Chocolate and Browsing (Day 15, 16, & 17)

A lovely home we passed by everyday on the way to the train station

Door at Hanazono Shrine

Day 15 was a pretty easy day. Juan escorted Tamika and I to Shinjuku where we visited Hanazono Shrine and walked around the city. We went to Isetan, a department store, in search of Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates. Tisha gave the chocolate very high reviews, so I just HAD to try some. Y’all know I am a dessert connoisseur. After waiting in line for about seven minutes to go into Jean-Paul Hévin's store, which is in the basement section of Isetan, we were granted entry. The store is very small and holds about 15 people max.

After buying three miniature pieces of chocolate (about the size of a quarter) for 955 yen (roughly $10 USD), we left the store. Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates are extremely tasty. The chocolate is smooth and melts in your mouth (per Tamika). Was the chocolate worth the exorbitant price tag? No. However, it is the experience that counts. I could see $1 per miniature piece of candy, but then again, Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates are not available in the U.S.

Moreover, Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world--so the prices are to be expected. Afterwards, we browsed around the various shops in Subnade, an underground shopping center.

Tori gates

Hanazono Shrine

On Day 16, Tamika and I packed our things and reminisced about our trip. We were NOT ready to leave Tokyo! The city is amazingly beautiful, full of spunk, and all that jazz. Juan took us to Mori Town where we did a little shopping. We went to Mister Donut to taste the difference between their doughnuts and Krispy Kreme. Of course they were out of glazed doughnuts, so Tamika ordered a strawberry doughnut which was pretty good, but was still not sweet enough for me; I ordered a chocolate doughnut, which was not as good as Krispy Kreme.

As I stated in a previous post, sweets in Japan are not like the typical sweets found in the States. But I appreciated trying them. After leaving Mister Donut, we headed to Cold Stone Creamery where Juan and I had ice cream, which was SWEET! Later on that night, Tamika and I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel to prepare for our departure.

On Day 17, with sadness in our hearts and a plethora of memories, Tamika and I left our “home away from home” for the past 18 days (we did not count the day we arrived ;-)). Juan came and saw us off as we boarded the bus and left Tokyo.

After traveling to different places in Japan (Tokyo, Kamakura, Yokohama, & Kyoto), Tamika and I said our last goodbyes to the place we fell in love with, and bidded Juan farewell. This was an awesome trip. Thank you to all our readers for following us as we sojourned throughout Japan. Thank you to those that prayed for us, helped us in various ways, and sent happy thoughts.

On the long flight back home

Japanese drinks

The Body can do That?! (Day 14)

The performers concluding the show

Leaving Tokyo Disney!

At Tokyo Disney--I have my superstar smile on

Tamika and I headed to see Cirque du Soleil's ZED. We are big fans of Cirque du Soleil, as well as cirque shows that aren't affiliated with the company. We found out about Zed from Juan, who gave it good reviews, so we decided to make the 2 hour ride to Tokyo Disney to see the show. Simply put, the show was awesome and well worth the long train ride. As with any cirque show, there were dazzling acrobatics, mind blowing skill, and agility that comprised the show.

Having a fantastic time!

At the entrance to the theatre

One of the highlights of the show was when several jugglers juggled three lit torches at a time, and threw them to each other across the stage. There were about 20 or so torches being thrown at a time, and lots of smoke was in the air.

ZED was an incredible show that we thoroughly enjoyed. The power of the human body is amazing. The concept of the show is about the human experience, and Zed's growth as a human. At the end, everything comes together harmoniously.

Afterwards, we headed to Coco's for some curry--Juan says I should have tried something different but oh well. Juan picked us up and dropped by the "chicken shack," where he bought me a meal, and the chicken was good. I have leftovers for tomorrow; hopefully, it will still taste good.

More curry

At the "chicken shack"

Fun, Friends, and Praise (Day 13)

With Natsuki at Chili's

Yesterday was a pretty full day. We were up at about 6:30 a.m. so that we could meet Juan at 8:30 a.m. Trust and believe that Juan is always on time, so we couldn't be late! As Tamika recently blogged about, Juan surprised us with a scenic flight around Tokyo and Yokohama. I've never been much for surprises, but I've become more apt to them now as I've gotten good ones. Yesterday's surprise was so awesome I can't even put it into words! I always saw the scenic flights on t.v., but never thought I'd take one. I don't call Juan my best friend for nothing ;-)

Afterwards, we headed into the city. Tamika and I went to dinner, and met Juan and Tisha later on that night to go bowling. For some strange reason, my bowling game is not as good as it used to be, and Juan ended up winning the game.

