Kasai Rinkai Park & Tokyo Sea Life Aquarium

We didn't seem to get much R&R after all. Next on the agenda during Golden Week was a trip to Kasai Rinkai Park and Sea Life Aquarium on May 5. Since it was the official Children's Day holiday, the entry fee to the aquarium was waived. It was a gorgeous day out with a nice breeze and so of course it was flocked with people. We decided to take a stroll toward the beach before joining the line, with hopes that as the afternoon progressed, the line would shorten...no such luck!













Kasai Rinkai Park houses the largest ferris wheel in Japan at 117 metres high. It holds 68 cars and takes 17 minutes for a full rotation. We did not, however ride the ferris wheel...someday, maybe.



Here is a view of the beach overlooking the Tokyo Bay. Across the pedestrian bridge (on right), only the western island is accessible to people. The eastern island is a bird sanctuary, which is off limits.



While first taking a stroll around the park, we encountered the site's trolley train. The tour ride starts near the entrance and takes passengers for a ride around the park. Markus waved happily at the passengers.













One of the many funny faces Markus likes to make!

Enjoying a beer while waiting in line. Kanpai!

Awhhh!

When we finally got into the aquarium, it was much like a claustrophobic situation as we anticipated. It was difficult to get up close to the glass for most exhibits. It didn't seem to bother our little guy. He was just excited to see the reef fish, better known as "Nemo" fish to him.

This squid had his eyes fixed on Rodney!

The aquarium's main attraction is the tuna tank which circles the entire room. When entering into the room, you can observe a 360-degree view of the gigantic fish. Maybe it was the way the light reflected off the fish, but they appeared a little robot-like with their silvery and gold scales. Very cool indeed.

Tuna found in the ocean can be as long as 200cm.

We ended the day off having dinner at our favourite Mexican Restaurant, El Toritos to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Tama Zoo and Tama Tech

Our next planned activity for Golden Week was a trip to Tama Zoo and Tama Tech Motopia Park, both venues on our wish list of places to visit.






The main entrance of the park was decorated with many colourful carp streamers in honour of Children's Day. The flying streamers symbolize endurance, perseverence and fortitude. Parents hang streamers to wish their children future success.

We really enjoyed our trip toTama Zoo. For one thing, most of the exhibits had ample room for the animals to roam around in their designated enclosures, which made them appear to be more lively and active than most zoos we've visited in the past. It was also pleasing to see many different animals cohabiting. In one enormous section, the giraffes, zebras, oryx, pelicans and ostriches shared the same space.

One of the main attractions of the zoo is the lion bus tour. We arrived at the zoo rather early so the wait for the line wasn't long-less than 20 minutes.





The ride itself was rather short, but we got real close to the lions roaming around in their den.

Each time the bus departed from the passenger pick-up depot, raw meat was strategically hung outside of the windows of the bus to lure the animals to approach and retrieve the meat. This of course provided the perfect photo-op. At one point where the bus stopped, the lion was right in our faces with only a sheet of plexiglass between us. We thought Markus would be frightened by the closeness, though he handled it surprisingly well. I, on the other hand was feeling a little too close for comfort, but loved it anyway!

Markus picked out the perfect hat for the occasion...our little safari boy!

We really enjoyed being able to get up close for a fantastic view of the animals. Besides Markus' ever-so-favourite lions, he was also very fascinated by the elephants, kangaroos and orangutans. This kid can never get enough of animals.

After an afternoon of what seemed to be a lot of uphill walking in the zoo, we headed out to Tama Tech. It took us about 25 minutes to arrive, by foot.

Tama Tech is owned by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. It's official name has been changed to Mobilityland. It is an amusement park where children three years old and up can ride and operate small vehicles including motorcycles and go-karts while learning real traffic safety regulations. Of course, there were many rides for little tots like our little guy. He was so adorable geared up in the racing suit.

Rodney was amused by the

foreshadowing element of this photo

Children get to operate these vehicles in a makeshift village complete with traffic lights.

It was another long day of being out in the sun. We were all drained and managed to get some shut-eye on the long train ride back home. I guess you can say we're blending in really well with the Japanese...most passengers doze off on the trains at one time or another. They just seem to know when to wake up to get off at their stop.

To be continued...

Ogon Shukan Holiday

It's widely known as Golden Week, which happened to fall the week after my sister and Loredana left Japan. The week combines four national holidays which are Showa Day (April 29)-the former Emperor Showa's birthday; Constitution Day (May 3)-the onset of Japan's constitution; Greenery Day (May 4)-celebrating the former Emperor's love of plants and nature; and Children's Day (May 5)-Boy's Day is also celebrated on this day.

Basically, it's a week-long excuse to be off of work for most, but not all. Fortunately, Honda is one of the many companies that honour the holidays, so it was a great change to have Rodney home the whole week.

We decided to plan a less extensive schedule with hopes for much needed R-and-R together as a family. On Tuesday, we packed a picnic basket and drove out to Musashi Kyuryu National Park with a long bike and hike trail in Saitama Prefecture.

