Tokyo

We were so excited to go toTokyo. We made the 7 hour drive up to Tokyo from Kobe this past Friday and then came home on Saturday evening.

We went in this.....

and in this......

and got to see this......

and this........

but we weren't expecting this..............

We had a great trip to Tokyo and other than getting into a little crash only 600 meters from our exit for our hotel, we had a blast. A bit about that experience....never have I wanted to be able to speak and understand Japanese as I think we both did at that moment! Thankfully, no one was hurt and it was not our fault (and I wasn't driving) so the other driver's insurance will have to take care of everything. I know that it will take a LONG time to get it fixed so we will have a rental for quite a while. But hopefully the whole process will go well. We had to wait on the expressway for almost an hour before the police showed up and when they finally did, it was a very laid back, nonchalant process. Of course, that is just what we got from the situation since we couldn't really understand what anyone was saying. Both our insurance and the guy's insurance had called us within an hour wondering where we were going to get the van fixed at. We explained to them that since it happened in Tokyo and we were 7 hours from home, we would let them know at a later time.

The first evening, we went to the Tokyo Tower and enjoyed the lights of the city at night. There were lights and buildings as far as the eye can see. We were 250 meters high up in the air and while my two guys (Isaac and Bryce) were a little squeamish, Brynn, Tanner and I loved looking out over the city and also looking down through the observation window.

The next morning, Bryce and I each had a chance to visit the temple before we got in the car and headed to Mt. Fuji. We stopped at a lake there and enjoyed the beautiful fall colors and sights. We think we were just a few weeks late but thankfully mother nature allowed us to still see the colors on the mountains surrounding us. Bryce tried to arrange a one night stay at a Ryokan for one night. It had a personal onsen in the room and would allow all five of us to stay in one room (unusual for Japan). It was only a measly $1500.00 for one night. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Needless to say, I put my foot down and Bryce agreed even though we both knew it would have been an amazing place to stay!

We got in the car and drove the remaining 6 hours home and made it home by 10pm that night. We really enjoyed our time and while we now know why we don't travel very far in Japan ($126 in tolls JUST ONE WAY TO Tokyo!), we did enjoy seeing the beauty of the country and continue to be amazed at the beauty God has blessed us with!