Kyoto Trip Part 1

I'm in the pink jacket waving at the top of the stairs.  This was just the entrance, there were literally hundreds of more stairs to go up in order to get to the main temple.  This was built hundreds of years ago and there was a husband and wife that were in charge of building this (a modern day contractor), but they went over budget, so because they felt that they lost their honor...they committed suicide.   Suicide is unfortunately common in the history of Japan.  Could you imagine if all the contractors that went over budget in America committed suicide?  We wouldn't have a lot of contractors!

Beautiful!

These are Cherry trees!  Imagine those trees in bloom with blossoms in the Spring or the foliage in the Fall!  We went at an off peak time.  People come from all over the world to see them in bloom!

While on our wonderful trip to Tokyo we took the Shinkensen (the bullet train) over to Kyoto for 2 days and 1 night.  Our hotel room was very unimpressive (we had to sleep in separate beds), but Kyoto (the former capital of Japan) was spectacular.  There are so many historically significant sites in Kyoto, that during WWII,  Allied forces spared attacks on Kyoto because of it's history!  Now that was a safe place to live during the War!  Honestly, these pictures do not do Kyoto justice!  It was breath taking.  2 days was just not enough to see everything.  We only scratched the surface of this amazing city.  If we are ever stationed in Japan again (either Okinawa or Mainland) we would love to go back to take in more of the sights.  Kyoto was by far our most favorite place that we went to see on our trip!!!

Tokyo Trip part 2

Ueno Park Science Museum

The entrance to the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens looking out into Downtown Tokyo

My favorite work of art at the Art Museum entitled "The Temptation of St. Anthony" by Henri Fantin-Latour

Some famous bridge, but we don't know the name.  It's just outside the Imperial Palace.  This was as close as we could get to it.

Howard's new car!  

More pictures of Tokyo

Tokyo Trip Part 1

The Imperial Palace Outer Gardens

On a boat ride at Disney Sea

Disney's own train system

Crossing the street

Waiting to cross the street

Back in March Howard and I went to Tokyo and Kyoto Japan for 6 days by ourselves!  It was a wonderful second honeymoon since our first one really wasn't a trip since we got married so fast and didn't plan much of anything except the wedding licence.  Mainland Japan is awesome!  Okinawa is great, but just in a different way.  In Tokyo there are SO MANY PEOPLE!!!  Pictures just don't do it justice.  It's so busy and I'm glad I didn't have my kids with me, I think I would have lost them.  We are so fortunate to be in the military because that was probably the only way we could have afforded our trip.  All around the world the military has exclusive hotels for service members and their families to stay in.  Some are nicer than others, but overall they are great.  Our hotel we stayed in, The New Sanno, was the nicest hostel we had ever stayed in.  It was fantastic and the service was impeccable.  

While in Tokyo we went to Disney Sea (it's next to Disneyland), the Art Museum, the Science Museum, lots of subways and trains rides, the Imperial Gardens, shopping and just relaxing.  My FAVORITE part was going to Kyoto, but that will be another post.

Okinawan Slide Parks

This slide is build into the side of this huge rock!  Jack and Erin we're only allowed to go half-way up.

The Roller slide (burns your butt going down)

Hang on tight!

Howie going down the drop slide

This is the drop slide!

One of my favorite things about Okinawa are the incredible parks that are here on the island.  Most would NEVER be in America because someone would get hurt and there would  be a lawsuit.  The Japanese are pretty mellow people and they understand if you do something stupid, it's your own darn fault!  Some of these pictures are pretty old, but it still gives you a glimpse of what Japanese Parks are like.

Jack's 2nd Birthday

Jack's birthday was on October 25th and now he's 2 years old.  We have a little tradition in our family about presents.  Since it's your birthday ALL DAY LONG we let the kids open their presents first thing in the morning before Howard goes to work (if it's a week day).  That way they can enjoy their birthday presents  longer on their birthday.  That's also why we're in our PJ's in most of our birthday pictures.  

Since we have vowed never to use our old photographer ever again (it's under new management and we're leaving in 6 months so it's not that big of a deal) I decided to take Jack's 2 year birthday pictures myself.  He was such  a pill that day!  The only picture he really smiled for was dark.  I appreciate good photography, but that's just not my thing.  We have a limited number of American photo studio's here on the island (only 1 that I'm aware of, and that's our old one) so our other options are to use a free lance photographer or a Japanese studio.  Either way both are horribly over priced.  I'm REALLY looking forward to getting back to a Sears or JC Penny's studio for cheap pictures.

Family Pictures

Here's our family pictures from this summer.  We acutally had a terrible photo session and after 3 months never got our photos.  After a full refund of our money and a promise that we would NEVER do business with Foster Photography ever again, we have the jpgs to keep forever on our computer until we decide one day to get them printed up on real photo paper.