Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler We first encountered these ridiculously delicious Australian snacks on our Shinkansen ride from Tokyo to Kyoto. Crunchy cheese and macadamia nuts. I’ve never seen them before. I probably shouldn’t ever see them again, because I never, ever, ever want to stop eating them. More Tokyo Toddler
Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen Bullet Train Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler If only the incredible bullet trains of Japan were a cure for toddler tantrums. We’d ridden many a train already. The speedy and overall smooth Narita Express. The clean, efficient local Tokyo trains of the Japan Rail and Odankyu lines. But … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler If only more religions worked this way. One of my favorite moments in downtown Tokyo came when we saw this in the CBD: a wee Shinto shrine, complete with red tori gate, right next to a British-style pub. But here’s the real question: is the Happy Hour sandwich board … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler Is the pregnant woman lovingly cradling her unborn child… or is she trying to muffle the noise? Japanese trains have priority seating areas for the elderly, folks with medical conditions, pregnant women, and parents with wee kids. What I did not know, however, was that unborn children can be … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler I’m not talking about the bicycle. Eugene has those like a forest has mushrooms after fall rain. I’m talking about the suit. You just don’t see those kind of clothes in Eugene. But in Japan? Even the salarymen wear suits when they ride bicycles. This, though, you would see … Read more
Tokyo with an American Expat Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler Travel is a chance to reconnect. That’s why, on our last full day in Tokyo, we saw the city with a high school friend of Jodie’s who has now lived in Japan for 8 years. The thing about a city on the scale of … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler When seeing the big sights of Tokyo, you also need a big lunch. So our guide made sure to whisk us to the special upstairs room of her favorite sushi restaurant, where reminders of cultural differences awaited. “My mom found this place a few years ago,” Brooke explained, “and … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler I’m a sucker for quirky signs. Yes, they have their function. But different signs in different countries can also just look different and interesting to those who are new to them. Such as this wonderful wee sign, seen throughout Japan and first spotted by me in Tokyo. What could … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler As Connor and I wandered Noborito on an early Tokyo morning, we each kept marveling at the gardens in the neighborhood. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we’re accustomed to fascinating gardens. They make you wonder about who lives in a house, what they’re like, how their personality is expressed … Read more
Follow the adventure: The Tokyo Toddler Americans love napkins. We go through reams of the things every day. The Japanese, however, favor the moist towelette. Individually wrapped and given to you pretty much anywhere you get food or drink, these handy little buggers clean up far more thoroughly than napkins. Which makes sense, because they’re … Read more