Thursday, July 4, 2013

Visiting Yoshie and Skytree in Tokyo, 6-20 to 6-22-2013

Leaving Shimoda is always sad.  It's such a nice town and it feels like home.  My host father's friends, the Aois picked me up and drove me to the station, insisted on buying my ticket and handed me a little bag with breakfast and drinks before seeing me off.  So nice.
Three women who were on going on a tour to Hokkaido sat next to me and we chatted on the way to Atami.  They took the Shinkansen and I took a regular train with one change and ended up near my friend Yoshie's house.  Yoshie's family lived in Carmel for a few years when my boys were young and Peter and her younger son, Ken were good friends.  We deposited my luggage, had a nice sushi lunch at home with her mom and then went for a little walk.  The next day she worked (she 'teaches' English to little children).  I went with her to the area was teaching in that day and we had lunch together, then I just walked around for a few hours until we met up again when she finished.  I decided to cook dinner - Yoshie doesn't like to cook and usually buys an entrée, which many Japanese women do... 
A seafood salad.

Yoshie on the pretty walk to the station.


And then the day arrived.  I was leaving Japan.  I no longer say 'for the last time' because I know I'll be back.  Maybe to live, maybe just to visit, but I know I'll be back.
Anyway, we decided to go and see SkyTree - the tallest 'building' in Japan.  It's actually considered an antennae.  There is a whole shopping city (Soramachi - Sky Town) around it selling souveniers of every kind and many restaurants.  You can also go up to the observation tower (we didn't).

The restroom at the SkyTree station.

SkyTree

View from a lower area.

It's actually a glass tube like structure with steel around it.

Some days there are very, very long lines to go up.
Even on this day you had to buy a ticket for hours later.

Of course there has to be SkyTree characters!


The café where we had lunch.

Sashimi on rice with grated radish and miso soup.

Salmon and ikura (salmon roe on rice).

A giant rice ball.

You know him!

Some summertime fun!

A prepared food floor.


This looked interesting but we'd already eaten.
Different things on skewers - meatballs, fried chicken, etc.
and a 'cone' of puff pastry filled with Japanese curry for dipping.

This is what takeout sushi should look like - yum!




 
The next pictures are from a 'plastic food' store.



This is a delicious green tea slushy like drink with green tea
ice cream and dango (rice dumplings).

Yoshie had a green tea latte with vanilla soft cream.









Singapore Airlines - great!
So we parted ways in the train station and off I went to the airport.  Upon arrival I picked up my luggage which Naoko had shipped straight to Narita for me.  Checked in, walked around a little and boarded the plane where I had a bulkhead seat with plenty of leg room.  It was a great flight even though I didn't sleep (just can't even with a Singapore Sling...).  Having your own entertainment system with tons of movies to choose from really makes the time fly by.  I think I watched 3 movies.  It was a good airline (Singapore) and a good flight.

Back in the U.S.A. - With Jake! 6-22-2013

I would have been very sad about leaving Japan but I was on my way to Sacramento where Jake would be waiting for me - I was sooooooooooooo excited to see him!
LAX was awful.  Crowded, the workers were rude, they kept changing our gate (AA) without making an announcement (3 times!) or an apology, etc. etc.  I didn't really care - I was going to see JAKE!!!!!
I practically ran through Sacramento airport (which was VERY nice) to the baggage claim area and there he was!  xoxoxoxoxo
After wrestling my gigantic suitcases into the car, we drove off through the absolutely beautiful fields both golden and filled with sunflowers.  We went to Winters to the Putah café for dinner - so good!









The next day I met Jake's girlfriend Rachel.  They met soon after I left for Japan.  We had some yummy Mexican food for dinner.  Jake and I started our stay up late, sleep late routine that lasted the week I was there (and for him is probably still going on), and mostly relaxed our way through the week.  I really needed that.  We did go back to Winters and the Phutah Café for lunch one day with Rachel and the drive was really beautiful.  The weather was in the upper 90's and low 100's the whole week, so besides some short bike rides, a trip to the Vacaville outlets and a trip to the farmer's market and meat lab, we didn't do too much else.  It didn't matter since all I wanted to do was spend time with my Jakey.

Jake and Rachel


 
Isn't Davis gorgeous!!??  I LOVE it!!!
 















 







Wide open spaces, incredibly blue skies with amazing puffy white clouds - it leaves one speechless.