Family Vists Days 1 and 2

Sorry that I have been absent for the past couple of days BUT my family came to Japan to visit me over my winter break! YAY! We had an exciting 10 to 11 days which I WILL write all about :D
So, let's begin with days one and two!
I had to go pick up my family from the airport first which was an adventure all on its own. See, Narita airport is about 2 and a half hours and a special express train away from me. I was meeting them at 5 but I left Honatsugi by 2. I took my normal express to Shinjuku and then hopped aboard the Narita Express, a special limited express train run by the JR. It cost me some good money but it was worth the time saved. Plus, I got to sit in a reserved seat which I have never bought for myself before.

Why hello fancy train

I waited for about 30 mins before we finally spotted each other. There was much hugging and talking. We had to wait a good hour for the next train bound for Shinjuku so we just sat and chatted. They were exhausted by the time we got on the train. Everyone plopped their luggage down and wanted something to eat. We ran over to one of the only places that is open at 10:30 PM and gives you food fast: McDonalds. At least they got to have some uniquely Japanese flavors. Me and my sister got a shrimp burger and my mom and brothers grabbed a teriyaki burger.

We all settled into my apartment, which was a bit cramped but we managed to find everyone a spot.

Jenny and Chris claimed to corner

Tommy slept in my kitchen

The next day, I started them off with an afternoon in Atsugi. We went to my one hundred yen store (dollar store basically) and the grocery store where we bought food for lunches and breakfast. I also introduced them to bento boxes and we grabbed a couple for their first lunch in Japan.

Yummy!!

After that, we went to Harajuku which is the fashion district of Tokyo. First thing we did was visit Meiji-jingu shrine which has one of the largest tori gates in Japan.

Then, we headed off to the main street, Takeshi-dori. Jenny and I popped into a couple of shops and marveled at the fashion. I bought myself an awesome pair of imitation Converse heels.

So fun!!

It was a nice slow and relaxed day to ease them into Japan.
Next time, we visit the only place I asked to go: Tokyo Disney Sea!

Tokyo Day 4

My last day of summer vacation and in Tokyo :( I decided to hit up a couple of spots that I hadn't seen yet. First, I made my way back down to Harajuku. It was a Sunday so I wanted to see if people were dressed up or if the tourists and time had killed off that fad. Unfortunately, there was barely anyone dressed up and only one person who was dressed up was allowing pictures to be taken.

The one person allowing photos

After that, I headed over to the Meiji-jingu temple. It was very pretty! I especially enjoyed the walk over to the main temple. It was quite an amazing contrast to the scene of Harajuku located just minutes away by foot. My first stop was the gardens. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed by the gardens. I think that they must look prettier in the spring because there were barely any flowers. The coolest thing in the gardens was an ancient well that the emperor used to use. I got to wash my hands in it! It was a fun experience!

One of the largest tori gates in Japan.

The gardens

Ancient well

Meiji-jingu temple

After that, I headed over to the Roppongi area of Tokyo. My first stop was the Tokyo tower!

Me with the tower :)

It was basically like seeing the Eiffel Tower. I then went over to Roppongi Hills for some dinner and night life! I wanted to go there because all of the guide books I had said it was one of the most foreigner friendly places in Japan. They were right! Everything was in Japanese and English. This was a nice change for me for once since my Japanese is very poor. I had a great time! I found a little bar that was serving drinks for 300 yen (that's cheap!) and had a nice dance floor. About 50% of the people there were foreigners so I got to meet a lot of people who speak English! I also danced with a Japanese guy. It was an excellent way to end my Obon holiday!!

Tokyo Tower lit up with the moon