Tokyo Day 1

Greetings from Tokyo where we are really enjoying ourselves. Its only been two days but we've covered a ton of ground, mainly because we've gotten the hang on the city's subway system. I've been here enough times as a businessman that I'm relishing the chance to see the city with my family as a tourist.

The Meiji Shrine is a little piece of serenity amidst a consta-buzzing city. A huge wooden gate leads you down a wide gravel path where the sounds of the city's Harajuku district fade and are replaced by...well, replaced by Ingrid's laughter and occasional shrieks. She loved it, but I fear her hyperactivity was intruding on other visitors' Zen moments. It wasn't the first time on this trip and I'm certain it won't be the last.









From there we jumped onto the Ginza line and headed all the way across town to Asakusa where there is a great outdoor market selling local knick knacks, and even better there was Hanayashiki, the amusement park that time forgot. It is more like a small county fair than an amusement park, but it was once a city favorite before the Disney folks came to town. Now its a bit long in the tooth, but don't tell Ingrid that because she loved every moment of it up until we had to leave when she pitched a 'Terrible Two' caliber fit.









We capped off a great day by meeting Lizzie's childhood friend Amy and her husband Washio who live in Tokyo. They took us for an amazing meal at one of their local haunts, the type of place that the language barrier and an out of the way location would normally have never let us discover. It was wonderful to catch up with them, and Ingrid had so much fun playing with them. I think Washio charmed her by speaking native Japanese to her. Today her favorite words all day were 'Amy' and 'Washio.'