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Japan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW
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Japan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW

We’re going on a trip, on our favorite Rocket Ship (Delta One, that is) to see Disney Land! And Tokyo, and Disney Tokyo and the Japanese Alps and Kyoto! Oh the places we’ll go! もっと詳しく
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  • 旅行の開始
    2026年2月13日
    Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Holy number of bags BatWoman!?!?
    Holy number of bags BatWoman!?!?To the airport Jeeves!That is one very large backpack!Okay, we do like the SkyClub!Mimosas to start the trip off on the right foot.Thanks Denise! yep, I left my water bottle in the wrong seat... smhOn the plane! Well the back of the plane. Can't always get up front :(Delta got me a present, and they know what I like!Beautiful sky in Anaheim!Giving Dave his 25 year CPC Jacket!And Jackie said I had to give him a hug - And that carries more weight than Simon!Hard to tell, but that is one happy man - no regrets about retiring now.

    Day 1 - Off to see Connor, oh wait…

    2月14日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    So, we finally got this party started! Hard to believe we’ve been booked for this trip since like August! Of course, back then, we decided we’d fly to Tokyo from San Diego so we could spend a few days with Connor at Camp Pendleton (well, he would be at Pendleton, we’d be somewhere with less people yelling, and more people smiling!), but even the best laid plans go awry. I mean, Connor did have 5 months to figure out how he didn’t want to see us in California this weekend, he thought seeing us in Atlanta would be better. SMH!

    Well we got to see him, just long enough to cook him dinner and then have him drive us to the airport. He makes a pretty good chauffeur. You can tell by the smile on his face how happy he was to get up at 7:30 am to spend some quality time with his parents!

    So far, the trip has gone off without any hiccups, other than Denise fighting a head cold and constantly trying to find a place to sleep or having her thermostat ramp up to the point where she wishes Elsa would provide her with her own personal blizzard!

    The highlight though was getting to meet up with Dave Warren, someone I worked with for almost 20 years. He retired in October, and while it took a little extra time, I was finally able to deliver him his 25 years CPC jacket - that’s 25 years of making his sales target!! Dave was a great asset to NCR over his career and an even better customer advocate and friend. It was an honor to know him and to work with him. Hard to tell in those pictures, but he was moved to tears, saying his only regret was not getting that jacket before he left - well Dave, no more regrets!

    Now for some rest - a full day at Disney Land tomorrow, someone is so excited they are already asleep, now I need to go catch up with them!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Yeah, time to get use to these lines... we miss you John Cushma!
    Yeah, time to get use to these lines... we miss you John Cushma!It's Magic Time!70 years of magic and fun!Denise told me she used to think this was big! Bless her!First ride of the dayMatterhorn is always fun!It oooks bigger from this angleFinally, time for a break.

    It’s a Magical kind of day!

    2月15日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    It’s so much easier to get up and ready for a park day when you aren’t busy fighting three tired and ornery mini Denise’s! Up at 7:15 am, and still to the park by 8 am opening! Though after 8 hours in Disneyland, I’ve been informed we will not be going until the final ride! Taylor, don’t look down on us too bad, we promise we are getting a very full day in! More updates later, but needless to say, as this was Denise’s childhood adventure park, there were a lot of emotions early.もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Denise wouldn't sit with me on the Alice ride :(
    Denise wouldn't sit with me on the Alice ride :(Cars land really is quite special, especially at night.I have a feeling we will be doing this again some day.Why aren't we home? Because we need a bus dear!

    From a magical day to a magical night!

    2月15日, アメリカ ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Well, from a magical day to a magical night. I will say this, old age was nipping at our heels all day. I used to do these parks from sun up to sun down carrying one or two sacks of inanimate cells! Even if they did breathe and spend most of my money all day, I still got them back to the hotel.

    Well, by 5 pm, I was lucky if I could carry my on spare tire around the park. We made a final push through Disneyland, doing Mr Toads Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland. Then, having a fast pass at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster…. We passed on it and headed to California Adventure hoping to get one or two rides in. Unfortunately, once there, it was kind of like the Main Street parade during Animal House… a train wreck with everyone jammed into a dead end street. We did make one strategic move, with a 2 hour 20 minute wait for the Cars ride, we did the single rider line - and got through in less than 35 minutes!!! Woohoo!!

    From there, we spent some time walking around and enjoying the park, but after riding The Little Mermaid, we bolted for the hotel. We didn’t get out of the park for more than two minutes though before we could hear the whispers of our disappointed children crying out that we had let them down by not staying until midnight. It was probably 8:30 pm, the earliest I’ve left a Disney park since my parents made me leave at 8 because I was having too much fun (just kidding mom and dad!). Anyway, now it’s time to turn our attention east, Tokyo, here we come!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Someone's happy with the lunch choice!So many choices for food, all fresh and yummy!

    Day of rest - Let’s go eat!

