Japan Pt I - Tokyo

Last week I returned home from the land of heavy mists, bamboo, yews, persimmons, and glorious Japanese maples to the arid, high plains of Wyoming with skittering tumbleweeds and cold, incessant winds. The daily diet of dried salted fish, raw fish, pickled roots and seaweed, miso soup, tofu and rice was rather exotic but the first meal home of meat, dairy products and potatoes was very heavy.

Serena and I wearing our first yukatas on the balcony in Tokyo. (included in every room)

View from balcony - Ueno Park lotus pond with Temple



Serena, my daughter was an exellent navigator. This has been my role on many a journey but on this particular trip she had done most of the ground work creating a workable itinerary, making reservations in advance for lodging, buying the train pass for what would have otherwise been an overwhelming experience. Even though the sun shined about half of the time, I was in a fog for most of it. My soul has ventured out around the world to all the places "I always wanted to see" from the couch watching the Travel Channel but my endurance was put to the test. All I can say for myself is that I kept up 'pretty well' and took over 1100 pictures.

The beginning of Gulliver's Travels

We ventured out into the night and plopped down at an after work, alley food stall solely populated by men. We experienced our first culture/language shock when the waitress asked in pure Japanese what we wanted and we responded in plain English, hoping for the best.


Text and pictures © 2008 Mona E. Dunn