Picasa Web Albums - Grant in Tōkyō

Overview and Videos

Here's a nice overview of the places we saw and things we did in the Land of the Rising Sun. You can navigate these pics by clicking the "Slideshow" button on the top. However, I also suggest you click the "View Map" button below, too. The descriptions tell which album the picture is from, so you can see more. We were in Tokyo from November 7-11, 2010. Ignore the album dates, just Picasa's ordering system.

Nov 28, 2010

Photos: 58

Riding the Rails

Actually, this section includes our plane ride and hotel, but couldn't think of a title. Planes, Trains, ... and Hotels? We took the trains everywhere, focusing on the Japan Railway (JR) lines rather than the subway, since those went above ground. Does it get as crowded as they say? Try boarding the Chuo Line at Shinjuku Station after 7:30am, as we did... once.

Nov 26, 2010

Photos: 122

Ginza District

Perhaps the most famous area of Tokyo, this is Times Square meets Beverly Hills. The Yon-chome Crossing is an establishing shot in many movies and photos. This was our first destination after taking the train from the airport.

Nov 25, 2010

Photos: 75

Imperial Palace

The Emperor of Japan lives behind a wooded compound in the center of the city. Extraordinarily picturesque, with the moat, walls, and forest on one side, and the skyscrapers of Marunouchi on the other.

Nov 24, 2010

Photos: 114

Skybus Tour

We took an open-top double-decker bus tour of Tokyo, figuring the kids would enjoy it. The 50-minute ride primarily focused on Chiyoda and Chuo, surrounding the Imperial Palace. We got a good glimpse of Japan's government buildings and an appreciation of how truly huge Tokyo is.

Nov 23, 2010

Photos: 73

Asakusa Temple

The huge Sensoji Buddhist temple was our history museum. Actually, most of these buildings date from the late 1940s, rebuilt after the devastating firebombing raids of World War II. Besides the massive shrine, the Nakamise was fun for strolling past all the gift shops.

Nov 22, 2010

Photos: 109

Tokyo Tower

One of the most famous landmarks, it's Tokyo at its most touristy. Nine meters taller than the Eiffel Tower, but is not even close to Paris' elegance. It looks more like a large TV tower they decided to shape like the French tower. Nonetheless, it really shines up at night and we enjoyed the views. Especially the glass floors.

Nov 21, 2010

Photos: 111

Kabukicho Nights

The notorious red-light district of Tokyo. Not the least bit seedy or dangerous, it was fun to wander around and gawk at the dazzling lights and pictures. Our hotel was in this neighborhood, about a block from a 24-hour Don Quijote... totally different than the Hawaii branches.

Nov 20, 2010

Photos: 51

Tokyo Disneyland

Perhaps the highlight of the trip for our kids, their first visit to any Disneyland. We spent the whole day here. It seemed as larger than Disneyland California and cleaner and more spacious than Disney World in Florida. Despite all the Japanese people, most of the signs were in English.

Nov 19, 2010

Photos: 87

Disneyland, Part II

Part two of our pictures in Tokyo Disneyland. I made it a policy not to take pictures inside the rides, but to enjoy them with my children. We made one exception after riding the same ride three times in a row. Take a wild guess on which ride...

Nov 18, 2010

Photos: 93

Akihabara Electric Town

A mecca for both electronics stores and the anime subculture. Yodobashi Akiba is the largest camera store in the world, yet it is only one of many multi-level shops in the area. From 3D cameras to $400 rice cookers to hentai anime, it's all here.

Nov 17, 2010

Photos: 49

Shibuya & Harajuku

Our morning was spent wandering around teenage Tokyo: Harajuku and Shibuya. There was something for everyone. Dulce liked the Meiji Shrine. Grant liked the cars zooming by. Anya, the Kiddyland toy store and Hachiko, and me: all the exploring and photos taken.

Nov 16, 2010

Photos: 114

Shinjuku Skyscrapers

Despite being the largest city in the world, it doesn't have a massive skyline like New York, Chicago, or even Manila. Part of this is due to earthquakes, but Shinjuku was seismically stable enough to escape damage in 1923. So, after World War II, skyscrapers sprouted here, culminating in the Metropolitan Government Tower, Tokyo's city hall with an impressive observation deck.

Nov 15, 2010

Photos: 103

Sumida River Cruise

Unlike many cities, Tokyo doesn't have much along the rivers. The downtown areas are all further inland, along railroads. So, the attraction here wasn't so much the view from the boat, but the boat itself. The map below follows our tour down the Sumida River.

Nov 14, 2010

Photos: 97

Odaiba Waterfront

An artificial island, our final destination before the airport. The terminus of the Sumida River cruise, there was plenty to see and do. Also notable were the wide-open spaces, very uncharacteristic for Tokyo.

Nov 10, 2010

Photos: 104

Japanese food & culture

My repository for the fun things I found in Japan, from the yummy food to the crazy quirks to the fascinating culture. Just a few of the things that made this trip wonderful (and delicious!). For fun, I stuck some Japanese places in Hawaii, as we sought to continue the cultural experience.

Nov 9, 2010

Photos: 73

アーニャ vs グラント

As you may have guessed, "アーニャ" is "Anya" and "グラント" is "Guranto" for Grant. Enjoy some fun pictures of the two "kodomo" enjoying this foreign country. Check out the fun video clips, too!

Nov 7, 2010

Photos: 88

Anya's Photos

We decided to get Anya a camera. We looked at the Fisher Price ones, but they were horrible (looks and functionality). So we found a Kodak C180, which was perfect. Each of the comments are Anya telling me what's in the pictures as I typed.

Nov 6, 2010

Photos: 38

Go Go Godzilla!

Rinji news o moshiagemasu! Godzilla ga Ginza hoomen e mukatte imasu! My favorite bit of Japanese pop culture since I was child watching Sunday Monster Marathon on WPIX channel 11. I even made a Godzilla home page as a school project (that's what we did before Facebook). http://gvsdestoroyah.dulcemichaelanya.com/

Nov 1, 2010

Photos: 39

Japan in Hawaii

Hawaii is the perfect place to pretend we're still in Japan. Hardly surprising, as we're not only the closest state to Japan, but nearly 25% of Honolulu is Japanese-American. Between immigrants who came to work in the sugar mills to the tourists who visit Waikiki, the country's stamp is indelible. Here's a rather whimsical look at Anya & Grant pretending to return to Japan.

Nov 21, 2009

Photos: 80

4D Cityscape Tokyo Puzzle

My birthday gift was a "4D Cityscape Tokyo Time Puzzle". While puzzles are not my hobby, I couldn't resist this cool souvenir of my Tokyo trip (albeit a year later). And it's just a coincidence that it was in scale with my Godzilla toys.

Jan 1, 2009

Photos: 51

Grant in Tōkyō
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