Japan Part 1

Way back in November 2013, the idea that Bret and I would get to go to Japan for almost 2 weeks this year was nearly preposterous.  However, my good friend Miho announced that her husband would be doing a year of study abroad while she continued to work in Japan, and offered her friends a place to stay in her apartment if anybody wanted to take a trip to Japan.  Well, this ended up being too good to come true, and next thing we knew, we decided to book tickets.  Bret bought a nice camera for this trip, and it was well worth it to be able to document our experiences.  We ended up taking so many pictures that I can't possibly post them all in one blog post.  So, you'll get some here and then split up between knitting projects.  Enjoy!

Our first day led us to Asaksa, a famous Buddhist temple in Tokyo.  This is the famous entrance to the grounds.  You will see thousands of people try to get a picture here if you stand and watch through the day.  It's a pretty temple once you go in, and there are stands inside with vendors selling treats.  As it has its own subway stop, it's also a very convenient and easy place to go while Miho was at work. 

The second day we went to the Studio Ghibli Museum.  I am a fan of Miyazaki's works, and Studio Ghibli as well.  The museum is a delight, and definitely worth the trip.  It is on the outskirts of Tokyo; we had to take 2 trains and a 25 min walk to get there.  I was so glad that Miho was our guide for our general trip.  She let us know that tickets to the museum must be purchased in advance at a drug store (Lawsons) for a specific date and hour.  I guess to assure that the museum does not become too crowded.  She graciously purchased them for us to assure we had them.  :o)

Our first sushi experience in Japan was fantastic!  This was actually our breakfast our second day, if you can believe it.  The Tsukiji fish market operates primarily at night.  As morning hits, the fisherman are packing up and getting ready to go home.  There are restaurants along the inner market that are there to allow these workers to have their "dinner" before heading off.  Miho suggested we go and have breakfast here so we could get some of the freshest sushi available in Tokyo.  Mmmmm... 

We finished our second day relaxing in a cafe overlooking the famous Shibuya crossing.  This is actually early evening *before* it gets crowded!  We were too jet lagged still to be able to stay longer, but even in the hour we hung out at the cafe, the intersection started to fill up.  Shibuya is where the young 20somethings go after work to hang out.  The night life here is definitely one of the hot spots in town.