Jo's 50th Birthday

Jo woke up to a beautiful queensland summer day whilst I snuck downstairs to meet Tony to help move her present up to the house. We were all ready to go out for her birthday breakfast when she walked downstairs and to her unexpected surprise found her present awaiting 

one of Jo's first statements was " it just looks exactly like the one from Woodford" which I then replied that it was the one from Woodford that she admired 2 years ago!

Joey's Birthday week

Saturday 21st of November 2015

Dan headed off to schoolies with Jo making the 4 hour return trip with  Dan in excitement of his week ahead and the contraband drinks in his suitcase that he was eager to start on.

I had to head down to Melbourne on the Sunday to start early at the TBC day at the Crown on the Monday followed by a late flight back into Brisbane to arrive home and get ready to drop Char and Nadine to the international airport and wish them a fond fair well on their month trip toEurope amongst the security issues.

We were now child free- feels like Africa already!! 

Tis the day before Joey's 50th and things are in preparation for her big day

Jo had seen a sculpture of a Emu at the Woodford Folk Festival at Bill's bar in Dec 2013 that really took her eye and she raved about it every day when we revisited to view her over a cool beer.

Here she is in her full cheeky self at Woodford

Not one to be big on ideas for birthday presents ( nothing wrong with giving a cycad as I used to say to Jo to her dismay) I had now discovered a perfect 50th birthday present for her.

Fast forward about 18 months and a few calls to her creator - Ivan.

She arrived at our place mid morning in between me  juggling work and Ivan arriving to drop her off from the Goldy.

Jo was working in the valley accounting firm today so had a chance to cover her up by the time Jo got home just in case Jo ventured down the back and spotted her.

Jo was none  the wiser of what was happening today as she arrived him about 6pm finding me having a relaxing swim in the pool after a hot day. Joey's last day as a 49 year old

Leaving Tokyo

Our last day in Tokyo and we made our way to Nikko via a 2 hour train ride. Our bags were a lot heavier with the shopping we did over the last week.

Scattered among hilly woodlands , Nikko is one of Japan's major attactions for both locals and tourists which reflects the glories of the Edo period in the 1600's. It's a world hertiage listed site with historic temples, shrines. lanterns , bridges and towering cedars.

Our train tickets included 2 days of included local bus and train rides to the various attractions. Here's a picture of the local historic bridge we visited

We made our way back to town and again visited a make your own Okonomiyaki restaurant run by a couple of lovel local woman. By now we were highly skilled at the art of making the local Japanese pancake

We also tried one of the local snacks which was a rice floured ball heated over heat beads and then coated with a sauce

The hotel we stayed in was straight across from the train station and contained an Onsen so we spent some of the afternoon in them relaxing then it was back to the room to listen via the internet to the grand final between the mighty Queensland teams( Cowboys and Broncos) over a few vodies and wines then off to dinner at the hotel for a smorgasboard for our last dinner in Japan.

We set off on the Monday back to Tokyo and for our flight back home at 8pm from Narita.

I think that the sleeping pills worked after about 3 hours into the flight

 and as a last 50th birthday treat I was gifted all the duty free allowance( plus a couple I had in my luggage)- wrapped up a excellent birthday week for me in Japan

 

Saturday 3rd october

Today we headed off to the very popular tourist destination of Harajuku with all the crew

Harajuku is a retail fashion and dining destination in its own right, but still earns much of its wider reputation a gathering place for fans and aficionados of Japanese and associated subcultures. Jingu Bashi, the pedestrian bridge between Harajuku Station and the entrance to the Meiji Shrine used to act as a gathering place on Sundays to showcase some of the more theatrical styles.

As we exited our apartment we were meet with a very familiar sight of people taking their dogs for a walk.. strollers and associated pet gear is huge business in Japan.

 Below is the start to the very busy retail street with lots of interesting people and their many fashion statements

Here's an old guy in the 100 yen shop dressed up as a Harajuku girl and you could also see his fruit and veg... reckon he would go down well in the Valley late at night.

We headed off to the local park called Yoyogi Park ( this park was used to house the Olympian Village in 1964) and hired some bikes .. really nice day with lots of people enjoying themselves in the park either picnicking or exercising. Char and I hired a tandem whilst Jo and Dan opted for normal bikes.

We headed back to the main part of Shibuya for a very late afternoon lunch and Joey took us to a really cool sushi place for lunch that she read about before we left. You order everything via the touch screen and it comes delivered to you via a automated delivery tray from the kitchen to your seat number. This was probably the best and lest expensive sushi I've had- definetly coming back here a few times next trip

On the way back to the station we went past the statue of a famous dog called Hachiko .During his owner's life, Hachiko greeted him at the end of each day at the station.The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had passed away never returning to the train station where Hachiko was waiting. Each day for the next nine years, nine months and fifteen days he waited here for his master to return.