    2月16日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    So, a lazy Monday started off a little slow, but boy did we enjoy our sleep! Even though we had a late checkout, we were still up and out by 11:30 am. I really wanted Denise to experience the Buc-cee’s of the Grocery Stores…. Northgate market Mercado 44! This place is awesome with about 10+ Puesto’s (think Mexican food trucks) in their grocery store along with a full bakery and Churrero (Churro stand). Yummy!

    Since I dropped Denise off while it was raining (a couple stock photos below), she walked in and promptly got swept up into the ant hill of lunch time at the Mercado. I finally found her staring wide eyed in the middle of the store, wondering if we were in San Diego or Mexico City Food Hall. It was glorious, as was my Carne Asada Torta!

    I highly recommend a visit here if you are ever out in OC near John Wayne international. Great place to go eat, hoping one comes to ATL soon!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Home away from Home with Gins!
    Home away from Home with Gins!Cheers! Skol!Look who's back!And now he's tired, it's only 7 pm!Okay, he's back - ready to conquer Camp Pendleton!

    Belly’s full, Time for Happy Hour at PB

    2月16日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Well, with Connor flying back to San Diego from Atlanta, still amazed by those circumstances, but I get it - free food and a free place to stay (He is quite the mix of his mom and I). That being said, we did not get to San Diego to pick him up from the airport, so he Ubered to Gins’ place, well a mile from Gins’ place, but that walk in the rain just helped prepare him to come unload his car when we got there.

    I nice early happy hour, watching Duke hammer Syracuse, and getting to drink some Pliny the Elder (we won’t talk about missing the Pliny the Younger they were only serving on the weekend before we were there and after we were there 😭). Gins is always the gracious host taking care of us. And while I know he was ready to go all night, with our 4 am UBER showing up the next morning, we were headed home by 6:30 pm.

    A quick final run through of our bags, some quick hugs before Connor headed back to base, and we were in bed before 9 pm. Tomorrow is going to be EARLY!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    What is going on with that wet stuff falling from the sky!
    What is going on with that wet stuff falling from the sky!Never a good sign when you have to send this to your wife who is trying to find the Uber!2Sky club, and breakfast, first ones in when it opened at 4:45 am - trying to make our son proud!And on the plane! Short flight before the Loooonnnnnggggg one!Bye Gins, thanks for letting us crash! See you March 4th!

    Early morning in PB - what the Rain???

    2月17日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Still hard to believe in three days in San Diego, it’s rained more on us that 12 in Ireland and 8 in Iceland. I know Gin’s needed his plants watered, but c’mon.

    An early morning Uber ride, Denise having to run at 4 am in the morning 😳 and then finally on the plane. Hard to believe we are finally here. We booked in September, but the moment has arrived. Darren, here we come!もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Denise is excited!
    Denise is excited!Oh yummy French Toast!Well, a guy has to get his veggies in.2Going to try and sneak this picture in without the Gestapo's approval 🤞🏼😝

    LAX, last stop before Tokyo!

    2月17日, アメリカ ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Well, final stop before the big leg to Tokyo - 12 hours… oh boy. They at least do things top notch in the Delta ONE Lounge. Denise got a shower, I had a nice hobbit second breakfast, along with a veggie topper. I also got to catch up on the blog. I’m not sure if we will have WiFi on the flight, so the next post might just come from the other side of the world! Let’s do this!もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    It's flight time!
    It's flight time!Oooh, someone squeezing into their new digsWe look better now than we will in 12 hoursThat's a LONG way!Appetizer, the fish was really tastyLunch is served - Asian Miso short ribs with riceAlways love my Ice CreamSomebody is enjoying the travel experienceAfternoon nap time! Still 6 hours to go.

    Delta One is quite the experience

    2月17日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Well, it looks like all our traveling will have to revolve around getting deals for first class seats - well, if the flight is longer than 5 hours I guess. Someone has settled in nicely to her new seat. We’ve got about 12 hours and as I’m writing this we are 8 hours in. We are supposed to land around 3:30 pm Japan time on Wednesday the 18th. Darren sent a note before we lost WiFi that it’s a nice day and he asked if we’d be willing to do a little walking. I can attest that after 8 hours, yes, yes, I’d be very happy to do a little walking!

    I was wondering how the food and service would compare to the Air France flight we took to Paris in ‘24. I think the food was a little better on the Air France flight, but we are talking about little differences. The biggest is that on that flight, we were going east, so we had a quick meal and then went right to bed. This flight has been more about settling in and mixing it up between eating, napping and movies.

    Darren, we’re moving as fast as we can! See you soon!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Welcome to Haneda, How may we help you?
    Welcome to Haneda, How may we help you?Hey, I know you! Can you help me get home?An $85 tray of strawberries... very very perfect strawberries.Now I feel like Im at home, funny how a draft beer will do that.Oh my, so this is real ramen... I've been missing out.

    Look out Tokyo, here we come!

