Cousins in Tokyo- Part Two

Part Two– My sister Pam, along with her two young kids, came all the way from Italy to pay us a visit.

Most of our activities included having four kids in tow, but we did manage to get out one day to really see Tokyo. Matt kept the three oldest and we took Clara (the two year old) for a ladies day out. Of course, as luck would have it, the rest of Tokyo was out for the day too! We ‘ran’ right into the Tokyo Marathon crowd.

But it was still kind of fun to be part of the festivities.

We headed to the awesome neighborhood of Asakusa, and the world famous Senso-ji Shrine.

I love the mix of old and new architecture here.

We came across a small food stand that had several people inline, and decided to check it out. Curry buns!

They were amazing! The dough was fried to a perfect crispy crunch on the outside, but was doughy and good on the inside. The filling was a beef curry. Where has this been all my life?!

Next stop on our Tokyo Highlights tour, was the Shibuya crossing. If you ever see a movie filmed in Tokyo, you will see this famous intersection. Over 1,000 people cross this street on any given red light. We  got a birds eye view from the second floor Starbucks. 

The crossing is also known for Hachiko, the dog who faithfully waited for his master every day, even after his master’s passing. Someone had propped up their dog for a photo op, the crowd was going crazy taking pictures. Haha. It was nice to get away without all of the kids, for a day, and really visit!

 But, alas, more kid fun up next! We stayed in downtown Tokyo for the next few nights, where the fun is literally endless! Our next play land was ASObono at Tokyo Dome City.

There were several different areas, including a large ocean themed room,

a huge bounce area,

a market and store,

a baby doll and Calico Critter room,

fishing, and so much more!

But the hands down favorite for ALL of the kids was the giant train room.

They had lots and lots of trains, tracks, tunnels, etc. to build in any way you wanted.

They worked so hard on their masterpiece!

Even Clara was lost in thought.

Whew! After all of that fun, we took the train back to the hotel for some….

swimming! Always a crowd favorite.

You just can’t beat the hot tub after a hectic day of sightseeing.

The girls even befriended a real mermaid! (This mermaid tail was quite cute and clever. It was made out of spandex and the fin was rubbery. Very cute.)

On their last day we headed to the Tokyo Bay area, and Legoland. It was a cold morning with such a brisk wind, I’m glad we planned an indoor activity.

I loved the Lego mock ups of Tokyo. 

Legoland was a big hit!

We even liked the movie, though it was totally in Japanese.

The kids liked the ‘build your own car’ area and spent quite a bit of time there.

Afterwards, you could race your car down a ramp, but we didn’t stand a chance next to the Japanese dads’ creations! Oh well.

When a toddler is done, they’re done. 

We spent the remainder of the day walking along the Tokyo Bay. It had warmed up a little, but not much!

More hotel pool time to cap a fun day and visit.

The next morning was already time for goodbyes. We had a lot of laughs and had so much fun, it was sad to see them go. Benny took it especially hard.

***(Pam sent me this picture of the kids meal on the flight home with Japan Airlines. The Japanese do ‘cute’ oh so well! Love it!)

Until we meet again….in Italy!