And, she left...on a jet plane

We just returned a while ago from dropping Andrea off at the airport. So sad to see her go, but it was great to spend some awesome time together and to make memories that will last a lifetime. Below are a few more photos of some of the highlights from her visit. 

We spent three days in Tokyo. We saw a ton. It was exhausting. Lots of blisters, but it was worth it.

One morning, we woke up at 4:00 a.m. and headed to Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. As soon as we arrived, we were invited by a friendly Japanese man to ride on the back of his motorized fish cart. We eagerly agreed without knowing what we were getting into. It was a white-knuckle-kind-of ride, but it was fun for sure. 

This picture is of the famous tuna auction. It starts around 5:00 a.m. and ends around 6:15 a.m. almost every day of the week.

Big expensive tuna.

And some more.

After watching the auction, we headed to breakfast. We consumed what was quite possibly the freshest sushi in the world. It was delightful, even at 6:30 a.m.

And, it's us again in front of the Tokyo Tower. We spent the rest of our time in Tokyo exploring the city's sites, gawking at the fashion and relaxing in Tokyo's parks. After returning to Nagoya, we took a day off to rest and then headed to Kyoto.

Here we are in front of a peony tree outside of Ninnaji Temple. 

And, here we are in front of the five-story pagoda at Ninnaji Temple.

Travis caught a neat picture of the pagoda behind a Japanese maple.

And, here we are again in front of Kinkakuji Temple.

We capped of Andrea's trip with a delicious meal at an okonomiyaki restaurant. It was quite possibly the best meal I've had since moving to Japan. I am pretty sure the waitress had a crush on Travis so we got some extras, like dessert and potato wedges, thrown in. She didn't realize I was his wife until the meal was over. 

Since Andrea arrived, I told her we would have to try some karaoke. She was reluctant and skeptical claiming she hates to sing in front of anyone. After our last dinner together, we convinced her to give it a shot.

And, as you can see, she changed her mind. :)

We rocked out to No Doubt's "I'm Just a Girl." I mean, we really really rocked it. It was amazing. Trust me.

Well, I better scoot. Travis is making a new recipe-Kentucky burgoo. I feel a rumbly in my tummy. Anyway, lots of exciting things happening here. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next post.