    2月18日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Well, we touched down in Tokyo. It’s still a little hard to believe that I actually made it to this side of the world. When Denise and I went to Fiji for our honeymoon, you think the world is your oyster and you’ll get a chance to go to all these places. But life starts to happen and you realize there is just no way to get to all the places worth visiting. I’ve always wanted to go to the Far East and was so excited to get the invite from Darren, and just can’t believe that we made it.

    Of course, once here, unlike when we landed in London after college, no matter how hard we stared at the signs, we were never going to be able to understand those symbols! Fortunately, we had a host with the most, showing up to make sure we didn’t get lost in the clean underbelly of Tokyo. Unlike Bangkok, if you get lost here, I think you may get a shower, shave, and a complete makeover before suddenly being magically delivered to whatever address they could find on your phone. You might even have more money in your wallet than when you landed!

    And if you do have more money, it will be a good thing especially if you’d like some perfect strawberries - seriously, I’ve never seen so many perfect strawberries. The ones in the picture below will run you about $85!!! As for me, not ready to pull that rip cord just yet. For now, I’ll stick with my beer and Ramen - and this is not your Cup o Noodles or Top Ramen, trust me!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Yeah, that's how Denise and I roll!
    Yeah, that's how Denise and I roll!Good morning Japan!

    Well that was needed

    2月19日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Denise was pretty tired last night so she went to bed after our Ramen dinner. Darren and I caught the Olympics, before they were happening - just kidding, felt that way since we are now hours ahead of them vs hours behind. I was able to use that time to catch up on my posts, but was still in the bed a little after 9 pm.

    Darren and I talked about plans for today, since he needed to go into the office for some things. He said if we could get a good sleep to about 8 or 9 am, that would be really good since we were going to bed so early. It would help us get more on Tokyo time.

    Darren, that was not a problem! LOL, I’m sure my mom could have told you, her boy can sleep! So now we are really ready to go show Tokyo, what we’ve got! After some coffee of course!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    We made it outside and into the sun! (And Denise didn't burst into flames, so she isn't a vampire)
    We made it outside and into the sun! (And Denise didn't burst into flames, so she isn't a vampire)US Embassy - was nervous they were going to come confiscate my phone for taking a pictureWhew, Brandon was not in there buying a sword!Georgia is always on our mindGate leading to the Atago ShrineOur translator apps do pretty well, but always nice to have some English availableWhere is our rare Red Hair Mountain G.O.A.T. when we need her.There she is, As sure footed as ever!From high tech bathrooms to old school culture - I love how they coexistAtago ShrineThe G.O.A.T. Chose the "easier" path down, said the steps were more uniform 🤨

    Where are we going Gemini?

    2月19日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    So, I must admit, our knowledge of where we want to go and what we want to see here in Tokyo is a bit limited. I’m definitely excited to go to the Imperial Palace, but mostly I’m just excited to experience the culture and the food! So as Denise has told me multiple times since we boarded the plane, she plans to channel her Ephesians 5:22-24 and submit to my directions while here (If anyone knows Denise, you know her idea of “submit” is usually a punch to the solar plexus!). Anyway, she’s says I have the lead, so Marty, what are we going to do…..

    Glad you asked, Marty is going to ask Gemini AI and see what it comes up with for a quick afternoon cultural walk and light lunch to slowly work our way into Tokyo life! I must say, Gemini did pretty good. As Shrek might say, that’ll do Gemini, that’ll do.

    We started out with a nice stroll through Tokyo from Darren’s apartment heading to Atago Jinja shrine, a Shinto Temple, and the Success Steps. It’s said a samurai climbed the steps on his horse in the 1600’s to deliver a plum blossom to the Shogun and was immediately promoted. So if you climb the 86 stone steps, it will bring career success, good fortune, and personal triumphs! Mine will be if Denise doesn’t punch me before we are through with these tours!

    The area was beautiful and is also known as the highest point in the Tokyo district.

    Fun side note: the walking directions also took us by the US Embassy which is not far from Darren’s apartment and is on the way to the shrine. As we were walking down the street, we tried to cross over to the sidewalk in front of the embassy as we needed to veer to the right. There were police and security everywhere, and we were quickly and politely moved back across the street. Further ahead as we worked our way in the direction we needed to go, there was a note saying they had extra protection around the embassy in case of terrorists. My question was, what if I was just trying to get to the Embassy, they didn’t seem interested in letting us go that route! 🤷‍♂️ Fortunately, we didn’t need to go, so it all worked out.    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Gemini recommended lunch spot, crazy good chicken and pork cutlets
    Gemini recommended lunch spot, crazy good chicken and pork cutletsLook who else loves Harry PotterShe really is my G.O.A.T.!Yes, I was leaning while taking the picture, squatting is always a little trickyAfternoon coffee break - Sun going down has things getting cooler.Whoa, look who else happens to be on this Island!Heading back to Tokyo Midtown centerThis is definitely not my Publix sushiNot sure if all the lights stay up year round, but it sure makes everything so pretty.