Today was a pretty restful day. I slept in pretty late (9 a.m.), while Tamika slept in even later! After heading to the fitness room, washing clothes, and mulling around the hotel room, Tamika and I got ready for our dinner date with our new friend Tisha.

After dinner, the three of us headed to bible study at Juan and Tisha's church. The group spoke about praying boldly to God, and how we should ask Him to guide our steps. We studied Hebrews 4:16, and how we should rely on God to supply all of our needs, but that we should also go boldly to Him and pray fervently. We must strive to make prayer a constant action in our lives, and feed our faith by studying the word of God. Interestingly enough, it was discussed that one can tell a Christian by the way they live their lives, and that they don't have to proclaim it to the world. This is something that I was discussing with Tisha and Tamika two days ago. God speaks to us in many ways--we just have to listen...

I have been very blessed to have a friend like Juan. Even in our silence we understand each other, and there is a commonality between us. Tamika and I are extremely blessed to have met Tisha and formed a new and beautiful friendship. I know that anyone that is a friend of Juan's is a beautiful person.

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

- Arabian Proverb

Altitude Sickness?!…No!! (Day 12)

Getting ready to see Japan from the air!

In the previous post, we alluded that AnJuan had a surprise for us. Yesterday, at 8:30am sharp, we headed to the Aero Club for an aerial tour of Tokyo and Yokohama. The tour lasted for a little over an hour, the plane was quaint and cute, and we had a blast. The excitement didn’t hit me until Shermika said that she would ride in the front seat of the plane. It was a Cessna plane that seated up to four individuals. We even had our own headsets where we could talk to each other being that there was a lot of noise from the plane’s engine.

It was amazing to see Tokyo Tower and other major sites from above in the air. This was one of the nicest surprises that we have ever received! Thanks again Juan for your thoughtfulness and kindness. Believe it or not, I am afraid of heights and even told Juan this when he took us to Sunshine City's observatory to see the city up close and personal. The observatory was on the 60th floor and the elevator went 600 mph, reached the floor in a few seconds, glowed in the dark and displayed the different zodiac signs.

After leaving Sunshine City, we headed to a few other places in Japan including Roppongi Hills, and Tokyo Tower. Be sure to check out our videos and pictures below!!

Check out the plane! Cool, huh?

Juan striking his usual pose

Me cheesing!

Shermika with Tokyo Tower in the background

Riding in the front seat never looked this good!

Floral shop near Tokyo Tower. The building has flowers all over it.

In Roppongi in front of Maman sculpture

Shermika looking down at the city
I was too scared to stand on the steps. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of Shermika's shoes.

In the middle of Ikebukuro--A busy area

Beautiful view from the plane

Tokyo Tower--up close

Waterfront area

Miles and miles of Tokyo--3xs the size of New York

Getting the plane ready for flight

Sunshine City's elevator--fastest & coolest in the world

Royalty Galore (Day 11)

Tokyo
Beauty surrounds me
Amazing culture abounds
Language, lights, and love

A haiku I wrote while here...

Guard at the Imperial Palace

These guards did NOT move once while we were there--not even a blink.

Having a grand time!

Flowers at the East Gardens

Nijunbashi bridge--said to be the most photographed scene in Japan

Edo Castle at the Imperial Palace

In front of a guarded entrance

Two days ago, Tamika and I visited the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, as well as Nijunbashi, two bridges that allow entrance into the inner palace grounds. The Imperial Palace is home to the Imperial Family. The palace buildings and inner gardens are not open to the public.

After a short walk from Tokyo Station, we arrived at the palace. The palace is absolutely gorgeous, and is surrounded by large stone walls. Tamika and I took in the different sites around the Imperial Palace and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We hung around Tokyo for a bit, admired the scenery, and then made the trek back to the hotel.

Walls of the palace

Hanging around Tokyo

Tamika and I at the Imperial Palace

Leading into the East Gardens--these doors are VERY tall!

