Our last week of our asia trip was spent in Japan.
Our last week of our asia trip was spent in Japan.
Slightly mixed feelings about big animals like whale sharks in captivity, but thousands of people see them here that would never see them in the wild, and maybe some percentage of those people will be motivated to make choices that are better for the earth. Osaka Aquarium is pretty nice. Maybe the coolest I’ve been […]
We had a super busy day today. I found another workshop that Kim, her mom, and the girls really enjoyed. But it meant a kind of early start to get the train from Nara to Kyoto. Dropped our luggage off and went straight to a neat traditional Japanese house where a husband and wife make […]
Contributing to the delinquency of the famous bowing deer at the deer park in Nara, Japan. Margot loved it. Hazel has stacks of empathy and was upset by the poor behavior of some of the tourists, but she did enjoy feeding the deer.
Taiwan->Korea->Japan this trip. Inexpensive -> A little more Expensive -> most expensive Not very touristy-> some tourists -> Tons of tourists* *I’m sure there are some less crowded/touristy parts of Japan, but comparing the capital of Taiwan, the capital of Korea, and not-the-capital of Japan, I’m comfortable making that claim. I’ve heard more English, Spanish […]
I’ve been enjoying our Asia trip, but it’s definitely been a fair bit city focused. I was seriously feeling the need to “touch grass”, so I signed the girls and myself* for a half day trip rafting. It was about 45 minutes by train outside Kyoto. The river was pretty, and we really enjoyed swimming […]
There are drink vending machines everywhere in Japan. Even in some surprisingly out of the way spots. But fewer ” odd” vending machines than I expected. Margot was excited to get the toy she wanted (1/4 odds) at a train station vending machine. Today we saw a Wagyu beef vending machine! I think I’d have […]
We have a tradition in our family where the kids get to choose their birthday dinners. Sushi has been the most common choice. Tonight, after trying a few different cuts of Wagyu Beef, Margot announced “oh, my birthday dinners are getting way more expensive. I want wagyu for my birthday!”
I’ve been lucky enough to do a fair bit of travelling. I’ve seen a number of tourist attractions that I didn’t get. I think “really busy crosswalk” might be on the short list of tourist attractions I most don’t get
Kim and her mom both like matcha. Kim had expressed an interest in learning about how to make it properly, so I signed us all up for a class. It was not a formal tea ceremony, but just an informal and fun class, well done and enjoyable. Except the drinking part. Turns out I still […]
Today we did a Samurai and Ninja class at the Samurai “museum”. It was a little cheesy and kind of expensive for what it was, but good fun anyway. Margot had long been interested in ninjas and similar, so she was particularly excited, but we all had a good time. Kim’s mom had been a […]
For anyone going to Japan and considering TeamLabs. Teamslabs Planets in Tokyo is a crowded, touristy cash grab, but a well done one and probably worth a visit. TeamLabs in Osaka is a touristy, crowded cash grab, and kinda boring and I’d give it a pass if I were you.
I have a bit of a reputation amongst some friends for having somewhat ambitious travel arrangements. But even by my standards, today felt a little crazy. We woke at 4:45 a.m. Saturday Japan time. Took Metro about an hour to see the tuna auction and get sushi for breakfast. Then an hour back to our […]
Hazel and I had an absolutely fantastic trip to the Eastern Sierra. Kind of last minute, we threw all our gear in the truck. We left Saturday AM at 2:30, which was early enough to get great parking at June. All weekend we had spectacular
We took a road trip after Christmas, but it turned out to be one of the wettest weeks on the west coast. Tons and tons of rain, including some of the heaviest rain I’ve seen in a long time, and snow. This changed our plans
Winner winner! We’re in Bend, OR, on a last minute trip. Went to an outdoor gear shop and spotted a fun looking place with a collection of food trucks. The girls wanted to eat dinner there, so we did, and discovered it was also trivia
After two wins Saturday, including an amazing comeback game, they secured a spot in the semifinals and their best tournament finish to date. Unfortunately they struggled against a really good team in the semi finals and lost. Some tears were shed. They placed either 3
Second part of our local-ish staycation, a visit to an old favorite place. 28 years I’ve been coming here and loving it. A couple days of camping and climbing. Gravity felt strong to me, but it felt great to knock some rust off and get
A quick mini bike tour vacation.Sunday we left the house and headed to Melrose ave, to ride the ciclavia event there. Honestly, not my favorite CicLAvia , but still fun. It was a short course, and had some fun Stranger Things themed decorations, but it
Absolutely legendary. I’ve been fortunate to go to a lot of concerts over the years, especially in the 1990-2010 range. And there have always been a handful of shows that have stood above the others as memorable to me. Tonight David Byrne (Talking Heads) put
Margot had her last game for the fall league yesterday. They played incredibly well against a strong team and ended tied 3-3. It was a great season. They moved up a flight, and started the season with some losses. But they didn’t give up, they
Another 5k. 1300+ entries. Margot was 3rd in her age group, 10th female overall, and 56th overall! Hazel was 14th in her age group. Proud of them both.