    Getting our steps in; eating on our own!

    2月19日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Leaving the Shrine, we headed back towards the US Embassy and further into Tokyo, It was still only about a 25 minute walk, and with the sun, it was quite nice outside. We strolled along the streets following the route Gemini had laid out for us. I had asked it to help me find a place for a light, late lunch, and it recommended a few places, but one talked about this fantastic chicken and pork fried cutlets meal, Imakatsu Akasaka.

    Gemini had told us that the restaurants last order time was 3:30 pm and they stopped at 4 pm to get ready for dinner. Getting there at 3:20 pm, we walked in and the lady immediately said “fin 4 pm”. We smiled and assured her we could be done by 4 pm. The food was excellent, the chicken was so juicy. The funny part was that we started with just some plain shredded cabbage. There was some sesame and ginger dressing that we drizzled on and that salad, perfectly hit the spot before our lunch. We finished at 3:50 pm!

    After lunch, we kept strolling through the area, running into a Harry Potter cafe. The area was near TBS (no, not that one, Tokyo Broadcasting Station), and they were also showing the new Harry Potter play, the Cursed Child. Even the immaculately clean Subway tunnels underneath were Harry Potter decorated.

    The streets were all very clean, everyone was very polite, and we enjoyed just strolling and looking around. Ready to start planning for day 2!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    A NY beer...
    A NY beer...I hope that's not my sushi in there!And a pizza? In Tokyo?? 🤷‍♂️ All I can say is that this one works!1When she puts the hood up, she becomes more aerodynamic, who knew.

    When in Tokyo…. Let’s go get some Pizza!

    2月19日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    Thanks for the recommendation Darren! I feel bad as he is stuck on a work call presenting to our leadership team back in the US. That being said, I’m grateful for him pointing us to this nearby Pizza joint. The fact it’s named Frey’s Famous Pizzeria is a bonus - One of my fraternity brothers was name Frey, so this one hit home 😂. The Japanese food today was top notch, and while we weren’t looking for anything western, this place was a 5 minute walk, and you know, it’s hard to go wrong with a pizza and a beer. The crust was cooked perfectly!

    The one downside is that the temp has dropped to below 40 degrees, so trying to catch up with the Speedy Ninja in front of me on the way home was almost impossible. For the men following along, that’s why you always keep the keys on you. So if she makes a 10 minute walk in 5, she still needs you to get back in the building!

    Good night! Hopefully we wake up before 11 am tomorrow.    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Look Ma, we got out of the house before Noon!
    Look Ma, we got out of the house before Noon!Zojo-Ji TempleThis one speaks for itselfInterior - this is a Buddhist TempleBINGO!

    A new day to Explore!

    2月20日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    So, got up a little earlier this morning, well compared to our 1:30 pm start yesterday. We chatted up Gemini again to see what suggestions it might offer up. Knowing Darren was going to be able to get off work a little earlier, we were hoping to have a chance to walk around, see a few things and then meet him back at the apartment.

    In the end, most of the options from Gemini we felt were a little too far away, so we pivoted back to the same area we had explored the previous day. We decided to head over to Tokyo Tower. Think of a more colorful and smaller version of the Eiffel Tower, well I think it’s smaller, and that’s the Tokyo Tower. There is also a major shrine right next door to the Tokyo Tower called Zojo-Ji Temple, where part of the Tokugawa line of the Shogun’s are buried. And to top it off, it’s only about a 30 minute walk, so it suited us perfectly.

    It was an easy walk over there, and the Temple complex was very neat. It was destroyed during WWII from the Tokyo fire bombings, so the current buildings are replicas of the older buildings. But a lot of the old stone work still exists. Along the side of the complex was an area dedicated to the safety of children and grandchildren, as well as the unborn. It was very touching.

    And to remind me of my own children, right down the road was a phone booth - if anyone has ever played car bingo, I think the phone booth square has become the hardest to find. We had an entire trip with the kids go a little nuts simply trying to find a phone booth. Well kids, in Japan, they still exist!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    I tink we have one like this in Paris, though we may have looked a little younger then!See Denise, nothing to worry about - Fast food here is like good food at home!Up up and up we go!Haneda airport is somewhere out thereSomewhere, Out there, Mt Fuji is calling meThat is a long way down!Mom, we call it a "Baby" bottleMmmmm, mmmmm Good!When you absolutely have to have a building built, call a Japanese builder!

    Tokyo Tower, let’s see this city

    2月20日, 日本 ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Having wrapped up our visit to the Temple, we had quite the challenge with lunch. There was a neat bakery nearby that was recommended, but the wait seemed to be a bit long and it was still a little cool to eat outside. Of course, Denise was doing her thing, maneuvering through the line to figure out how to get us a table, while my shy little self was busy cowering in the corner. When she realized I wasn’t following and was not going to be sticking my head into whatever mess she had planned, we moved onto plan B, eating at the Tokyo Tower food hall.

