We are Back Alive in Tokyo!

The sudden 3-week break from the blog is now over and we are back at it! I had to make a quick trip to the states and this is what greeted me in Utah upon my return.

The gift of beautiful sunsets that God has given us is something that I will never take for granted.

It was nice to be with my children and grandchildren for a couple of weeks. We went on a few hikes with and without the grandkids....

This is Rachelle with her dog, Dizzy and Brooke with her two children Carson and Lila. 

Carson

and????

Oh, hello Lila!

A hike up the mountain behind our home was a boost of refreshing energy for Brooke, Kent, Rachelle and me. Let's not forget Rachelle's dog, Dizzy.

Brittney got to come home with cute little baby Lucas. It was so fun to have them.

Brittney's family patiently awaited her return and upon that return was treated with some yummy Japanese snacks....... that lasted about 10 seconds!

"Thanks for the treats Grandma and Grandpa!! Our tummies are so happy!"

My daughter shared these inspiring quotes with me and I am now sharing them with you.

When the time came to return to Japan, it was only a few days before Thanksgiving. This year was a year of separation for most of us including Jeff........

who was also thankful to receive a box of yummy Japanese snacks! Missionaries love packages!

We were thrilled to have Robby and Rachelle join us for a few days before the great Thanksgiving celebration.

Jet lag is so powerful!! It's 5:00 p.m. going home on the bus coming from the airport and Robby can't keep his eyes open!

At 4:00 a.m. we were up and at it strong so we decided to go to a place called Tsukiji. It's the fish market that I showed in a former blog. At 3:00 a.m. fish buyers come in and buy fish for restaurants, shops, and supermarkets. Fish isn't the only thing that you buy in the early morning hours. This was an "onigiri" or rice ball store.

These are various kinds of rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed. These really are delicious and not something that you might not like. You would like these! This was around 5:00 a.m. and notice how many of the onigiri are already gone! It's a busy place.

This man is cutting tuna to sell. When he is finished cutting the slabs of tuna, the glass case will be full until he sells it all.

Anyone up for a snack of dried whole shrimp? For any of you who may not be a fan of the red ones, you have two other choices. Orange and yellow! Something for everyone!.....or no one......

Fish for sale! It can't get fresher than this. Do you know what? There was no fish smell at this place. That sure tells you something.

This box is full of bags of fish eggs. Sprinkle some of these on your rice, spaghetti, or even your pizza! Who knows, it might be good on your mashed potatoes and gravy! Any takers? I left them right where I saw them.......

Various types of vegetables are also sold at this market. Don't ask me what half of them are.

Anyone want dried manta ray for a bargain at $90 each? I wonder if it tastes like jerky?

How about some crunchy baby crabs with sesame? It's only $6....a bargain at twice the price! I wonder if they sell toothpicks with these?

All of you sushi lovers who eat wasabi and don't know what it looks like, well, here's your chance. Wasabi is a root.

Anyone up for a piece of whale blubber? The Eskimos say it keeps them warm. I know a few of you underfed people that could use some extra fat to keep you warm this winter! Should I bring some home for Christmas?

The shopping has only just begun! They couldn't have any bigger smiles on their faces. It's only 5:30 a.m.!

Have you ever seen such big beans? Yes, those are giant black beans with a little touch of pink! Hey, you only need about 20 beans for a big pot of chile. 

There were boxes and boxes of different kinds of beans. Amazing!

This fine man is making scrambled eggs, Japanese style.

How about a taste of Goji Belly? They look like Goji berries to me, but hey, what do I know?

After an early morning at the fish market, we went to a famous shrine called Zojoji Temple. It was mentioned in an earlier blog as well.

An autumn view of the neighborhood. Our apartment is the tall blue building in the distance. The traditional buildings to the left is the Zojoji temple. 

Robby seems to get his kicks from posing in pictures. This was taken at the first level of the Tokyo Tower. Lovely, dear. I wish you could keep the reindeer hat.

Yep! That's the Imperial Palace. 

While we were at the palace, Robby noticed this cute little woman from Malaysia that he had to get a closer picture of because.....

he couldn't believe the hair growing on her chin.....!!! But look how cute and happy she is!

Anyone for some real food? This is a delicious bowl of homemade ramen and some potstickers. Yumm!!

With mouths watering, Robby and Dad ready to dig into their food!

After our meal, the men thought that a little sweet treat would be nice. Notice how the cashier bows as he is handing the bag to Kent. I'm pretty sure that we don't do that in our country.?.? Please tell me that we do.

The next day Rachelle joined us and we went to a beautiful park called Hama-rikyu Gardens. What a handsome couple, well, brother and sister.

We then hopped on a boat to a famous area called Asakusa. On our way, we went under many beautiful and unique bridges:

These are just a few of the bridges that we passed under. Cool, huh?

For those of you who are interested in architecture, I included a few interesting buildings:

This particular building was connected to a neighboring building on the 30th floor. But the interesting thing here is the platform with workers hanging around the 10th floor on the left side of the building. It is suspended by cables from black overhanging posts on the roof. If you look closely on top of the building directly above the platform, you can see the little black posts. Not a job that I would want......

The architect thought that a tunnel would be a cool addition to this. 

This is called Skytree. It is the modern day Tokyo Tower. Yes, it is huge.

This is our docking area at Asakusa from the flat, white boat that we were on.

I will finish our Thanksgiving week adventures next week, so please stay tuned for more adventures!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa

Uncle Kent and Grandma Barb

Kent and Barb