japan 2010!

we went to japan to celebrate auntie mei's wedding with friends and family. it was absolutely beautiful and an amazing time was had by all.

we also had tons of side adventures and ridiculously good food along the way!

maya's sweet new headphones for the plane


our first meal - tonjiru! soooo good!


first meal companions - kyoko, ren and sora


afternoon snack with jichan, daddy and maya


the night following our arrival baachan cooked up an amazing final single girl's dinner for mei and the family - beef stew, croquettes, menchi katsu, tons of veggies. arghghhg.


then came saturday, wedding day. the house was bustling as everyone got ready for the big event.

babachan and maya en route to the wedding


the flowergirl and ring bearer


maya as flowergirl


our newest cousin, sora and nagamichi


hanging out before showtime


auntie kyoko and sora


maya and mommy


daddy and maya


the wedding ladies - check out baachan's amazing kimono!


proud parents


mei and shogo!


the wedding party


love, love, love babachan!


maya's straightening sora's tie out

flower


flower for her wedding pal


hide and seek wedding antics


babachan, mei and shogo


mom and daughter


the bride (i want that outfit so bad)



the next day we took it easy and hit up the local park


freaky pigeon


followed by an evening walk to dinner at a fabulous yakiniku restaurant in neighboring jiyugaoka

As invade tokyo!


As buddies


the meat!


this stuff here is a bunch intestines. interestingly, they're called "hormones" in japan.


the next day was maya's third birthday!!!

she's getting so big, so fast. we were thrilled to be able to celebrate the actual day with the yumiba clan.

we took maya to the holy grail - sanrio puroland - to meet some of her most favorite characters ever.


the fams


jichan joins in on the fun


sanrio puroland in all its glory


maya mesmerized by the character parade


getting ready for the 3D movie. it was hilarious to watch maya try to grab the flying objects.


daniel! OMG, he's so cute!


cousins


we then met up with uncle hiroshi, aunt junko and cousin shoya and had a great family dinner party at an italian restaurant


maya got a super delicious birthday cake and a lovely song


the birthday girl!


family portrait


we came home and slept like rocks.

the next morning maya needed some pampering, so mei gave her a manicure. of course maya chose the green glitter polish.


maya was glammed up just in time for our trip to the ghibli museum.

the cuteness is indescribable! and the displays are brilliant. it's very interactive and great for both parents and kids. unfortunately, they didn't allow photography inside. wah, wah.

totoro!


but they do outside! kei got some great shots of the laputa robot




the museum from the outside


the next day we woke up before dawn and flew from tokyo to hiroshima. we rented a car and drove down a chain of small islands to our ultimate destination - shikoku. we enjoyed both ocean views and amazing mountainsides.

we stopped in a town famous for their octopus dishes on the way to okudogo onsen.


tempura octopus (crazy awesome), udon, pickles


we had a sweet hotel room with our own private onsen!


the view from our room at hotel okudogo


maya even got her own yukata that baachan helped put on (thanks baachan!)


baachan took maya to the jungle onsen and indulged in the fabulous hot springs.

the dinner at the hotel that night was incredible

round one: chives with spicy miso, octopus, yakiniku


round two: grilled fish


intermission


round three: sashimi. mommy could not partake, but maya had her first taste and LOVED it!


round four: red snapper soup


there was more, but i forgot to take pictures. sadly, sometimes the stomach wins.

we packed up the next morning and headed for ehime, which was situated even higher up in the mountains.

rest stop lunch: wafu hamburger steak, miso soup, potato salad, seaweed salad, rice (crazy awesome)


below is a shot of the yoshino river. it's gorgeous and crystal blue.


we took a short boat trip to take in all the sights at eye level.

kei's favorite shot




we finally reached the hotel and unwinded a bit before onsen and dinner time

the stack master


the theme of this dinner was "mountain feast." they prepared all of the dishes from the forest and rivers of the immediate area.

sashimi, bamboo, konyaku


grilled meat, chicken and mochi in a super rich miso paste


tempura mountain vegetables in a tempura lotus basket


wild boar nabe with tofu and mushrooms


soba


this region is super famous for their citrus


the next morning we ventured out into iya valley, deep in the woods of shikoku.

we visited the famous kazurabashi bridge, which is made entirely of vines. it's pretty insane.


waterfall


river


rock skipping


maya and daddy enjoying nature and yuzu ice cream


we began the trek back, but had one final stop... onomichi! we briefly visited some old family friends and pay respects to those in the yumiba clan.

but before that, a light snack of onomichi ramen (soooo goooood!)


maya learned how to use a toothpick


onomichi


we stopped at the graveyard to visit the yumibas past.

before reaching the site, maya decided to be a mushroom.


maya helps daddy wash off the gravestone


and then back on the plane to tokyo.

a couple of nights later we went to a magical, magical place called kidzania. it's tough to explain, but in a nutshell it's a mini-city designed for kids. the children visit stores sponsored by real companies, don uniforms and work to earn their kidzos, which they are free to spend at the store.

it's like las vegas... but for kids... with labor. also, parents aren't allowed to go into the attractions. we're sequestered like animals behind the glass.

here's a shot of the place so you get an idea


maya's and ren's first job was at the yakult lab where they were scientists. they researched the healthy bacteria found in yogurts. i kid you not.


microscope action


maya gives a presentation on her findings


ren's on deck


the coca cola bottling plant. so delicious.


teeny tiny firemen putting out the scorcher


the vet - check out the robot dog in the window


maya ponied up 5 kidzos to take a cheerleading workshop


and then back to work at the pizza la with ren. those workshops don't pay for themselves.

you gotta love the hairnets!


rolling the dough


and voila! the camera died before we could get a shot of the final product.


our last bowl of ramen


final dinner with the family. baachan made an amazing nabe with tons of vegies, tofu, noodles and meat.


ren showing maya his stringy candy. maya immediately ate the entire thing right after this shot.


the grandkids convinced jichan to channel elvis


our final meal in japan. fabulous okonomiyaki. maya even helped at the grill.


waiting for the grub


okonomiyaki, hiroshima style!


yakisoba coming up


yakisoba seconds before being devoured


thanks so much for the wonderful time jichan and baachan and the entire yumiba family! we had such a special time with you and can't wait to be back and see you again!

many, many congratulations to mei and shogo!

oxoxo
maya, jenny and kei