Changes Ahead!

We've been home a week from our visit to Japan.  My first trip there ever!  I had a lot of mixed feelings heading into it and apprehension.  I'm really happy that I went, because I can see that it is going to be just fine.  Of course, ask me in two or three months and we will see.  Here are some pictures from our week.

 Our entire trip was cloud covered.  I was hoping to see Alaska or Russia.  But no, clouds the entire way.

 I doodled, read a book, watched two movies and napped on the way there.

The beautiful city view from our 33rd floor hotel room.

Here's a glimpse of our hotel room.  Small, but very nice.

 Funny buttons for the fancy toilets they have in Japan.  I didn't try any of the options.

 This just seemed wrong.

The mechanical parking garages were just fascinating to me.  You drive in and park.  The mechanism puts your car in its "spot".  When you're reading to go again, the car has been turned around and brought back down to you.  Crazy!

 A delicious restaurant for lunch where they prepare the food right in front of you.

I ordered some kind of pork with garlic on top of cabbage.  The little salad was good too, but I can't remember what it was and some Miso soup was included.  

 Vending machines everywhere. But alas, no Diet Coke.

This is the only photo I got of a different dinner.  They gave us all kinds of things that were dipped and fried and served on the end of a skewer.  You dip them in the sauces before eating.  I tried scallops, a prawn with his head still on and a herring with his head and tail attached.  I only ate the tail.  When something is that breaded and fried, you can't tell you're eating strange stuff.  That's as weird as I got last week, though.  

 My club sandwich from another lunch.  That is a little bowl of potato salad on the top right.  

Do you think there is a little disparity in portion sizes to the US? Just a little?

We had Thai food another night and these all of these dumplings were delicious.  

I even used chopsticks a little.  These were mushroom and pork and were my favorite.

 These dumplings were rice.

 These were shrimp.

 Sweet and sour soup.The food just keep coming and coming.  They bring it in a lot of little bowls.  

I would hate to be the dishwasher!

 We really needed pizza during one lunch hour.

 Proof that cheese does exist in Japan.  I had been told otherwise.  It'll cost ya, though.

 This is a half pound of beef and it's about $4.50.  This is also the only size it came in. But, knowing now the size of my new refrigerator, this is probably a good idea.

 Little bags of chips for $3.50 +/_.

This was the entire chip selection.  American's are used to an entire aisle devoted to just chips!

Well, I'm ending this post with the food options.  I have a lot more photos to show, but this is going to get way too long.  I enjoyed the food.  It was very fresh and delicious and there is a variety.  We even had Mexican food one night.  It wasn't like here in California, but it was good.  They put pineapple on my Carne Asada tacos.  I kind of liked it.  I will be back with pictures of our new apartment in a few days!  Sayonara everyone!