This was our last night in Tokyo so we ventured out late to a local restaurant.

Retail Therapy Day - Friday 2nd October

Today was a bit of a rest day with a slow start by all with Jo , Char and myself venturing out to the local shops in Shinjuku. However I should give some context to the district  where we are staying - Shinjuku.

Shinjuku  is one of the 23 city wards of Tokyo , but the name commonly refers to just the large entertainment, business and shopping area around Shinjuku Station.

Shinjuku Station is the world's busiest railway station, handling more than 3.64m passengers per day. The station itself has 36 platform with 200 exits and a train leaving every 3 seconds.Another 17 platforms (51 total) can be accessed through hallways to 5 directly connected stations, without surfacing outside.Here's a documentary on the station

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12ww8o_worlds-busiest-train-station-shinjuku-full_travel

Besides the station it is home to numerous restaurants,skyscapers,red light district,major department and electronic stores.

Back to the shopping outing, first stop was to the fabric shop with 6 levels of all types of fabric for the carft and sewing community at a good price and quality compared to Australia .Jo brought some material to make another quilt like the one she made for her mum and Charlotte brought some for a pin up board in her office at home.

Next it was off to Gap and Uniqlo again for the sales and it was major chaos with lots of Chineses in the stores due to their national public holiday to celebrate Mao's birthday . Like a swarm of bees to a honey pot. Both the Japaneses and Chinese absolutely love their shopping. 

We eventually made it out alive with the clothes purchases and headed off to Isetan building to grab some lunch. This is one of the many department stores that have a terrific range of food which we have visited numerous times over the years. Eventually arrived home about 4 pm to relax and put our feet up and have a few drinks whilst Dan headed off to a rock climbing club about 30 mins away.

Tonight we opted to go to one of the many loacl restaurants and have their Okonomiyaki, which is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi ,meaning "what you like" or "what you want" , and yaki meaning grilled or cooked.

The restaurant was a cook it your self however she did give us a littel bit of hand to get started

Dan did the best master chef out of all of us for the night . Next it was off to the shops again with Dan and Jo going to the climbing shop where Daniel purchased a climbing bag with Yen that Ross and Diane gave him for his birthday. Char and I opted to go to Loft and buy some travel security gear for both Europe and Africa. Dan and Jo were waiting for us outside the camping store when we returned

Next it was a brief stop to our favourite fruit stall for a stick of pineapple( you may be able to see the square water melon at the back between Jo and Dan that they grow here)

On the way home through the station tunnels we came across a large display.. the Japanese always do things over the top

Kamakura - Thursday 1st October

Today the tour leader took us to Kamakura which is about 1 hour outside Tokyo and is a small seaside village and a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. In addition, Kamakura's sand beaches attract large crowds during the summer months.

We started the day after a brief train delay which is very unusual for Japan by hiring bikes for the 3 of us. Charlotte opted to spend the day doing some Uni work ( Daniel had considered that himself for his upcoming grade 12 exams but took about 1 second to decide not too! ). We took the luxury option of electric bikes which was a very good idea.

We headed off towards the beach which is about 10 mins from the train station. Whilst overcast and threating to rain it was still quiet warm.

I came across one of my old friends near the beach

Cycas Revoluta is native to japan so you see a lot of them around the towns- here's a 3 metre triple headed female- if it wasn't for the butterfly in Brisbane now destroying all the new flushes I'd normally be over ripping off all the seeds.

Next it was on to The Great Buddha which was built in 1252.It used to be housed in a building at this site however the building was destroyed by storms and a tsunami in the 1300's and 1498 respectively. Since then the Buddha has stood in the open air. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the base of which it sits upon as well but was repaired in 1925.

The statue is approximately 13.35 metres (43.8 ft) tall including the base and weighs approximately 93 tonnes. 

A stop for lunch for some local sashimi and rice and a couple of Sapporo's ( Joey knocked back the second largie as I think he thought she would come across an RBT on the ride so I looked after her second one as well) then we continued to ride around Kamakura till about 3 pm and returned the bikes to make the train journey back home. Dan ventured out shopping to find some more fireworks whilst Joey and Char went out looking at warm clothes for her trip to Eurpoe in December. I opted instead to stay home and have a few relaxing vodies .

Everybody returned home from their expeditions and then we headed off for dinner ( minus Dan) to a local Shinjuku sushi bar for dinner in between some light rain.

