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in no particular order...
Sushi.
specifically fatty tuna. and crab head raw. and roe.
can't get it here. and nothing comes close.
see how the colors of the tuna change from red to almost white? that's how fatty the tuna is on the top left..it's all fat.
love the marbling..it's like a steak!
crab head with crab meat salad.
i don't get roe here. because it's gross. but in japan you get why people love this stuff.
look how clear those suckers are!
Tsukiji fish market.
i can't remember if it was one of the world's largest...but it's definitely one of the world's cleanest.
for a fish market, you would think there would be fish guts and blood everywhere.
but for what it was, it was not bad at all. and quite an adventure to go through. even at 5 in the morning.
  
i didn't know the tuna were the size of sharks here.
 
the auction:
then right outside you see the people line up for the fish.
for the best places you have to be there right at 4:30am...so we were told and saw that most people went after a night of drinking and didn't even bother going home...they were still red and drunk...but well in front of the line.
we didn't go here, but it's supposed to be the best place at the market. there was a line that wrapped around the corner.
(exhibit A: you see the red faced girl on the left?)
Hot Springs. Crazy fish eating the callouses off our feet.
we did the commercialized one near the city. but still a different experience.
especially since everyones wears yukatas. which was kinda neat. and seeing Arden in one was priceless.
 
but the craziest thing was when we put our feet into the lil pool with a gazillion lil black feeder fish that eat the calluses off our feet. (i forgot my camera when we went in, but here's a picture of other people doing it)
 
vic had a lot of calluses cuz the fish swarmed his feet in seconds and there was not an inch uncovered with fish.
while other people had only 3-5 fish on them.
it was actually kinda frightening seeing that many fish devour his feet like that.
but just for that, it made the trek over there totally worthwhile.
Chicken Sashimi.
raw liver, breast meat, served a few different ways.
i actually enjoyed it. vic, not so much.
Harajuku district.
the people here walk around in anime costumes like they're wearing regular t-shirt and jeans.
and they're so done up, it's impressive!
i admire their creativity and grasp of their inner kid. :)
yes, those are live fish in those glass bowls attached to his lobes.
side note: i have to add a lil plug for Kiddieland.
although it wasn't one of my top ten experiences, per se, but it was a pretty cool place. and it's in Ometesando near the harajuku district. it's a 5story Toy Store. floors upon floors of toys and trinkets.
one floor completely dedicated to hello kitty. and another to snoopy. and another to anime. enuf said.
The people.
it's really extraordinary how polite and nice these people are.
above and beyond.
always a smile and thank you.
and if you go to a dept. store...the service is exemplary.
but i have a theory that the masses of people are so nice that they must have pent up anger issues...
which accounts for the suicides and fathers killing off entire families.
that or their atoning for their cruelty during the wars back in the day. must be trying hard to change their reputation.
just a theory. sorry if that sounds racist.
but still can't refute, people are rrreally nice here.
i mean, the crime rate here is probably as close to 0 as you can get, compared to any other country in the world.
side note #2: just a word on women's fashion.
vic and I had a conversation of which asian country had hotter women.
he claims korea. whatever the case, japanese women know how to dress.
love the knee high socks.
the traffic.
when we first drove into the city from the airport...
there's almost this zen-like feel to the way the highways wind over each other and through the city.
adding to that, people don't road rage here.
and there certainly weren't any car-honking.
and they actually observe the speed limit.
and people cross the street at crosswalks.
no j-walking here. it could be a tiny little street with no cars coming for miles and people would patiently wait at the light.
it's incredible how respectful the japanese people are.
the masses.
this has a little to do with the people and the traffic.
there are masses of people...people on top of people here...
but somehow..you don't feel it. no elbow banging or pushing...
people just stride along and respect your space.
all the times i walked down the street, i never felt crowded (and I REALLY like my space)
but I look back at my pictures and there were MASSES of people all around me!
the presentation.
japanese people are suckers for presentation.
they take pride in everything they do, wear, sell.
we bought a jar of baby food at a dept. store that cost just over a dollar.
it was packaged in bubble wrap. then put in a paper bag. sealed with a sticker.
then put into a larger paper bag with a handle.
i think the packaging must've cost more than the profit they made off the baby food.
the architecture
is amazing here.
the mori building is a brand new space and although it's confusing, it's beautiful.
we walked through this place everyday since we lived right by it and used the train line here.
(so interesting to see how another candidate city treats their bid for the olympics. especially since it's for the same year as your home city!)
all these name brands have these ridiculous structures.
you can do an architecture tour here and see things you've never seen anywhere else.
prada has a beautiful building here. i didn't get a picture of it.
louis vutton, Todd's, hanae mori, for example.
    (this was a park in roppongi...but they had all these colorful slides and this toy totem pole.)
and hotels that are completely decked out in just gorgeous spaces.
if we had more time here, i would've loved to see some more of it.
and I would've looooved to have bragged about all the amazing cherry blossoms I saw...
since that's one of the reasons I wanted to go to Japan at this time...
but we were a week late...and most of the cherry blossom trees had already turned green.
but Ueno Park was a beautiful place to view it. and we caught at least the end of it.
  
