Tokyo, Japan {Part 2}

On our second (really third) day in Tokyo, we were still waking up extra early due to the time difference, so we took advantage. We headed to the Tsukiji Fish Market at 5 am. 

It was amazing to see all of the different types of fish, but even MORE amazing to try them! We ate a few different things there, but our favorite was a tuna sampler from a Sushizanmai. AMAZING. Best sushi of our lives without question.

After that, we headed north to the Asakusa Area to see Senso-ji. At all temples there is a box where you shake out a numbered stick. You match the number to a box and pull out a fortune. I ended up getting a bad one, so in a picture below, you can see me tying it to a stand to get rid of it. That's the point at least!

 

Afterwards, we headed to the Imperial Palace and ended up taking a lovely (NOT) 5km walk around 1/2 of the outside before we gave up on finding the entrance. Whoops. We headed to Shinjuku Station for an attempt at finding LaDuree. We fared MUCH better! We weren't feeling too guilty about all the snacks due to the fact that were were easily walking 10 miles a day. Ouch!

A lot of the big (11-12 stories!) shopping malls are at the train stations. The basement usually has a grocery store (good for cheap eats) and the top floor is usually filled with restaurants. Just walking around this place was a cultural experience. It was definitely evident that people in Tokyo are some of the most fashionable in the world. 

To be honest, Tokyo was great, but overwhelming in every sense. We were happy to head south to spend 5 days in peaceful Kyoto - up next!

Tokyo, Japan {Part 1}

Japan was a place I've always wanted to go. There is a nonstop from Houston and that was basically all it took to convince us. We flew United for a round trip total of...$550 for both of us! Whoop! We were upgraded to economy plus and each had our own rows. Too bad this didn't mean we slept any on the flight...

We arrived on mid afternoon the next day (we gained 14 hours). After buying ourselves a SUICA card (re-loadable subway card) and some tickets on the Narita Express, we were off to our hotel!

Truth time: We CRASHED. Literally, we checked into the hotel and passed out. We woke up around 2am ready to go though? This ended up working out as we watched A&M BTHO SMU live before we grabbed breakfast at our hotel's buffet (onion rings, miso soup, croissants?) and set off to explore!

We started the morning at Meiji Jingu Shrine. We walked around and tried some of the traditional offerings/blessings and we even got to see a traditional wedding in progress!

Next, we headed to Takeshita-dori in Harajuku. We got a crepe and observed all of the interesting people. 

We walked from Harajuku to Shibuya Crossing and grabbed a coffee from the second story Starbucks so that we could overlook the craziness. Per a recommendation from our Lonely Planet guidebook (best investment ever!), we ate some yummy gyoza (dumplings) in Harajuku for a late lunch. On the way back to our hotel, we saw some sort of procession - we guessed for the Autumn Equinox.

After a quick nap, we headed out to the Robot Restaurant. There isn't much that can be said, so I'll just let you look & watch. It was insane, but we loved every minute!

Up Next: Part 2 of our time in Tokyo!

We're Off To: Japan

Konnichiwa! 

We just got confirmed on our standby tickets to Japan. We'll be visiting Tokyo and Kyoto, so temples & shrines, bullet trains, crazy robot restaurants and amazing food are in our future.

(all images via google)

It's a wonderful nonstop from Houston and we should be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Look forward to our trip recap when we return and keep up with us on instagram in the meantime.

Albuquerque, NM

New Mexico holds a special place in my heart. Even as a kid, I enjoyed going there every summer to visit my grandparents. It wasn't until I got older that I really appreciated the beauty though. I went for the Balloon Fiesta last year (this year's is about to start!) and it was as amazing as I remembered.

Below, my grandpa and my mom are teaching Jason how to plant the chile pepper seeds. (These are from our trip there are few years ago.)

It had been a while since I'd seen my grandpa, so it was nice to catch up on this trip. We spent our time south of Albuquerque at his farm. These moments are so special - he has so many words of wisdom that I absolutely cherish. Whether it's about learning the value of hard work or hearing about the many benefits of whiskey (apparently my love of whiskey is genetic!), I love it all.

 Below are some quick snaps of my trip.

If you happen to find yourself in the Albuquerque Airport, do yourself a favor and get the Chai Tea Latte and Green Chile Stew from Black Mesa. Delicious!

See you next time Albuquerque!

Up Next: Our big trip is in a little over 2 weeks.
Cross your fingers that the standby gods smile upon us!