    While the food hall seemed like a good idea, we ran into the opposite problem there. Getting food wasn’t that hard, but getting Denise to go to a less than reputable food stall in a tourist location and convincing her we wouldn’t get food poisoning became a challenge. I finally coaxed her into a Beef and rice bowl (I didn’t tell her that “beef” could be a loose term here - JK!!!) while I get the pork and rice bowl. Mine was quite delicious and she ate most of hers, but I think she would have preferred Darren there to tell her it would be okay vs me.

    We headed up into the tower and for the first time, could really see that Tokyo is just a city that never ends… It was buildings as far as you could see in every direction. Unfortunately it was a bit hazy, so we couldn’t see Mt Fuji, but the views were still pretty spectacular, not to mention quite the view straight down through the glass floor!

    We got a quick snack of some yummy soft serve that Japan is supposedly known for, and you know me, I haven’t met an ice cream that I won’t eat! We also discovered that those little bottles of wine are not “splits” but Baby bottles! So there you go mom, fair game here in Tokyo, Baby bottles all around for Happy Hour!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    This guy just keeps showing up
    This guy just keeps showing upLet's eat!Darren says this is good.... please don't be Haggis, please don't be Haggis!Okay, okay, its coming alongSo they keep saying it's done, but I'm not so sure.Shibuya Crossing - CrazyYes, those hands are locked on - we're going to need the jaws of life to separate her.Where's my happy place 😬yes, it looks as tiny and chaotic as you think it doesI'm sure the experience is awesome, but I wonder if that guy in the back is still stuck there!There were 100 of these places on this street, just crazyShinjukuDenise - if I try and put her on one of those crowded trains againGolden Gai - instead of restaurants, 6 person bars!

    What does Nighttime Tokyo have to offer

    2月20日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    After finally meeting up with Darren, we headed off for another night time adventure, we just didn’t realize the adventure we were going on. The good news is that Denise was getting updates from Wendy, Darren’s wife, that while he can get a little crazy, we should be okay. Just don’t let him take us to the Golden Gai district. But like PTAF famously said “I think you know, where this about to go…” 😱😳

    Anyway, we started off dinner with some Tokyo soul food, as Darren called it. The Japanese call it Monjayaki. All I know, it’s one of those meals where someone has to tell you it’s good and drag you in, or you probably aren’t going to go eat it. They cook it at your table, think Teppanyaki in the states. The catch was the pancake like consistency and the way it looked. I have to hand it to Darren though, it was quite tasty. They just kind of mix up a soup like mixture on the flattop with the ingredients you choose and mix it all up. It was a very fun experience.

    From there, we hit up Shibuya Crossing, a famous crossing in Tokyo where hundreds and hundreds of people cross an intersection in all directions at the same time while cars are stopped. It’s a bit crazy. How we didn’t lose Denise who knows… well I do, she was super glued to my side! But we made it across, intact, and spend some time walking around the district. I could quite easily seeing a few of my younger co-workers at NCR going in there and treating it like their personal Ponko Chicken!

    From Shibuya, we headed to an even more exciting part of Tokyo (we are finding out there are several of these areas - you saw the pics from Tokyo Tower - there’s a lot of area in Tokyo!). This area was Shinjuku. To get there, we hopped back on the train, with about a quarter of Tokyo - I think this was Denise’s favorite part. She absolutely loves sharing her personal space - unless it’s me after 5 o’clock! Ok again, JUST KIDDING!

    Once in Shinjuku, Darren walked us down Omoide-Yokochō street - where he thought about taking us to eat. Now, this area was fascinating, think The Shambles in York England - Just closer together, much, much, much closer together. There was just hole in the wall after hole in the wall of restaurants. Most of them were Yakitori style so the smells wafting down the alley were ever so sumptuous. But the thought of cramming into those small 5, 6, maybe 7 seat closets to eat, well, not sure about that. In the end, they were all packed!!! So not sure we would have gotten in, but what a cool area.

    Of course, as stated earlier, Darren offered up the Golden Gai tour, and you know me, when in Rome, right. LOL, fortunately, Darren took great care of us Wendy. He made us keep our hands to ourselves and we weren’t allowed to cozy up to any nice looking Nigerians. This place was similar to the Omoide street, except for yakitori, I think they were only serving beer and liquor - too pretty much a bunch of people that looked like all of my fraternity brothers - well and a few NCR hires from the early 2020’s! In the end, we got alive, no harm some foul (odors). Well, in any other city there would have been, but here, even this place was cleaner than a lot of US “nice” areas. What you can do when you take a little pride in yourself and your area.

    Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    2
    2Sensō-ji Temple complexHaha, I see you!Brandon, showing off his "gold" coin collection to DarrenEarly blooms - we think this one was a cherry, but probably plum1We aren't quite as sunburned as we look, just staying warm in the shade!Yes, that's the Classic Tokyo Shitimachi!Denise's choice, mochi strawberryI win! I love you 7-11

    Look who we ran into!!!

