Vacancy at the Hartman Hotel

Christy's gone, and I'm sad. But, we had a great time together. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

We put on kimonos, which as you know, was not a first for me. I must say, though, the second time around was more enjoyable because my hair was a bit more manageable. Additionally, we enjoyed Italian food for lunch instead of a traditional Japanese meal.

The best part of the whole experience was by far Christy's 'do. She donned a wig for the day, and it was hysterical. It was so cute but also very bizarre.

After lunch, we headed to a karaoke club and sang a few duets for our Japanese friends. We didn't do so hot on the N'Sync and Madonna tunes, but we sang a mean version of Alan Jackson's* Chattahoochie. Our people would have been proud.

*Side note: My freshman year of college, Christy, Charity, Julie and I all drove to Nashville to enjoy a big country music festival. During the Alan Jackson concert, I caught the guitar pick he threw into the audience. Well, I might have had to pick it up off the ground so I didn't actually catch it per se, but anyway, it's still on my dresser at my parents' house. 

We went to a Chunichi Dragons game at the Nagoya Dome and afterwards, we shopped till we dropped. The next morning we got up early and headed to Kyoto.

Here we are in front of Kinkakuji, the Golden Temple. After that, we went to Kyomizudera Temple and then to Fushimi Inara.

Here is a picture of Travis and me at Fushimi Inara. You might recognize the orange tori gates from the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. 

Christy's visit fell right in the middle of sakura (cherry blossom) season, but unfortunately, the weather has been a bit chilly and the trees didn't bloom quite as early as expected. In fact, only about 20% are bloomed right now. Although many are still waiting to bloom, we were able to see several in all their glory. This picture was taken on the grounds at Nagoya Castle.

Because of Christy's current situation (she's prego), she was eligible for priority seating on all the trains. For some reason she never took advantage of it, but we did sneak a pic of her in front of the sign. 

By the way, she is the most low-maintenance pregnant gal ever. I think I used her pregnancy as an excuse more than she did. I kept telling Travis we needed to take breaks and buy snacks because of the baby. And, I am pretty sure I ate for two the entire time she was here. 

We had such a wonderful time making memories, and I can't believe that the next time I see Christy, she'll be a mommy! Wow.

Ok, well I'm off to the grocery store. I think I'm craving pickles and ice cream. :)

Tokyo

Last weekend, we headed to Tokyo. It was my first time there, and we had a great time taking in all the sites. My feet, however, are still sore from all the walking.

We left early on Saturday morning and went to Tokyo by shinkansen.

We saw a pretty nice view of Mt. Fuji.

We packed so much into the two days we were there that I couldn't possibly try and capture all of it here. So, here are some of the highlights from our weekend.

We enjoyed an amazing view of Tokyo from Roppongi Hills. The observatory was open-air, and we had great weather for it. Travis appears annoyed by my affection in this photo.

We spent some time walking around the grounds outside of the Imperial Palace.

Here we are in Kabuki-cho, an area famous for Tokyo nightlife and other things not worth mentioning.

We spent the night in a capsule hotel, which was actually much more comfortable than I had anticipated. We stayed in Akihabara, a section famous for electronics.

The next day brought a little rain and a lot of wind. This picture is outside Harajuku Station. Like much of Tokyo, it was very crowded.

We also visited Meiji Shrine and were pleasantly surprised when we were able to witness several traditional weddings.

My friend, Andrea, will be here in a couple of weeks, and I'll get to enjoy Tokyo with her all over again. It's such a lively and interesting city. So much to see and so many people. Not sure I could make the city my permanent home, but it's definitely great for a few days.

Package from Missouri

Things here are  great. Christy arrived on Tuesday evening, and it's been such a joy to have her here with us. We've been busy running around and seeing Nagoya, but the best part has just been hanging out together and being able to catch up. We've been friends since we were little girls so it's very refreshing to see a familiar face and spend time with someone who can truly smell what I'm steppin' in.

We went out for dinner at a yakiniku restaurant, and Travis cooked for us. Christy even tried some cow tongue for the first time. 

We went to the Nagoya Station area to do some shopping and people watching. We also went to the Marriott near there to take in a cool view of the city. 

This shot is of a huge and beautiful flower arrangement in the Marriott. It smelled wonderful. How cute is Christy with her round little belly? I just love it.

Thursday is ladies day at the movie theater so we watched Benjamin Button. It was long, but I enjoyed it. Made my wheels turn a little. 

Tomorrow we're off to Tokyo!

In just a few loong hours...

Christy will be here!!! I am so excited! Christy is going to be our first visitor, and I cannot wait to see her and her baby bump. I'll update you soon on all the fun we'll be having.

White Day

Today is White Day in Japan, which is like a girls-only Valentine's Day. On Feb. 14th in Japan, women give men chocolates, usually homemade. The men, on the other hand, don't give any gifts.  Valentine's Day in Japan goes beyond romanticism. It's common for female co-workers to give chocolates to their male co-workers with no feelings attached. One month later on March 14th, White Day, the men respond by giving more expensive gifts to the women who gave them gifts on Valentine's Day.

I wonder if Travis will be observing White Day today. :)

What up?

Not much here.

Just thought I'd share a pic of me and my lizadies.*

*"My lizadies and me" just wouldn't have sounded as cool, right?

Just a couple hot products

Shopping in Japan is always an adventure. I'll have to start making more of an effort to capture some of the funny products we've seen.

If you're having trouble growing facial hair, worry no more. And, I'm sure you'll be able to find whatever color you need because the hair patches come in light black, dark brown and gray. Talk about diversity! Oh, they retail for around $29.

I'm not entirely sure what this product is for, but I believe it's some sort of dietary supplement. I wonder who thought this product name would be appropriate.

Nagashima

I just finished the most delicious and monstrous apple. Man, I love the produce in Japan. It's pricey but delicious.

Last weekend we headed to Nagashima so the super-human I married could run a half-marathon. There really isn't much to see in Nagashima, but we hit the highlights and made the most of it. And, it's less than an hour away.

This dude finished the half-marathon before Travis, and I think we all know why.

Finish line!

After the marathon, we grabbed lunch at the nearby outlet mall and then rode the longest roller coaster in the world. That's right, folks. It was awesome. We rode the Steel Dragon 2000, which is the world's longest and fifth tallest roller coaster. It goes up to 95 mph, and it lasted four minutes. 

Here we are in front of the Steel Dragon 2000.

I watched many people ride the roller coaster while Travis was running, and I noticed the ride was never completely filled. So, I assumed most people were probably smart enough not to ride a roller coaster in the winter. It was quite chilly. We entered the park later that afternoon only to realize we were going to have to wait in line for a loooong time. The ride was never full because they were only filling it halfway each time. Ugh. We waited in line for almost two hours, but we were determined to ride it so we dealt with it. I felt warmer just looking at all the girls in line wearing shorts and high-heels. Why on earth would one choose that attire for a day at an amusement park? I'll never understand it.

Oh, and why didn't you guys leave me any good questions? I only got an anonymous one about my mama. And as far as I know, she's doing just fine. Thanks for asking.