Trip to Tokyo

We just got back from a fabulous trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. The kids really enjoyed Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. I think we were all surprised at how much it looks like Disney World and the only reason we knew we were in Japan was because of all the Japanese people around us. Olivia couldn't wait to meet Cinderella, since we've been talking about it for a few months, but she was nowhere to be found. We caught a glimpse of her in the parade, but they had no opportunities to meet the characters and there was not one princess item in any of the stores. After asking someone, evidentally they do not carry any princess items, so Tokyo is not the place to go if you child is obsessed with the princesses. Needless to say, Olivia was very disappointed, but I promised her that her Grandma and Grandpa Coleman would gladly take her to meet Cinderella the next time we came to visit them in Florida. This seemed to tide her over, although we all knew she was heartbroken.

I think we all observed some interesting things while we were in Tokyo. It is a lot more modern than it is here in Okinawa and rather than go to Japanese restaurants, we went to the American restaurants that we haven't been to in ages, such as TGI Fridays. The Japanese also are obsessed with their cell phones. While riding on the subway, individuals of all ages spent their entire ride on their phones. They are not allowed to talk on the phone while riding the subway, but they were either texting or playing games, we're not really sure. Japanese women also do not seem to know how they should dress when going to an amusement park. Some of you may remember our hike on Memorial Day, where we saw women hiking in heels, well they also go to amusement parks in a dress and heels. It is just amazing how they would put pain over comfort, we just shook our heads at the sight! I must have looked rediculous with my shorts and sneakers.

Our original plan was to spend our first two days at Disneyland and Disney Sea and an entire day exploring the rest of Tokyo, but we had to make an unexpected trip to Camp Zama. Do you remember Duane's teeth? Well, while we were at Disney Sea, his teeth came loose and he spent all afternoon trying to get a hold of the dentist to schedule him an appointment at the nearest Army installation, Camp Zama. We woke up early the next morning and took the subway to Camp Zama, which took about 1.5 hrs. We almost moved to Camp Zama and know wish we had because there is so much to do up there. Anyway, Duane was able to get his teeth fixed and we made it back to Tokyo and managed to visit one site before going back to the hotel because we had an early departure at the train station the next morning. We had such a great time that we've scheduled a return trip for Labor Day weekend and hope to see all the sites we didn't get to see.

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disney Sea


Tokyo's Imperial Palace


Link to our Tokyo 2008 Web Album http://picasaweb.google.com/defootefamilyfun/Tokyo2008