    2月21日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    So, started off Saturday on a mission! We heard through the grapevine that there was a little birdie in Tokyo today. So, channeling my parents passion for tracking down those little sapsuckers, we showed Darren where the sightings were at and let him lead the way. He was positive we could find what we were looking for at Sensō-ji Temple is Asakusa.

    So off we went, with Darren leading us through mazes of tunnels through the subway/train system. As we tracked the sightings, lo and behold, we got a ping as soon as we got out of the station. Maneuvering through the busy streets (pretty much all the streets here are busy except the ones around Darren’s apartment, which are quite nice!), we worked our way closer to our target!

    And what did we find….. Our Son! Halfway around the World, we managed to meet up with our youngest, Brandon, working his way into the Temple complex with his class from Mill Springs. Some of us got to go to Burger King, some went to Walt Disney World, our son has now gone to China, Europe and South Korea/Japan with his school - THANKS MOM AND DAD AND GAMMA AND DOC! Oh and thank you Brandon, he had to pay for half of this trip!

    After the temple complex, he had some free time, so the four of us went out for an early Lunch. And like my Dad “beat” into me, you always need to try the local food, or in my case, drink. I had seen a bunch of people drinking Hoppy beer, so let’s give it a go. I like a good beer. Well, it’s actually called a Classic Tokyo Shitimachi, yes, Shitimachi, and once it was delivered, I see why. The beer itself is basically non-alcoholic at 0.5%, however, you pour it into a glass of ice with about 2 oz of vodka/Shochu. And FYI there’s enough beer there for 2 or 3 glasses of vodka!!!!

    So now that I was pretty much Shitimachi’ed, I need a little change of pace - wonder bread, whipped cream and strawberries in a sandwich? Yes, please!!!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Tokugawa Shogunate gardens in Tokyo
    Tokugawa Shogunate gardens in TokyoBeautiful garden, similar to the European gardens attached to the great PalacesBeautiful woodworkIt would be so peaceful... minus the K-Pop band playing at the Tokyo Dome next door 🤪Plum tree blossoms, can only imagine what all this will look like when the Cherries bloom17th Century stone arch bridge, one of the oldest in JapanFull moon bridge that is... hehehehe

    Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

    2月21日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    After seeing Brandon, Darren took us on a tour of one of the older gardens in Tokyo, another Tokugawa location, a garden built near their residence in Edo (Tokyo). The gardens were beautiful and would have been quite peaceful - except for a K-Pop band playing at the Tokyo dome next door. I could definitely imagine hanging out here through out the year, just enjoying the experience. According to Darren, there aren’t zoning restrictions here like we think of in the states, so you end up with something like the GA Dome built next to the Gardens of Versailles (well a much much much smaller version of the Gardens of Versailles!).

    Regardless, it was a nice break in the day from some of the crowds and people we had been maneuvering through at the various temples, shrines and shopping areas. We wandered the gardens and enjoyed the sun.

    Of course, all joy must come to an end, and apparently the gardens were not very happy with my presence as it channeled it’s inner Tokugawa samurai and much like Homer Simpson, severed the few hairs that are left standing on the back of my scalp! I keep forgetting things here aren’t made for a 6’2” person, but a 5’2” person! Walking out, the stone cap over the archway took a shot at the top of my head while I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll be tending to that bruised raspberry for a couple of days!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Guess who we are following around - from a distance (as Bette Midler would say)
    Guess who we are following around - from a distance (as Bette Midler would say)Entrance gate, this one is tall enough that I shouldn't scalp myself!Another beautiful park, quite serene.Temple is massive, and we got to see a wedding taking place

    Meiji Jinju Shrine

    2月21日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    So, after we got my head patched up, and made sure I still had 2 out of my 3 Homer hairs left, we headed towards the Meiji Jinju Shrine. As we’ve been known to do in the afternoons though, we needed a coffee break before starting our afternoon power walks - especially since we are never sure if Darren is going to take us back to Golden Gai!

    Anyway, while enjoying our coffee, who did we spy on our Find my IPhone app but our little B, wondering around at the other end of the park. We decided to spare him the embarrassment of another family reunion, especially since this time it would have been my turn for the hug and kiss and we all know I would have made it memorable! Dodged a bullet there Brandon, better thank your mom!

    From the coffee shop, we headed up the street and into the Shrine park. It was very peaceful even though it was pretty busy - of course I think everywhere in Tokyo is busy, and with 30+ million people, I guess that makes sense.

