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!

More Adventures with Nanu & Ninny

After returning from Sapporo, we enjoyed 2 days in Nagoya & Toyota City. We visited the shopping arcades and temple in lively Osu Kannon, had lunch at Oasis 21 and enjoyed their floating observatory, and saw the small Fujisengen Shrine.

On Friday morning we hopped on the shinkansen to Kyoto, the most beautiful city in Japan. We visited Shoren-in, one of the five Monzeki temples of the Tendai Buddhism sect. You know you've arrived at Shoren-in when you see the giant camphor trees outside its walls. Shoren-in is also known for its beautiful, serene gardens.

We also tried to see Chion-in, a very grand temple, but could only see the exterior because everything closes early in winter!

Last stop for the day was Kiyomizu-dera, one of the most famous spots in Kyoto. It's name means Pure Water Temple and it is a World Heritage Site. It also offers gorgeous views of the Kyoto skyline.

On Saturday we headed to the city of Kobe. We learned enough about earthquakes at the Human Renovation Museum of Disaster Reduction, which is a fancy name for the Earthquake Museum.

Then I continued on in my role as tour guide from hell and directed us towards the Shin-Kobe Ropeway.

My mom and Aunt Patsy were troopers though and we made it all the way to the top. The fall colors were pretty!

We enjoyed the views from the top, despite the cloudy day.

For our last night in Kyoto, we enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner together.

Sunday I was determined to see Fushimi-Inari shrine, despite frigid winds and my lack of a coat!

Fushimi-Inari is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity. There are thousands of orange torii that have been donated by thankful people and it's amazing to see.

Kitsune, or foxes, are known as the messenger to Inari, and there are lots of kitsune statues throughout.

Happy New Year!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Hokkaido Adventures

On Dec. 6th we headed north to the island of Hokkaido with my mom and Aunt Patsy. We enjoyed yummy crab for dinner!

Our first full day was quite snowy! We explored the Hokkaido Historical Village, home to many old buildings and a glimpse at life in the 1800's.

We also visited the Hokkaido Museum to learn about the ancient Ainu people. There was even a woolly mammoth!

That night we toured Odori Park in downtown Sapporo and went to the top of the TV Tower. For some reason TV towers are very popular here, every city has one.

Sapporo also had the White Illumination and the German Christmas Market while we were in town. Great way to get in the spirit!

On Monday we visited the Sapporo Clock Tower, which is featured on all the tourist brochures.

Then we hopped on the train to Otaru, a beautiful city on the Sea of Japan.

Otaru is famous within Japan for orgels (music boxes), glass blowing, and it's romantic canal.

That night we went to the Sapporo Bier Garten for delicious beer and Jingis Khan, a dish of grilled lamb and veggies.

They put plastic wrap on your coat and purse, and it's a good thing I wore my bib!

For our last day in Sapporo, we went to the Olympic Sports Museum and Park. It was very entertaining! They had simulators for the ski jump, bobsleigh, spinning like figure skating, and a ski lift. My mom and Patsy were troopers about the ski lift too!