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 […]
Margot was very happy with this assist to her teammate Selena for a goal. She’s #9 that takes the ball from the opponent in light blue then passes to her teammate right in front of the goal, who kicks it in.
Margot ran her second ever cross country meet today, at Mt. Sac. She finished 32 out of 106 in her race, and was pretty upset that she thinks she could have done much much better. Before the race we had watched other races finish (
Hazel and Margot ran a local trail 5k this morning. Both did great. There were about 60 people entered, and Margot was 8th overall, 3rd female, and 2 female under 18!
Margot had her first official race with the middle school cross country team today. There were about seventy girls from 6 different schools In the middle school category. (6,7,8th grade). Margot was 13th overall, and 4th for 6th grade! Big thanks to Coach Adam for
Margot plays for the Surf Soccer Club, and really loves to play. This album is for favorite pictures of her playing from the Fall 2025 season, and I will be adding pictures throughout the season.
Even after 16 days in the Grand Canyon, Margot asked if there were any cool hikes we could do on our way home from Flagstaff. So we did a kind of really silly long way home extension and hiked Wire Pass Gulch in Grand Escalante