    We enjoyed our walk through the trees as well as the temple complex. We even saw a wedding taking place with the bride in traditional garb. We also argued over the two massive trees in front of the temple, wait I mean three massive trees. That’s right, in the 4th picture below, those two, I mean three, perfectly shaped 120 year old trees just stand out. Darren tried to explain they were called the Husband and Wife trees, but why were they separated (well, they guys know why they are separated 🙄). When we walked over to the ones on the left, we realized there are actually two trees there and those are the husband and wife trees. We never did get confirmation on the tree to the rights name, but we are pretty sure it’s the “mistress” tree!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    yep, you are reading that sign correctly
    yep, you are reading that sign correctlyDenise and I found our Halloween costumes! Here they are just date night clothes.Who doesn't want to pet a pig! Or a Capybara, or an Otter (Okay, that one I did!)You know you've got your eyes on that black one in the top right corner Shalyn!And these are for Connor...And we even found something on this street for B!Oh boy, everyone is excited about the Onitsuka Tigers!

    Takeshita Street

    2月21日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Okay, really no where to go with this one. Denise has basically been dragging us from restroom to restroom anyway, so we figured, let’s just take her to the source so she can leave it where it belongs…. Okay, that was bad on only somewhat true. I did download the “Flush” app to find public bathrooms but that may have been as much for me as Denise 😳.

    This is actually yet another shopping district. I think most of Tokyo is a shopping district now that I think about it. But this one was pretty cool with a bunch of exotic stuff. We went by a string of stores where you could pay to sit and pet furry micro pigs, have tea with some Capybara’s, or even play with Otters - No pictures allowed of the Otters or Capybara’s 😭. I’m telling you, the Otter, that may be my next pet. Of course, according to Denise, I’ll have to pick it up after I go through the pearly gates!

    On top of the stores we also ran into some pretty neat cars. The green one in the pic below is the one that Brandon calmly told his mother he wanted to buy several months ago. He figured he’d use his Publix money, well until Denise showed him that for this $150K car (which costs more than my first house!), he’d have to work at Publix for the next 100+ years at his current pace if he could get someone to give him a simple interest loan at 0% (really simple!). Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and we all decided keeping the Edge was a better call.

    The last picture is from the Onitsuka Tiger store. It’s a Japanese shoe brand that is apparently gaining in popularity. Darren has several pairs and it happens to be something a certain someone we know wants…. Not sure what happened after this picture, other than I was found drinking at a bar, which should surprise no one.    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Ginza shopping district - talk about any and every store you could want 🤯
    Ginza shopping district - talk about any and every store you could want 🤯Our haul is getting bigger - I'm going to need a bigger boat, er bag!2Run! Run! Run! Heaven help me if she gets in there!Lots of train rides! And subway stations, we got to sit at this one, lucky!Conveyor belt sushi! Yummy!Okay, salmon with melted cheese - wasn't prepared for this but it's Wendy's favorite - it's a winnerPassed on restaurant dessert and picked up our own! So many food options!!!

    Ginza at night time!

    2月21日, 日本 ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    After our pass down Takeshita street - that will never get old - Darren took us to another shopping district as apparently he is still upset with me for not selling more when I worked for him… geez Darren, it took me 26 years to break Denise from her shopping addiction and in 3 days, 3 days!!! I can already see her starting to get the shakes….

    Again, maybe not completely true, but not all false 🤪. Ginza district though would be Connor’s hang out, for sure. If you are looking for a name brand, they have it. And on the weekends, they block off the street from cars, so it gets even crazier. That being said, Denise behaved herself pretty well and we only got a few things and they are all Japan specific things so it’s hard to say no.

    Of course, we did pass up on one item that we may regret a little later. There was a watch in the Citizen Flagship store that had a katana as the dial hand and it was slicing through the numbers on the radial. It was very cool and looked quite slick. It was funny as it was a watch that Darren had just read about. It’s a limited run with only so many being made, so to find it in the shop like this was kind of luck. As we were looking for something special for Connor and he is a watch guy (and Darren is a watch guy), we almost pulled the trigger, but decided we’d wait and check out some other options. We can always come back Sunday or Monday.

    We finished the night at a conveyor belt sushi place on the top floor of a retail store, where the line was an hour long to get a table - yes, I said an hour long! Fortunately we had reservations, but we still had about a 30-40 minute wait. Once at our table, we were in for a treat and a lot of fun, at least for me. We had a little tablet and you could either wait for the sushi to come by on the conveyor belt, or you could order what you wanted on the tablet and it would come to you on this special “express” conveyor belt - right after a little ring in your booth.

    Well, my middle name is Pavlov, so the bell was constantly going off in our booth and weeeeee, he came my sushi! All the fish has been excellent, but I’ve been most impressed with the Salmon. Talk about silky and creamy! Not sure what the rest of our meals will hold for us, but looking forward to a special sushi night when we see Darren again right before our flight! We’ll see how they all stack up after that meal.    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Entrance to the market
    Entrance to the marketTalk about fresh fish! Darren says these were caught this morning.This ended up being where we got our "snack" for the morning!Just one of the Alley's at the market!I'm pretty sure these oysters are taking steroids! They may have come out of Sosa's bath!Ah, yummy! The fatty tuna and salmon were crazy good.

