Takayama & Shirakawago

Last weekend we headed to Takayama and Shirakawago to see a glimpse of old Japan.

Kelso even joined us, and here is our room at the traditional Ryokan Murayama. We slept on futons on the tatami mats, enjoyed a soak in the ofuro, and admired the snow.

As part of our stay, we dined on a traditional Japanese dinner. Snails, baby squid, tofu, shabu shabu, rice, soba noodles, sashimi, and mountain vegetables were on the menu. Luckily, so were wine and beer!

On Saturday morning we got up, enjoyed our traditional breakfast of fish, rice and miso soup (although fish is a bit hard to stomach at 8 am we think), and headed to the morning market. There is a big market in Takayama for food, crafts, flowers etc. Here is a photo of Aaron & Kelso in front of a sake brewery, myself posing as a sarubobo doll, and the Main World Shrine in Takayama.

Then we enjoyed the scenic, curvy drive to Shirakawago. Along the way, we stopped at Mihoro Lake for this nice view:

When we arrived in Shirakawago, we went directly to the viewing point to see the view from the top. Very picturesque!

Shirakawago is a World Heritage site for its gasshō-zukuri, the thatched roof style houses. The roofs are very steep to survive the massive winter snowfalls.

Then we wrapped up our roadtrip by enjoying the various caution signs. This one warns you to watch out for monkeys!

Family trip to Matsumoto-jo

On a beautiful March Sunday, our family headed to the city of Matsumoto, to see Matsumoto-jo, 松本城.

Known as the "Crow Castle" for its black walls and 'wings', it's a national treasure and one of the few remaining, intact castles.

Views of the surrounding mountains and all their snowy splendor!

Spring has sprung, and here's the blossom to prove it! Still debating on whether it's a cherry or plum tree blossom.

Kelso loved coming on the road trip! Here we are in front of the castle and the new blooms.

Valentine's Day in Guam

On Feb 12th Aaron and I headed to Guam for a Valentine's Day weekend celebration. Thank goodness for frequent flier and Marriott points! Guam is a US territory and it had many of the amenities of the US, but mostly Japanese tourists. So, we could eat Taco Bell and still practice our Japanese:)

Our first dinner in Guam was at Tony Roma's. It was heaven. Ribs and Stella, two things we haven't had in a while! We also went to a Ross and K-Mart. Who knew that could be exciting!

Here is the view of Tumon Bay from our room. Beautiful water and it was warm!

My husband looking tough on the beach. We had a great time enjoying the warm weather! We miss AZ winter:)

We also had to be tourists. Here is a monument at the War in the Pacific Memorial Park at Asan Beach.

Posing at Fort Nuestro de la Soledad, apparently discovered by Magellan long ago

On Valentine's Day we spent the day working on Aaron's tan, went out for steak, and then to a Vegas-style show.

We had a very happy dog when we got home, as he hates the kennel here and was bitten while we were gone!

Inuyama- Monkey Park & Castle

In January, Aaron, our friend Russ from AZ, and I headed to the city of Inuyama for some fun.

Our first stop was Inuyama-jo, the oldest castle in Japan. It's small, but has a great view of the surrounding area.

Next up we headed to the Japan Monkey Park. We were highly amused. Look how cute this mama and baby are!

For just 100 yen you could get what I'm sure was a healthy snack for the monkeys. They would clap and wave so you'd throw it to them. I spent many yen on this activity.

I'd like to leave with this last bit of wisdom. And, this sign speaks from experience. Thank God for glass between us and a gorilla.

Christmas in Japan

We were lucky to have my parents and sister here for Christmas. Christmas in Japan is very different. You won't see as many lights, definitely no nativity scenes, and there aren't any Christmas tree lots. But, we celebrated in style:)

On Christmas Eve, we headed back to Toyota City in time for enchiladas with Aaron, as he had to work on Christmas. We opened some presents, and Sarah was very excited about Hello Kitty as usual.


Here is proof that Aaron continues to cheat while opening presents. He's feeling the bag and figuring out what things are, and it's not his turn.



Christmas Day we were able to go to an English Mass and talk to a lot of friends and family. I also tried to help Kelso get in the spirit with his sweater, but he sought refuge with Ninny.

Kelso and the Dad also had a busy nap schedule.

My special ordered pork loin didn't arrive until 9pm, so we ordered Pizza Hut for Christmas dinner and played cards. It was a very Merry Christmas and we were thankful to have family here to celebrate!

Kyoto with Mom, Dad & Sarah

We woke up on Dec. 23rd in beautiful Kyoto, and this was the view from our balcony: the orange torii of Heian Jingu.

It was the Emperor's Birthday here, so it was a busy day. We visited Ginkaku-ji, a World Heritage Site known for its kogetsudai or sand gardens.

Ginkaku-ji's main temple is under renovation until 2010, but the grounds and setting were still breaktaking.

We also acquired a new family member. A very nice Japanese man gave us a spontaneous tour of Ginkaku-ji and even took photos for us.

Up next was dad's favorite sight, Eikan-do, the Temple of the Maple Leaves.

We admired many stone lanters, beautiful scenery, and the traditional temple.

This was built in the 800's, so it's quite a place.

The last stop for the day was Nanzen-ji, a Zen temple built in the 1200's.

Notable sights here included the zen rock gardens, the giant gate, part of the old aqueduct, and many temples.

On Christmas Eve, we visted Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. It is one of the most stunning places here.

The temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Sadly, it was burnt to the ground in 1950 by a crazy monk, but it was meticulously rebuilt and is still a World Heritage Site.

Tokyo with the Rolfes Fam

Mt. Fuji, you can't hide from me forever! I finally saw it on the way to Tokyo, after several attempts.

After some travel difficulties, my dad and Sarah arrived 24 hours late. But, we went out to dinner and checked out Sarah's new bling, so all is well!

Looking at the Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan (National Museum) from Ueno Koen. The largest and oldest museum in Japan.

Buddhist sculptures inside the Honkan (Main Gallery).

The museum is full of displays of Japanese culture, such as kimono, swords, samurai armor, and sculptures.

Mom and dad outside the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures (Horyuji Homotsu-kan).

That night we enjoyed a kabuki performance at Kabuki-za. It's all in Japanese, but English headphones were helpful. The costumes and story were great and the audience participation made it very entertaining.

Last stop for the night, Tokyo Tower. This is an orange replica of the Eiffel Tower and is celebrating its 50Th Anniversary. Very popular in Japan!

Monday morning we headed to the Harajuku neighborhood, known for crazy fashion, shopping, and people watching.

The highlight for Sarah was a stop at Kiddy Land, home to a whole floor of Hello Kitty stuff, aka Kitty chan!