i know i said, ten, but i have to stress:
the food.
i mentioned sushi...but really...EVERYTHING we ate there was good.
Ramen, Yakitori, Kushiage, Udon, Sukiyaki, Katsudon, mochi, cake,
grilled foods, raw foods, baked goods,
they just know how to prepare food.
it tastes good and looks good...and things are packaged and presently so nicely with so much thought.
it was a foodie's dream to eat through the place.
for more pictures of the food we ate, check out the foodies album on my facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120053&id=693675195
(special thanks to our host, Richard, who knew the best places for everything good to eat!!! which really made our trip.)
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| so I haven't updated in awhile cuz my hands have been tied with Arden...
literally...
the boy doesn't like being alone much...so I constantly have to attend to him.
sheesh...he's gonna get away with it now cuz he's so helpless...but as soon as he can sit up on his own, Mr. Emeril and baby Einstein can help out.  keehee j/k. maybe.
i kid...it's truly been a joy to see Arden grow every day.
he grows so fast, I'm afraid to blink, in case I miss something.
he went from only knowing how to sleep, eat, poop, cry and burp.
to now smiling and gurgling and kicking daddy where it counts.  hahaha
and he's learning how to talk now...
making all sorts of sounds...
and he's definitely getting the "R" in his name down...(guess he won't be having any trouble with a chinese accent).
so we'll sit there and have a full conversation...or so he thinks.
sometimes when people are talking to him, he'll try really hard to understand.
and even though he doesn't...he'll just smile and laugh just to acknowledge you.
but you know in the back of his head, he's only thinking when his next meal is gonna be.
just like his dad. haha
speaking of being like father like son...
the lil one manages to fart louder than his lil body should muster.
one time he farted so loud he scared himself and started crying.
sometimes when he lets one go and the two are sitting there, I have to ask who dealt it.
the good thing is, his farts don't smell yet.
and at night...since we're still co-sleeping...
i'll put him down in the middle of the bed...
and somehow before you know it...he'll shimmy his way over next to me.
then he'll put his leg on my stomach and drap his arm over me.
and let out a gentle sigh.
his sighs get to me. the sound of its innocence just tugs at my heart strings.
it's funny, I wouldn't have thought I'd be in this place...
before Arden had come into this world...I was so afraid I wouldn't know what to do.
and another mother once told me..."you just know - maternal instincts kick in and you'll just know what to do." I was skeptical.
and I can't say I knew right away...it took some time...to get to know him...
and I can't say I always know, but vic says, there's nothing like the mother's touch.
i used to tell him he was better at soothing the baby to sleep...but I've caught up and run past him now. (haha yes...it's always a competition between me and vic!! )
cuz i have the secret weapon...if all else fails...just offer him the boob!
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| Would anybody be willing to take Barnaby in for the week of 10/24-11/1?
(Even for part of the week would help!)
He's completely housebroken and super low maintenance.
He does have a mad obsession for fetch though.
A few minutes of the game a day and he'll be as happy as can be.
Please let me know asap. Thanks!!
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| I used to think, if I had a boy, he'd for sure be a mama's boy.
and if we had a girl, she'd be a daddy's girl.
I used to think I knew the limits of vic's love.
but the past week and a half I've seen how limitless it can be.
Vic completely adores Arden...
in ways that are so endearing, it can make anyone cock their head and sigh in adoration.
From the way he gently holds Arden in his arms...and let's him sleep the night away on his chest.
even though he's usually a lil rougher in nature.
To the way he laughs and crinkles his face when Arden is wailing his lungs out, wanting his dirty diaper to be changed.
Nothing Arden does will turn his love.
And even down to the hundreds of kisses he showers Arden with a day.
it's been amazing for me to witness:
the love of a father.
(I guess I have some competition for Arden's #1. ;-P)
most importantly, it has served as a reminder of how massive God's love must be...
if his love is infinitely greater than any earthly father,
then I can't even fathom how big that love is.
but I am in awe and so very humbled by the very thought of it.
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