It was a beautiful day for cycling. The pavement was smooth and lined with trees and ponds throughout the course. There were several little food kiosks and ice cream shops where you could take a break.

Our main destination on the course was to ride to Musashi Kids Dome, which consisted of a huge jungle gym, swings and a plethora of slides. Markus of course, loved it! When it was time to leave, it took a lot of creative convincing. We cycled for almost 3.5 hours total that day!

Markus was so happy after manoeuvring through this netted tunnel

I think I enjoyed this speedy roller slide just as much as Markus. We rode down it a dozen times!

Markus reaching for the top!

Taking a break from the bike ride to admire the peaceful flow of the stream. Ahhh... We just love nature!

Passing through the dark tunnel on our path back toward the main gates.

There's Markus wiped out on the back seat!

To be continued...

Liza & Loredana - PART 2

(...continued from previous post)

DAY 6 - (04/25) Rodney took the day off of work and we drove about an hour out to Minami-Machida for some hopeful bargain shopping at Grandberry Outlet Mall. They couldn't believe the amount of shopping that Tokyo offers. It truly is a shopper's paradise! For dinner, we went to another favourite restaurant in Ikebukuro and had a Shabu-Shabu Dinner, which we all really enjoyed, even Markus!

DAY 7 - (04/26) We ended up in Tokyo Disneyland, by accident! Our original plan was to visit Kasai Rinkai Park and Tokyo Sea Life Aquarium, however we ended up on the wrong train and got off at Mahaima Station, which was a direct access to Disneyland. My sister was especially excited to do Disney since she's never been before. We had a fantastic day, despite the 10 minute downpour in the middle of the afternoon.

DAY 8 - (04/27) I had to give our guests a tour of a beautiful Japanese Garden we discovered a few weeks earlier - Tokyo Four Seasons Hotel at Chinzan-so. This 17-acre park is a beautiful and peaceful haven in middle of the city. That evening, the girls and I went out to Roppongi for some nightlife entertainment, while Rodney stayed in with Markus. We had a lot of fun at the clubs and stayed out till the sun came up.

DAY 9 - (04/28) That morning, we peeled ourselves out of bed after only a few short hours of sleep to meet wih the Wakayama Family for some karaoke fun in Asakadai at the City Bear. Loredana lost her voice from the night before, but that didn't stop her from belting out the tunes! It was the first time karaoke-ing for Liza and Loredana. We all had a great time!

DAY 10 - (04/29) Showa Day, a Japanese Holiday honoring the birthday of Emperor Hirohito who reigned in the Showa Period (1312-1317). We went to the Imperial Palace grounds and toured the area around Tokyo Station. We also stopped in the unique Tokyo International Forum, a beautifully architectured convention and arts center, designed by an American architect, Rafael Vinoly.

DAY 11 - (04/30) The girls finished up packing and we headed back to Narita Airport for their departure. A sad day for us all, especially Markus :(


Check out the slideshow of Part 2 of Liza & Loredana's visit.

Liza and Loredana's visit to Japan - PART 1

The 11-day visit definitely flew by, as expected. Though it seemed too short, we set the schedule to be busy and filled with adventures that only Tokyo can offer. Here's a summary of our day-to-day activities.

DAY 1 - (04/20) We picked up our guests at Narita Airport at 3:30pm, and headed home for a "Supa" dinner and allowed them time to unwind from the long flight in.

DAY 2 - (04/21) We headed out early to Kamakura for the day and visited the grounds of the Daibutsu - "Great Buddha", then headed to one of our favourite Buddhist temple, Hasedera.
After Kamakura we headed back to Tokyo and visited Shibuya to see the busiest crosswalk in Japan. We emerged ourselves in with the crowds of people and roamed through the streets. Liza and Loredana were in awe of the masses of people.

DAY 3 - (04/22) Sunday is notorious for people-watching at Yoyogi Park and Harajuku, so we just had to show them what a typical Sunday is all about in the area. As we walked over the bridge outside of Harajuku Station toward Yoyogi Park, my sister and Loredana were bewildered by some of the people's wardrobes. Most outfits were indescribable...definitely a sight to see for yourself. At the park, we gathered among crowds to watch the dedicated dancing Elvis impersonators, AKA Tokyo Rockabiliy Club. This attraction is always a hit amongst our visitors. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through Omotesando shopping district and area.

DAY 4 - (04/23) We met up with Keiko-sensei in Shinjuku and had lunch at a Japanese restaurant, a favourite of mine. Then we headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building up to the 45th Floor for a panaoramic view of Tokyo from high atop. We walked around the streets of Shinjuku and did some shopping in the underground mall of Shinjuku Station. I cooked a Japanese dinner at home.

DAY 5 - (04/24) My friend, Yuka spent the day with us. We had an early Japanese lunch at Yuka's new workplace, The Riviera - a convention hall located in Ikebukuro. Following lunch we toured Asakusa and the famous Sensoji Temple, another famous attraction. We then boarded the Sumida River boat cruise. We had dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Metropolitan Plaza, Ikebukuro.

Photo Slide Part 1