June Week 25 2015

Monday was our last full day in Tokyo, and we made the most of it! We started by going to the Yasukuni Shrine and Museum. This is one of the most controversial places in Tokyo as it’s a war memorial, in part honoring the people who died in WWII (though they don’t call it that). The museum was absolutely fascinating, especially as it described the “Greater East Asia War” in a way that we never hear in the US.

Since the morning was so heavy, we thought we’d lighten things up (the understatement of the week) by going to Disney Land Tokyo! Michael was really the leader in planning this, and though I was skeptical at first, it ended up being a total blast. They had all the classic rides and attractions, but as everything was in Japanese (including the character’s voices), I felt it was a rich cultural experience. Between the light parade and the fireworks we enjoyed a lovely dinner at a buffet near Cinderella’s castle (the third castle we saw on the trip).

Now, for those of you who have never been to Tokyo (or who have forgotten), it is insanely huge. Even though Michael and I were there just a year ago, I was still surprised at how long it took to get around there! Even though we had a few things on the agenda for our last morning there, we ended up just going to the Tsukiji fish market and eating some gross sushi before heading to the airport. After a sad goodbye to my sister, Michael and I spent our last 1000 yen on kit-kats then boarded our plane for a relatively easy flight home.

We arrived back in Auckland on Wednesday morning and had the entire day to relax. The next morning I started teaching my beginners yoga class and Michael was straight back to work as well. My yoga schedule’s been crazy with classes, but that’s almost always a good thing! On Saturday night we helped one of Michael’s co-workers celebrate his birthday by going to a gay bar where Michael (as usual) totally rocked at karaoke. On Sunday we drove up to Matakana for Michael’s staff meeting, then watched Inside Out, which was totally adorable.