Just over a month ago, we returned from an amazing two week adventure in Japan with our friends! We wanted to share some photos from our trip, all taken on the 16-35mm f/2.8 L II, our "go to" lens for travel. When we want (or in this case, need) to travel light in regards to our photo gear, we pick this lens because it is great at capturing everything around us when we're in a new place, plus it is a fairly light lens compared to most of the others we own.
We also want to take this opportunity to extend a big "Arigato" (Thank you) to our friend Tomoko and her parents. Tomoko is originally from Japan and did pretty much all of the planning for this trip. She was also our translator the entire time - thank goodness, since most people we encountered did not speak English! Tomoko's parents invited us to stay at their home for the last few days of our trip and were outstanding hosts - they drove us around to see the sights, fed us delicious food, and most importantly, gave us a glimpse of what life is really like in Japan.
Every place we went in Japan was very clean and the people were extremely polite. It was truly the trip of a lifetime - we saw so many different places, people, and things! It has been really, really hard to narrow down the photos from our trip... I'm going to do my best to chunk this and explain what things are as best I can!
Part 1: Tokyo
The flight to Tokyo from Atlanta was 13 hours long! After about 10 hours, your body can't stand to sit still any longer! It was brutal! Jason, Adam, and I flew together. Tomoko had already in been Japan with their daughter for several weeks, and wouldn't be arriving in Tokyo to meet us until a few days later.
When we arrived, we found the subway and train maps a little tricky, but with a little help via text message from Tomoko and some help from Google, we made it to our hotel in Asakusa. We walked around the area (there was a big Buddhist temple right behind our hotel, which was very cool) and got the first of many delicious meals (noodles!).
We also checked out the 7-11 across the street. 7-11 in Japan is completely different from 7-11 here. They sell all sorts of delicious prepared food items that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (which we did several times over the course of our trip).
The next morning, we headed to Akihabara. (By this time we had figured out the subways a little bit better). The big attraction for Jason in Akihabara was Yodobashi Camera, a giant electronics store. It wasn't open yet when we arrived, so we got our first taste of fatty tuna (sushi) at a famous sushi chain nearby. Yum!
The next day, we visited the Tsukiji Fish Market - wow! We had sushi breakfast there, too!
Finally, later that day, our translators arrived! Phew! Tomoko took us to a Japanese barbecue restaurant where we cooked our food over hot coals in the center of the table.
We also want to take this opportunity to extend a big "Arigato" (Thank you) to our friend Tomoko and her parents. Tomoko is originally from Japan and did pretty much all of the planning for this trip. She was also our translator the entire time - thank goodness, since most people we encountered did not speak English! Tomoko's parents invited us to stay at their home for the last few days of our trip and were outstanding hosts - they drove us around to see the sights, fed us delicious food, and most importantly, gave us a glimpse of what life is really like in Japan.
Every place we went in Japan was very clean and the people were extremely polite. It was truly the trip of a lifetime - we saw so many different places, people, and things! It has been really, really hard to narrow down the photos from our trip... I'm going to do my best to chunk this and explain what things are as best I can!
Part 1: Tokyo
The flight to Tokyo from Atlanta was 13 hours long! After about 10 hours, your body can't stand to sit still any longer! It was brutal! Jason, Adam, and I flew together. Tomoko had already in been Japan with their daughter for several weeks, and wouldn't be arriving in Tokyo to meet us until a few days later.
When we arrived, we found the subway and train maps a little tricky, but with a little help via text message from Tomoko and some help from Google, we made it to our hotel in Asakusa. We walked around the area (there was a big Buddhist temple right behind our hotel, which was very cool) and got the first of many delicious meals (noodles!).
We also checked out the 7-11 across the street. 7-11 in Japan is completely different from 7-11 here. They sell all sorts of delicious prepared food items that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (which we did several times over the course of our trip).
The next morning, we headed to Akihabara. (By this time we had figured out the subways a little bit better). The big attraction for Jason in Akihabara was Yodobashi Camera, a giant electronics store. It wasn't open yet when we arrived, so we got our first taste of fatty tuna (sushi) at a famous sushi chain nearby. Yum!
Inside the store (and inside just about every store we visited in Tokyo), it was unbelievable the amount of STUFF that there was to look at and buy!
Side note: Jason tested out Canon's 200mm f/2 lens (see the photo of me below that he took with it) and loved it. He's wanted this lens for a looooooong time! He bought a used one after we got home, which will be the subject of a future blog post!
Speaking of "stuff," here's one of the weirdest looking food items we saw there:
Walking around Akihabara, and many other places in Japan, we saw tons of Gacha-pon machines and tons of vending machines. They were everywhere, and the variety of items in both types of machines was amazing!
The next day, we visited the Tsukiji Fish Market - wow! We had sushi breakfast there, too!
Afterwards, we headed to the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world. We got a good view of how big Tokyo really is! Again, wow!
Finally, later that day, our translators arrived! Phew! Tomoko took us to a Japanese barbecue restaurant where we cooked our food over hot coals in the center of the table.
The next night, while Tomoko visited family, Jason, Adam, and I went to "Robot Restaurant" in Shinjuku and saw one of the craziest shows anyone could ever imagine. (It would be impossible to explain!)
The next day, we activated our 7 day rail passes and boarded the Shinkansen to Kyoto! Stay tuned for "Part 2" of our trip, coming up next on our blog!
PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving feedback! All comments are moderated to prevent spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.