    Tsukiji Fish Market

    2月22日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    So, getting up Sunday morning, the question was what to do. One of the things I wanted to see while in Tokyo was the fish market, Tsukiji. While the main market where the restaurants buy their fish has moved to a more commercial based location, the original market is still there due to the tourists and the old stalls. I was a bit surprised to see it wasn’t on the water, but it was definitely similar vibes to the one we’ve been to in Seattle, just much bigger and a lot more stalls to choose from.

    We walked up and down the alley’s, but only about half the stalls were even open. That being said, there were enough open to get a good feel for what it’s like. The amount of people just visiting and stopping in each stall/restaurant still made it hard to get through the area. We went back towards the first alley to grab some sushi. I think it was about $5 bucks for that plate, but boy was it solid. I would have loved to try one of those oysters, but wasn’t quite brave enough to challenge the lines! In the end, worth the visit!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Another train station - good news is that I think I can get around Tokyo on the trains now!
    Another train station - good news is that I think I can get around Tokyo on the trains now!Nagano Broadway, doing a little shopping at some second hand stores for the kidsPretty cool place, they took an outdoor street and just built a roof over itDarren in his happy place, Denise not far behind!🤔. Who needs to retire!I can't even explain all the types of 2nd hand shops this place has, but I bet collectors will know!Now we are talking! I could make a killing putting these up in the US!And if you have shopping, you have to have cute side streets to eat on!Loved this photo of a grocery store - With a bike parking lot and no car in sight!Well, now we're selling the house too! Although, without a coffee maker, I think we'll have to pass

    How about a little window shopping…

    2月22日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After Tsukiji, we headed off on a scavenger hunt looking for a classy, unique watch for Connor. Since Darren is a watch guy, he’s taking us to all his haunts - where he works to find the best watches at the best deal. So, Nakano Broadway was quite an experience.

    There was shop after shop of both new and used, mainly used merchandise. Because the Japanese take such good care of their belongings, their second half stuff tends to be extremely well maintained and becomes a magnet for second hand buyers. We took a shot to see if we could find any neat watches that might be Japan market only watches or just something unique that we could buy Connor. Our biggest challenge, even on the used market, was finding something that didn’t require me to sign over my 401K! But these stores had everything. We found both my Dad’s Rolex as well as Denise’s and her mom’s Rolex’s. FYI, they cost a lot more now than they did when they were purchased!

    My favorite item though was outside, finding two vending machines selling beer and cigarettes next to each other. I flashed back to my childhood so quickly it was scary! Not the beer vending machine, but I definitely remember the cigarette machines. I’m thinking a few of these placed strategically around some college towns, and I could afford that watch and that car in the pictures below. What do you say Paul Gigi? Want to start another company? I need a “fall” guy 😝.

    The other item that I thought was pretty crazy was the grocery store we passed. It took a second to notice what was different, but when I did, I had to take a picture. There was no car parking lot, but bikes? Well, there were plenty of bikes, and parking spots for all of them. And that ladies and gentlemen is one way to help keep the weight off!

    As for the the car, well, it’s becoming kind of silly as we kind of see them everywhere. Darren said they tend not to drive them during the week, but the weekend is there get out and cruise day! Well, these guys were cruising and soaking up the sun!    もっと詳しく

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  • Stalheim AdventuresJapan - Disney, Tokyo & JaPOW旅行者
    Restaurant that served as the inspiration for the famous Kill Bill scene in Tokyo
    Restaurant that served as the inspiration for the famous Kill Bill scene in TokyoLook at that front door, not getting in that way when it's closedyeah, busted! Drinking my beer is she...We ordered a fixed menu meal which comes with a little bit of everythingUma Thurman's Jacket from Kill BillBack near Darren's with the Tokyo Tower lit up

    Gonpachi - Kill Bill - NOT Marty!

    2月22日, 日本 ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    For dinner, we saved up as we didn’t have much other than the snack at Tsukiji and a little sandwich in one of the little shops in the train station. Darren is probably sending Wendy messages asking for her to Door Dash some food to him. Maybe she can send me something too!

    But I will say, Darren had picked out a pretty neat site for dinner. It was the location that inspired the restaurant scene from Kill Bill with Uma Thurman. Many of you may know it, for mom and dad and probably Kathy - probably okay not googling that scene or watching it. There’s more carnage in that scene than my Graduate Electrical engineering classes midterm at Duke; and that was a 48! (But I will have you know, it was mid point for all the undergraduate ME’s in the course. The graduate EE’s didn’t think it nearly as hard!).

    Overall, the atmosphere was top notch, and since we ate at 5:30 pm, something I’m not too familiar with as it takes me about 4 hours to cook any meal - even a grilled cheese - our Ramadan fasting event worked out pretty well. The food was very good, the drinks were quite yummy and a good time was had by all! And since Marty walked out alive - without another concussion from the overhead door beam, or a knife in the back (yes, Denise finally started reading the blog) - I feel like I came out on top!

    Thanks Darren!    もっと詳しく

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