We had our first parent visit in April. Lois and Big Jim flew to Tokyo to experience the sights and sounds of our great, Far East land. Nic's parents arrived on a Saturday and we wasted no time; we were up and ready to go bright and early on Sunday. We spent most of the day sightseeing the 'typical' spots in Tokyo. We spent time in Ginza staring into the beautiful storefront windows, we stopped for lunch at the Lion Beer Hall, walked through Harajuku and Meiji Shrine, stopped to see the dancing Elvis's get down and dirty in their blue suede shoes and made our way down Omotesando and to the famous tourist trap the Oriental Bazaar. It was a busy but very enjoyable day. To cap it all off, Lois made her famous red sauce (NOT gravy) with pasta. With a lot of red wine to wash it down, who could think of a better way to end the day?
The next day, Lois and Jim were off to spend a few days in Taiwan with Big Jim's boss. They had a great time and were back in Tokyo by Thursday evening. Friday morning Nic, Jim and Lois were back out hitting the pavement hard and got to see even more amazing Tokyo sights. They made it up to the top of Tokyo tower, spent time at the Imperial Palace, participated
in a tea ceremony at Happoen garden, spent time in Asakusa perusing through Nakamise Dori and Sensoji temple. They even
went for a ride on the Sumida River. Whew, what a day!
The next morning we were all off (including Chris) to Kyoto. Lois and Jim enjoyed their ride on Japan's famous bullet train (shinkansen). We saw many beautiful and famous temples and were able to see a traditional Japanese wedding. Kyoto is an amazing treasure with a rich history.
We returned on Monday evening and the rest of the week was spent in a blur of sightseeing and dining out. Nic, Lois and Jim went over to Kappabashi-Dori (Kitchen Town) to buy some traditional plates and bowls. Another day, Lois almost cleaned out Tokyo's entire stock of pearls (Nicole has now become the pearl broker for all of Lois' friends and family). We also traveled to Kamakura to see our friend the Great Buddha and were able to walk to the nearby beach to dip our toes in the Pacific.
By this time, Nicole was completely tired out so she put Lois and Jim on a bus to Hakone to see Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, Fuji san did not want to come out from behind the clouds on that particular day but Lois and Jim still enjoyed their trip.
The day before their departure Nicole and Lois bonded over silk painting at a local master's studio.
Sadly, Lois and Jim had to return to the good ol' USA but we think it was a memorable trip for all...
***We now have a link to a picture gallery. To see more pictures click on the first link listed above (Chris and Nicole's picture gallery)
