The Last Two Days

The last two days we walked all over Tokyo from train station to train station, we averaged 14,000 steps each day until my pedometer broke.  (Cheap pedometer!  I only dropped it 3 times and now the display won't work.)  I am sitting here this morning with swollen legs and feet.  I have cankles.  It feels like someone sliced of my heels.  I can't walk another step.  But at noon I will have to lug our 50 lb suitcase and two carry-ons through the streets of Tokyo, down to the busy subway station, take 3 different trains and then through the airport to baggage check.  But I'm not complaining because we're going to Beijing China!

Zack and Steve went out to find the fish market and eat one last excellent meal.

This is what we have been up to the last two days:

Monday: 

-Two Beautiful Shinto Temples: lots of clapping, bowing, coin throwing and incense lighting.  While there you are not to sit down on ledges in the temples and apply band aids to your feet or linger in front of the gates; and when you pour the cleansing water over some one's hands (Zack) make sure the dirty water does not go back into the clean water.  For these things you will be scolded.

-The Great Buddha Kamakura: the coolest Buddha I have ever seen.  Big and green and hollow inside.  We even went inside it.  Made in 1252.

-Katsu Curry for lunch, breaded pork cutlet served over curry rice with lettuce and pickled something.  Delish. 

-Yaki Niku for dinner.  All you can eat meat and veggies cooked over hot coals by us at our table.  Best 'salt salad' I have ever had.  I ate two.  Zack slept through dinner.

Tuesday:

-Giant Poke Mon store.  Zack spent an hour deciding what to buy only to discover he lost his 1000 yen note ($12.00 USD).  Good thing his daddy loves him and gave him the needed money. Have yet to find missing money.  Steve and grandma said "I can't believe he lost his money!"  I can believe it, welcome to my life.  Poor kid, cursed with the 'lose things syndrome'.

-Museum and park.  Walked around a huge park, saw some shrines, performers, etc.  Then we went to the National Museum and saw ancient Japanese relics, art and a special exhibit on the life of Buddha.  One of my favorite things we have done.  I love museums with ancient relics!  And I really enjoy all things Buddha.

-Electronics district.  Loud and bright with floors and floors of electronics and other wonderful inventions.  Rice cookers, personal beauty products, feather light suitcases, gadgets I'd never seen but need, game and music gadgets, ear phones...I could have bought everything!  Steve and mom had to hurry me out of the store, I had that crazy look in my eyes!  But...I bought a new pedometer!  Yea!

-Festival.  We heard there was a festival but really it was just a long street with food and shopping.  We ate more octopus balls, some pancake thing that was gross because it had fish flakes on it and ice cream.  I bought some sockletts.  Some guy gave Zack a huge apple for free.  He was selling them for 1000 yen!  Everyone is very nice.

-Shabu Shabu for dinner.  Our favorite.  All you can eat meat, veggies, noodles, tofu and gyoza that you cook yourself in 3 different kinds of hot broth.  Delish!

**I just found out it is recommended that everyone take 10,000 steps each day.  I guess I am beyond lazy because it's right around 10,000 steps that I start to die.  Also, 2000 steps= 1 mile (approx, everyone is diff).  So that means we walk about 7 miles per day.  Yikes!

The Giant Buddha.

Inside the Giant Buddha.

The gardens were so beautiful!

It pretty much rained all day, good thing we had our umbrellas.

The giant Buddha was in a coastal town, as was the temple.

Steve and Zack washing up.

Sharon:  "That man is a MACHINE!"

Resting and eating some delicious katsu curry.

A famous statue in downtown Tokyo of a dog.  The story says that the dog always met his master at the train station, even after the master died, the dog would show up every day.

So many lights!  Vegas has nothing on downtown Tokyo at night!

Pokemon store!

So happy!

Performers in the park.

A giant whale at one of the museums.

Samurai uniforms.

Lots of beautiful old kimonos.

The "festival" street.

Steve makes this for us at home.  This guy made it super gross like we had never had before.  Too many fish flakes!  We could barely eat it.

Octopus balls!

Biggest apples we had ever seen.  This picture does not do them justice at all!

Steve loves these burgers and even though we had just eaten and it was almost dinner time, we all had to try one.  It has a rice bun and was definitely delicious!

Before Shabu Shabu.

After Shabu Shabu.  We are exhausted!