious experience thanks to my Mom and Dad!
I also met up with my best friends, Kayako and Megumi. Megumi came to visit me in Osaka from Tajimi and we went to Tsutenkaku (Osaka Tower) and always busy, Doutonbori. We ate traditional Osaka food until we were completely full! We had so much fun exploring the city with her in part because I am like half tourist myself living far so long. Actually, we would have had fun anywhere but the delicious food was a big plus :-) No matter how long we have been apart, we always are able to hit it right off. I am thankful to have a friend like her and we promised we will do this even when we turn grandmas.
The girls and I visited Kayako in Arashiyama, a popular tourist destination in Kyoto. Kyoto is an ancient capital of Japan where many historical buildings and sights were spared from the battle fire during the war. Their beauty has been reigning since a thousand years ago. It's especially pretty in the fall with leaves changing color to radiant red and yellow, which matches harmoniously to the antiqued architectures and gardens. Kayako and her little girl, Mio, were waiting for us by the famous bridge called Togetsu-Kyo. Kayako looked and behaved very classy despite having a busy 3-year-old. She is patient and gentle with her little girl, I wish I could have a tiny bit of her grace. Mio was so adorable with perfect hair and face. Every time we take her photo, she poses with her tiny finger poking her cheek. Everyone could not help but smile at her. She is at a very cute age and I remember my kids at this stage. We explored the beautiful temple and took some pictures. Afterwards, she invited us to her house and the kids played happily. It's always so nice to see her and the little girl. I am looking forward to seeing them again next year!
I have so many things to write since my generous Mom makes sure we have a good time. One of my goals was to take pictures of typical Japan as well as traditional architectures and sceneries, so I took my girls to Nara to visit the giant Buddha. Saya may get mad at me when she reads this in the future, but she errr... had a little #2 accident after having lunch near the train station. I didn't have any spare underwear or clothes for her, so Saya was a full commando under her skirt in a very cold day while we looked for a suitable substitute! Poor cute bums must have been freezing... I asked several store clerks if they knew a place that sells children's clothing, but no one knew. In the end, I bought an adult diaper and a pair of adult leg warmers to cover her up. I am confident that it was the best solution at hand and I was proud of myself for figuring it out. Despite the rocky start, we had a lot of fun feeding the deer roaming about in the park by the giant Buddha. Saya thought they were so cute, but panicked when they came close by. She dropped all the deer crackers and ran. I guess they are sort of bigger than her. The Buddha was magnificent as I remembered. I have seen the statue many times since I was little, but sheer size and the grandeur that comes with 1200-year history fascinates me freshly every time. I hope the girls experienced something completely new that day. Smelling and seeing history in front of their eyes are the best lesson!
The other thing that stood out in our memory was visiting Universal Studio Japan with my Mom. My Dad said they have a huge Christmas tree that lights up at night and it is very pretty, so we decided to go. I very much wanted to see the new Harry Potter exhibit, too, so it was perfect. It was a cold and windy day so we bundled up well to avoid catching cold. There were a lot of visitors but the lines were not as crazy as in Disneyland. It is very tiring for my Mom to walk around the big park, so she stayed inside a warm building while we went about. The girls were not sure about Harry Potter exhibit, but I was all excited seeing the cute little town and Hogwarts nicely replicated. Sean would have enjoyed it more since he is more familiar with the novel. I had to try the butter beer, but I ended up dumping it in the toilet sink since it was plain too sweet! I don't know how anyone could drink it. It was a bit too much! After having dinner at a Italian themed restaurant, we walked over to the Christmas tree display area. It was huge, probably as big as the tree in Rockefeller Center. I don't think it was a real tree, but they did a very good job with decoration. The color of the lights shifted to different tones and it was gorgeous. We stool their for a while admiring it. When we walked out from the souvenir shop by the exit, their night parade started. It was a bonus for us since the parade, which presented floats and dancers with lights were surprisingly entertaining. Aly was so excited she was shouting the characters' names as they came by. We had a very good time there. Thanks grandma for taking us there!
We obviously had done a lot and I don't have time to write about everything, so I will post the pictures and let them speak. I will add more pictures in the next post. Here are so me of them. The girls and I made great memories with my family and friends. What a special vacation it was!
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