We spent the entire day with Grace! Ate our second sushi omakase at Kyubei in Ginza. Then Grace was kind enough to show us several good spots for shopping... That's dangerous. For dinner we ate fresh tempura in Shinjuku. Tastes way better than what we get in nyc.
Early this morning, we went for one last dip in the onsen before eating our traditional Japanese breakfast.
On the way back to Tokyo, we made a stop at Yokohama to visit the ramen museum. Tried a couple different kinds of ramen but there were just too many choices to try all at once.
After we got back to Shinjuku and checked in at our next hotel, we went to Shibuya to see the chaos that is their pedestrian crossing and the shops there.
This morning we took several different modes of transportation (including a pirate ship) to get to Hakone.
Tonight we're staying in a traditional ryokan. The onsens are amazing! So relaxing! And the traditional dinner was pretty good too. Feeling so relaxed...
More temples and shrines. And a castle. And a lot of green tea ice cream today.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Nijo Castle
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
Lunch was really good katsu. Dinner was Japanese style tapas, including sashimi horsemeat. Dessert was at a place that sold bucket-sized portions, but I got the more reasonably sized matcha ice cream with almond pudding.
Kyoto - the city where everyone looks like they're either in junior high or a senior citizen.
We left Tokyo in the early morning and took a 2.5 hr Shinkansen ride to Kyoto.
For lunch we stumbled upon this little joint where they specialized in... I don't remember what it's called in Japanese or English, but it was like a grilled skillet pancake with your choice of meats. It was really tasty.
Later on we visited the Kiyomizu temple. Kyoto is known for their geishas. We saw a bunch of them around town. But as we were walking up towards the temple, we found that people could rent out a geisha outfit for a day. So there were a lot of tourists from China and HK dressed up in these geisha costumes. Anyways, with the temple architecture and people in traditional garb, I felt like I was in an episode of Inuyasha.
We did a lot of walking, looking at a couple more temples.
Then we ate dinner at Omen, famous for their dipping udon. They also have a New York City location. Perhaps we'll try that one out too just for comparison.
This morning we went to Tsukiji fish market. Didn't wake up early enough to go to the auction cause that would've been a super expensive cab ride from our hotel. But we ate fresh fish at one of the restaurants they have right outside the market. Freshest fish we've ever had and we could taste the difference! This was pretty much the main reason why we wanted to visit Japan.
Afterwards we went to Tokyo Station and walked around the shops trying to build up an appetite for our lunch. Saw some cool shops...tamagotchi shop and the Pokémon store. We ate ramen at Rokurinsha. Amazing ramen broth/gravy that you dip your ramen noodles in! A different style of ramen. So good!
Last but not least...we had dinner at Sushi Kanesaka in Ginza. The omakase. Most expensive but best sushi we've ever had. Some of the items we never heard of before in nyc. Our chef's name was Takashi Usuba. Young dude and very nice. He made it a very pleasurable experience while watching him do his art.
Headed to Kyoto tomorrow.
On our first day, we took it easy and just walked around the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. There are so many restaurants we want to try, but our stomachs are just too darn small to eat everything!
Our first real Japanese meal was at this tiny sashimi and rice bowl place.
After that we walked around and looked at some of the stores and shops. At a movie theater I saw a promo for Gundam Unicorn. So cool! Don't get to see those in nyc.
Then we fit in dinner even though we weren't that hungry but pretty tired from the jetlag. We just wanted to eat and then rest for the night. Ramen was great. The soft boiled egg was perfect!
Personally, one of the worst feelings is knowing that you have no control over the things around you. And I think God has given me a heart that is at least occasionally sympathetic and compassionate towards other people. So it seems like the feelings of helpless is worse when I see my friends going through times of suffering and I can't do anything about it. But we, as believers, know the Bible says that God will work according to his own purposes and also to our benefit, even when it is presently beyond our own understanding. For me, there are times when I feel like I cannot fully accept this truth, but I know it is Truth nonetheless. Holy Spirit, help us to find peace and comfort in the promises we have through Jesus.
I need ideas for my thesis...
How's about something like:
The unique issues/challenges that 21st century Asian - American Christians face
Or something to do with: Christian celebrity culture...