Tamika at Hyakunin-bansho Guardhouse

This was the largest guardhouse set up in front of the Ote-san-no-mon gate leading to Honmaru for inspection of visitors who entered from Ote-mon gate in the Edo Period. One hundred samurai guardmen, chosen from among the guardsmen and loyal retainers of each of the four main branches of the Tokugawa clan had their quarters there and worked in shifts day and night. No...Tamika isn't a guard ;-)

Store Hopping and Dinner Plus Dessert (Day 10)

In the restroom

Shermika and Tisha

AnJuan and I

Yesterday, Shermika and I stayed in for the most part to rest until we were escorted to the mall later on that night. Earlier that day, we ate lunch, took a walk around the Air Force base, and surfed the net. We went to Aeon Mall where I was in search of a cute purse and a reasonably priced hat. In Japan, flowers are popular on everything from hats, to shoes, purses, and clothes. This country has some of the nicest restrooms I have ever seen!!

After doing a little shopping, Tisha and Juan took us to Koni Steakhouse, where you will pay anywhere from ¥1,600 to ¥6,600 (roughly $20-$70 USD) for a steak depending on the cut. Afterwards, we had dessert at Cold Stone Creamery and headed back to the hotel. Today, we plan on visiting some of the few places left on our itinerary. We practically completed our list of places to visit in a week! Tomorrow, AnJuan is suppose to take us somewhere top secret so, check back later to see where we visited!!

In the restroom...isn't it nice?

Enjoy the Music & the View

As a lover of music, I had to post this video of a musician at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Tamika and I were mesmerized. It sounded beautiful.



View of Tokyo from the 45th floor of TMGB's South Observatory

Crowded Streets & Achy Feet (Day 9)

At Takeshita Dori--look at the crowd. Whew!

Today, Tamika and I visited Harajuku, which is home to teenage fashion culture. This was our second visit to the area, and we went for three main reasons: to see Japanese teens dressed as their favorite cartoon characters, visit a park and shrine, and shop at Oriental Bazaar.

Tackling this city is a feat in and of itself, which is why this was our second visit. You can never finish all of what you planned, and today was no surprise. We saw some teenagers dressed in outlandish costumes. The park and shrine will have to be tackled on another day--as long as we got to shop I was content ;-)

Oriental Bazaar is one of Tokyo's largest souvenir shops, and they had some beautiful goods. We had fun browsing around the store and picked up a few items along the way. The store was magnificent and replete with nice trinkets.

St. Patrick's Day parade. The streets were crowded with people. There was hardly any room to walk.

On Omotesando avenue outside of Oriental Bazaar. Tamika finds the coolest things!

Having a fabulous time

Riding the subway back to the hotel

A dessert shop in Tachikawa station. The Japanese are big on sweets and presentation. Desserts are meticulously arranged on platters and look gorgeous. However, their level of sweetness is not the typical "sweet" in the U.S.

As a dessert junkie, I wasn't too impressed with the strawberry milkshake I had, cinnamon roll, manju, or doughnut. YES, I kept trying things, but it was the experience that counts. I did have something today that tasted like a light and airy poundcake; it wasn't very sweet, but it was good. At any rate, the wagashi was delicious, so it made up for everything.

Streets of Harajuku (along Ometasando avenue)

Pagondas and Toilets...Videos

5 storied pagonda at Sensoji Temple

Japanese Toilet

Use Your Feet and Make a Move! (Day 8)

Shermika on the bike...the seats are REALLY SMALL!

Several ducks passed by us

Friends on the pedal boat

Today was a beautiful day! It was sunny, the wind was perfect, and we decided to hang with an old and new friends to visit a local park here in Metropolitan Tokyo. Showa Kinen Park, per their website, was established to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa's reign, and it now comprises about 163 acres of completed area. There were pedal boats, so you know we had to test drive one! It was a workout to keep the boat moving, but we often would let the wind guide us on the water.

Next, we covered a lot of ground with the help of our bikes that we rented for ¥410 (yen)! It was tricky at first, but Shermika and I got the hang of balancing the Japanese bikes. After coming off a hill I even fell in the bushes; if you know me then you are well aware that I brushed myself off and laughed. We reached our destination, which was beautiful. AnJuan told us that the area is more spectacular in the fall, and when the cherry blossom trees are in bloom. The cherry blossoms will be in bloom in a couple of weeks, so I hope that we at least get to see some!

After working up an appetite, we headed to a local Japanese eatery, Sherlock Holmes, that our friends like to frequent. The food was superb and the service was awesome, even though there was a language barrier. We didn't leave a tip as tipping is not customary in Japan; it can even be considered to be rude as the Japanese believe that service should not come at an additional cost.

Lots of food for a little over 2,000 yen. This includes meal, drink, rice/bread, salad, and dessert. What a deal! No refills in Japan though.

Yummy! I couldn't even eat it all. Dessert is next...