On Sam and the kids' way back to the States, we took a 3-day stopover in rainy Tokyo for a last little taste of Asian urbanity with a little dose of Disneyland thrown in for the kiddies
Our hotel was in Ginza, with a stunning view of the Tokyo Tower and the dense city below.
On our first evening there, we met a friend for dinner at the top of a nearby building. She was smart enough to know that coming with two kids, a private room might be useful.
The next day, we woke up early and met some friends for a trip to Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest in the world, to see it in action and to have about the freshest sushi breakfast you can find.
(rainy morning)
(Eliana with Tokyo's outdoor vending machines)
(fresh wasabi)
(our breakfast spot, equipped with conveyer belt)
(parade of fresh fish)
(outside in the market)
(the restaurant cut up this large tuna with a huge crowd gathering to watch...the owners said the value of the tuna was about $4-6k)
(outside of the market)
With the adults fully satisfied and Eliana complaining about the smell of fish, we headed over to the shopping area in Ginza.
(strange vending machine)
(Eliana scared of a supermarket samurai)
(mannequins at the 12-story Uniqlo store)
(car racing track at a massive toy store)
(the kids sucked in by the robot pets)
Then, we hopped the subway to Shibuya, crossroads of an amazing crush of humanity.
(kids on the train)
(in front of the busy Shibuya intersection)
(at the famous Hachiko statue)
The next day was our Disney day, which included over 12 hours at the park. We began at Disney Sea, a park unique to Japan and thematically nautical.
(Eliana at the Disney entrance)
(Minnie banner made of flowers)
(Disney's version of a Mediterranean port town)
(20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride)
(Eliana and Samantha on a ride)
(Izaak overenthusiastically waving to Samantha and Shane from the Aladdin ride)
(Eliana found her tiger, even in Tokyo)
(kids on a camel)
(carousel)
(Mayan ruins)
(in front of a big boat at the US harbor portion of the park)
(Samantha and Shane take in a show)
(with Pluto)
(and Daisy)
(getting late now and Shane needing some love in the long line)
(Eliana and Samantha in front of Cinderella's castle)
(now with Izaak)
(Shane finally having succumbed)
The morning of our last day in Tokyo was spent at Hama-Rikyo-Teien, a Japanese garden nestled amid Ginza's skyscrapers.
(at the park entrance)
(beautiful trees)
(at an old tea house in the park)
(kids chasing butterflies)
(samurai statue)