Post dinner we went back to Gap and Uniqlo to pick up Char's clothes they had picked out earlier in the day. She was very happy with her numerous puchases as was dad putting  it on his credit card

Wednesday 30th Sept

Dan and Charlotte went off to Disney today so Jo and I decided to go to the famous Tokyo Fish Markets again. They are actually called the Tsukiji Markets ( Tsukiji means built up land so the whole distict is reclaimed land )

Here's a coiuple of shots from their day out at Disney and yes Dan knew what was coming when they took the second photo whilst they were on the Indiana Jones  ride from our previous trip.

On the way to the markets we stumbled upon the Tsukiji Hongwanjii Buddist Temple.

The original Tsukiji Honganji Temple, with an Indian-style exterior, was built in 1617 near Asakusa, but was burnt down in a huge fire that swept through Edo (Tokyo) in 1657. The Temple was then rebuilt on the present site, but destroyed again by the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 1923. The current main building was built in 1934.The main building possesses a distinctive ambience not found in other Japanese temples, due to its variety of architectural styles. 

After the brief stop it was off to the fish markets- I hadn't been there since '09 when we visited with Grant and Cassie although Jo had been last December when she was over here for Charlotte's schoolies week with Emily. It was nearly lunch time so there was lots of people lining up for some of the  best sushi at the markets.

 We opted instead to visit a district a few train stops away called Tsukishima which is littered with lots of restaurants serving the local dish called Monjayaki. Miku brought the girls here last December so generally not many foreigners visit here.

Monjayaki(often called simply "monja") is a type of Japanese pan-fried batter with various ingredients. It is similar to okonomiyaki but monjayaki, a specialty of the Kanto region is made with a dough more liquid than is okonomiyaki . The ingredients are finely chopped and mixed into the batter before frying. The mixture is far runnier than okonomiyaki, and it has a consistency comparable to a pool of melted cheese when cooked. It is then eaten directly off the iron grill using a small spatula. 

Post the Monja lunch with a few largies of Sapporo we headed off to the Edo Tokyo Museum which Joey had been hanging out to go to again.

The Edo Period or Tokugawa Period , is the period between 1603 and 1868 when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional  Daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order,  isolationist foreign policies, popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restorationon May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo.

The most interesting bit I found was the displays on the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 which struck on 1st September around lunchtime and measured 7.9 . Because the earthquake struck at lunchtime when many people were cooking meals over fire, many people died as a result of the many large fires that broke out. Some fires developed into firestorms that swept across cities. Many people died when their feet became stuck on melting roads .The fires destoyed most of Tokyo over the next couple of days.

Post the muesum we travelled home on the train which is usually a good laugh with some of the characters you see along the way

 Arrived home for pre dinner drinks followed by dinner at a local restaurant which had a local magician entertaining the customers

Funnily enough frrom our table we could see the Hyatt where we had dinner for my birthday- didn't take long to go from the penthouse to the shed house

 Eventually caught up with the kids back home and yes you guessed it more fire works by the pyro tech rounded off the day.

Tuesday 29th September

Jo and I caught a train to a little village called Kawagoe about 40 minutes outside Tokyo

Kawagoe is famous for its sweet patatoes and the local "Candy Street" sells such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.

Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of theEdo period (17th to 19th centuries). Prominent sites in Kawagoe include the bell tower that serves as the symbol for Koedo and rings three times a day. Other sites include the 500 Rakan statues at Kitain, a prominent Buddhist temple. A fire in 1638 destroyed most of the  city  so to help rebuild it they moved some building from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Due to the earthquakes and WW2 in Tokyo these are the only buildings from the Edo Castel that remain today.

Locker for your shoes 

500 Statues of Rakan

There are actually 540 of these statues representing the disciples of Buddha. They were carves between 1782 and 1825 with no 2 statues alike. It is said if you feel among the statues in the dead of night you will find one that is warm.Mark it and come back in the morning and you will see it is the statue most resembling yourself

Here's a photo of the old Storehouse Tower in town and a shot of the main street

Followed by the birthday lunch at a local restaurant

Arrived home at the apartment about 5 and was meet by the pryo tech on the way home from the bottle shop showing me his new tom thumb puchases from his outing with Char to Harajuku for the day. Then a couple of quick vodies before getting ready for dinner  at the Park Hyatt new York Grill and Bar on the 52nd floor with absolutely spectacular  views of Tokyo . Food was excellent with Jo having the pork , kids having lobster and myself the Tuna for mains after entre followed by a little birthday cake.( Jo had organised with the restaurant for a birthady message on the dessert). With a few beers and bottle of wine I think the final tally was AUS $834 by the time we left for home and another Daniel fire works show