Girls Night Tokyo Style and Snow Monkeys

I just might have had the best weekend last weekend.  Kevin watched the kiddos so I could go to Tokyo with a friend who had a room at the New Sanno but her husband had to work.  And then the Peterson's watched our kids on Saturday so Kevin and I could do the MWR tour to see the snow monkeys!  I think I only saw my kids for about 6 hours all weekend!!  I think I missed them more than they missed me.  

In Tokyo, we went into Shibuya and it was utter chaos at the train station and we couldn't figure out what was such a big deal.  People were stopped everywhere taking pictures of signs, and just everything and there were hundreds of security guys directing people.  We were so confused.  Finally some guy told us that it was the last day of that station for that train line and that after today it was going to be stopping underground.  The train had been running for 85 years at that stop.  Pretty cool, but not as cool as the excitement it ensued.  Seriously you would have thought Michael Jackson was back from the dead and doing a one time show!!

Here I am trying to get my pass out but I was getting rushed. The stroller was for my friend's baby since her husband was working her son Kiedrik came to hang out.

Shibuya in Kanji.

People taking pictures of...

This sign...hahah, you can see why I was confused!

Here I am in the biggest crosswalk in the world!  Seriously the light changes and it nuts.  Luckily we took this picture that night because the next day when we went there was no way we could have stopped to get one with all the people!

The Center Gai shopping district.

The girls

Takeshita Street where all the teenyboppers go shopping.

At the Shibuya station

Shibuya

The crosswalk before I walked out.

4 floors of mens shoes

Tokyu Hands store...it was awesome.

Konnichiwa

For you Chase.

A fabric store where I bought a bunch of fabric and the best part, there were 3 workers there that were all young, male, and beautiful.  Maybe a dream come true.

Inside the store.

Harajuku Station

On Takeshita street...yeah, m.c.hammer pants.

Lara?

There were some really awesomely dressed people around, but I had heard that people dress up in costumes (called Cosplay) around here, but we didn't see much.

So Japan in known for theme restaurants and this was driving around advertising a robot themed one.  Awesome.

This was the car behind it!

The one problem is that I would have thought that in Tokyo there would be a lot more food options than just Japanese, but it isn't as much as you think.  So I was starving as I was looking for something I would eat, when we came across this gem and and I just keep ordering nan!  Delicious.

Here you go dad...Heaven?

 So there is a big shrine, Meiji Shrine, that on Saturdays supposedly people get married and stroll around...so we thought we would check it out.

First we saw this baby after it had just been blessed or whatever they do to babies.  SO CUTE.  The guy kept nodding to me after smiling.

Wedding #1

Wedding #2 (they all walked in this huge precession with an umbrella man, and priests, and family, it was rad!)

Still wedding #2

Wedding #3

So much fun

 Then we saw 2 other brides doing pictures, but too far away for a good picture.  It was so great, I love weddings and seeing them all dressed up and walking around was one of my favorite things so far.  Then we walked back to Harajuku and Takeshita Street and saw this...

COSPLAY!  Lara...you could do well here, except they do it for fun and don't ask for money.

They go full out.  I'm not sure if it is a famous character or their own concoction.

This one was creepy, in my friend's picture she pretended to eat her babies head. Creepy.

A big thing here too is to dress like a maid, this one was pretty.

Takeshita street in the day.

A whole procession of them.

 

A few other fun ones.

The train the next day where you can't go anymore!

People being interviewed about the train.

New train area.

Then we got home around 5 p.m. and Kevin and I left around 8 to the Peterson's to drop our kids off and spend the night since we had to meet the bus by their house at 3:15 the next morning for the snow monkeys tour.  It was a 5 hour drive to Motsumoto Castle then another hour to snow monkeys and then an 8 hour drive home and that doesn't count the 5 stops for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 potty breaks.  It was a long day in the bus.  But it was Kevin's last bucket list item while we were here and it was worth it!

Each rest stop had one of these traffic information kiosks.

Mom, Cloisonne in the bathrooms?  Awesome.

 

FINALLY FOUND PINK GRAPEFRUIT HI-CHEWS FOR CHASE!!!  And yes it was all the way out in the middle of nowhere, and yes they are by far the best!!  Too bad they only come in a multipack.

Had to.

Kissing Koi at the castle.

GORGEOUS!

Central Alps mountains.  Where all the skiing happens.

People LOVE their dogs here, but they are always super small and we always mention how everything even their dogs are tiny here, until we saw this bear.

This Castle was built in the mid-1500's and is almost all original except for a few posts.  Incredible.

Notice the mustache, each outfit was equipped with a fake stache.

The was a goddess enshrined in the castle and it is the only castle to have a deity in there and it is one of only 4 original castles.

swans

The princesses would get these cotton thread balls and they were only made for royalty, not sure what was so special about them, but they are pretty.

At the museum next to the castle.

The table at the rest stop, pretty cool.

This stop was known for it's farmed fruit, namely apples.  They had apple icecream and it was delcious.

On the hike up to the snow monkeys.

They kept saying it was going to be a super hard hike, bring boots, etc., and then (mostly because it was so warm and sunny lately and there was hardly any snow on the ground) it was a moderate hill that Cora could have done.  Oh well.  Psyched myself out.

NO KIDS!

The first monkey we saw.

Here is a hotel and onsen that you can use the spa for just 500 Yen.  We were tempted, but then we saw where the onsen was...

Hello.  The best was a the tour guide said yesterday it was filled with women.  Hahah.

A natural geyser.  There was hardly any snow around, but tons next to the geyser and it was up around it.  Interesting.

Monkey #2.  We didn't think we would see many because it was so warm that they don't need to sit in the hot spring to stay warm so we were super excited when we saw these ones far away.

Until we got to the top and TA-DA!  There were everywhere!!  Hello friend.

Getting too close..

And caught.

Looks nice.

Hi, buddy.

I love the baby ones.

And right up close and personal!!!!  He peed shortly thereafter.

It made us instant friends.

Mommy and baby!

Trying to get close, but word was out that Kevin would try and touch you so they ran away from him.

Kevin got in big trouble for this!

Cool right!

Best friends.

It is Friday night here and we are headed into town and then dinner there.  Tomorrow Kevin and I have another night at the New Sanno so we are going to see more of Tokyo.  After that we only have 3 weekends left!!!!  Too much to see, but I am getting a little excited to go home to my house, my car, my grocery store!  I'm probably going to gain 15 pounds the first week eating food I like.  I dream about it sometimes :)