Japan Day-by-day

Flights over:

• ABQ to IAH
• Neighbor guy was very excited about his trip to meet his "girlfriend" courtesy of foreignladies.com
• A lot of turbulence, but made it okay
• IAH to MCI
• Taco for meal at IAH
• Sent a few messages to family in the area to say hi
• Neighbor from Mexico recently was out in San Francisco
• Across the aisle a librarian of 31 years for the KC School district
• Mellow landing
• MCI to SFO
• Auto kiosks for ticketing were off until 04:00 CST
• Installed updates on my laptop
• Found working power outlet under a water fountain & across from the United ticket counter
• Thankfully, one store was open 24 hours, grabbed a chicken pesto Panini
• Charged my devices, and watched my stories
• Free upgrade to 1st class on the plane
• Slept through nearly everything
• SFO to NRT
• Ate "breakfast" croissant
• Bought my dad his requested liquor, but it wouldn't fit in my packed carry-on
• Plenty of room on the plane though (thankfully)
• A lot of newer movies & some games
• Full meal nearly immediately after takeoff
• Only a 10.5 hour flight
• Custom forms were "fun"
• At least 10 stewardesses
• About 1.5 hours from NRT we got fed again
• Day 1
• Walked to Hotel from Ueno, with only a minor hiccup (construction confusion)
• Taiyaki stop en route to dinner
• Nice art gallery, friend grabbed some postcards
• Found some $150 computers
• Went to Yodobashi Camera Akiba
• Bought a new Nikon camera, and the battery was already fully charged
• Shabu Shabu was different, but still good
• Sent detailed directions from landing to Ueno to hotel for Wohlford
• Day 2
• Just in time for breakfast
• Walked to Ueno
• Browsed at the traditional sweet shop on the way
• saw several "clubs" en route too
• Went to Japan Sword
• perused the museum upstairs
• bought a practice pair of swords and stand
• bought a book about tsuba (hand guard) art
• got a free tenugui (long cloth)
• Stopped at a nearby shrine
• Walked back from Suehirocho station
• Dropped off swords/other in the room
• Taiyaki en route to lunch
• Ramen for lunch
• Wandered around Akihabara (Akiba)
• McMillan bought the nicer camera the lady tried to sell me the day before
• Figure stores galore perused
• Played a Final Fantasy game in the arcades (got our Arcade cards)
• Played a shooting game
• Dinner at Lawsons (convenience store)
• Day 3
• Nearly missed breakfast (again)
• Went to Comiket
• All ads on the train were for Otamart
• Nearly all on day one of Comiket was BL
• Bought a guide though where we found out about the better days to attend
• Yakitori for "lunch" at 14:00
• Went to "Docks" shopping area on Odaiba
• Neighborhood Ramen/Noodle shop for dinner with a Taiyaki stop beforehand
• Other friend delayed at least 3 hours
• Day 4
• Tsukiji
• Found good knives, but you definitely paid for them
• grabbed a pink/white fish paste roll
• not nearly as bad as last time
• too many tourists not even buying anything
• Yoshinobu for lunch, which is an unagi chain store (eel)
• Comiket again
• Wohlford already had blisters on his feet and moved VERY slowly
• closed before we got to the area that was really interesting that day
• Maidreamin
• Free idol show from the last visit
• Made Wohlford get all 3 pictures
• just missed last call for food orders
• PayPal taking care of hotel monies
• Sushi at Ueno Station for dinner
• Day 5
• Missed breakfast (found out if tablet is shutoff the alarm doesn't actually auto start)
• Had meat buns instead
• Zojoji temple
• takoyaki
• bought Hello Kitty masks
• Jizou status trail
• Tokyo Tower
• Went to wrong station (my mistake in old directions was a letter off on the station)
• We walked quite a ways (over 30 minutes)
• found some nice shots
• went to both levels
• got some souvenirs
• Crepes were had out front
• Skipped Sengakuji temple
• Sky Tree
• Eel place for dinner
• Yushima shrine at midnight
• Lost Wohlford, enjoyed some takoyaki though, and found him before we left
• Day 6
• Hard to get the boys up after the late night at the shrine
• at Tansuya got a nice coat to wear with my kimono from last trip
• Sensoji Temple
• enjoyed several shops in the area
• boys got some Good fortunes
• I got a minor bad one - can't get married this year
• We all tied them to the post
• Found Geta & Zori shoes in my size
• Ueno Park
• went to the hilltop shrine
• skipped going into the shrine in the middle of the pond
• foreigners kept feeding the birds, right in front of the don't feed the birds signs
• Zigzagged back to the hotel to avoid > 10 blocks of the line to the Yushima Shrine
• Akihabara
• Wohlford got Kelliker a present
• Kyoei Sport was closed
• at Shosen book store, we all bought a few books
• Had all but one of the remaining JLPT practice exam books
• Nadeshiko Sushi was delicious
• Yodobashi Camera
• Got last needed JLPT practice exam book
• Totoro gifts
• Day 7
• Emperor visit
• Wohlford picked up a chick for the duration
• Emperor still didn't answer when I said "wassup"
• Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Surprisingly quiet near Harajuku
• Harajuku
• Almost missed Kiddyland's Hello Kitty level
• Oriental Bazaar was closed
• at Condomania Wohlford got condoms
• Still no kimono for Wohlford's mom
• Delicious food stalls
• Akiba
• Wohlford scored another fukubukuro (lucky bag)
• Got a Nexus 7 for < $80
• Arcade fun
• found can only use RFID card on one machine at a time (no sneaking extra points)
• Day 8
• Mitsubashi Mae Station
• Tomoya Wakai traditional instruments and harp playing
• Tailor would take through February to make a suit
• Missed Kabuki by 15 minutes
• Laundry day
• Taiyaki for pre-dinner & dessert
• Jonathan's for dinner
• Beef Stew Omelette rice
• All-you-can-drink bar (soft drinks)
• Day 9
• went to Tokyo station
• Got our JR pass (in a very hot room)
• Rode a Shinkasen to Shin-Osaka 
• which was faster than the Google guessed
• Got to Koyasan after dark
• Last cable car up for the night
• Thankfully found an open temple with a room
• Too late for dinner though
• Wohlford extra snoring
• Nice Kotatsu in the room though
• Day 10
• Morning meditation for about 1.5 hours
• breakfast in our room (though there was a sign for the breakfast room near the meditation room)
• Went through Okunoin
• vast graveyard
• Rode bus back to cable car station with several large bag-carrying Aussies blocking the aisles
• Made it to Kobe
• Had steak at A-1
• very tasty
• not too expensive (~$140 for 3 meals and 1 drink)
• Capsule Hotel
• HUGE bath
• Large Manga collection & several PCs upstairs
• Vagabond by Inoue Takehito was written down for future reference on a good looking manga
• Day 11
• Hiroshima
• Early morning Shinkansen
• Castle (restored) museum
• Parks
• A-Bomb Dome
• Nuclear museum (very depressing)
• Miyajima
• Torii in the water
• not buried, but stands on its own weight
• Anago for dinner (sea eel)
• Very nice owner of dinning and hotel store
• Went through shrine
• Kyoto via Shinkansen
• Hotel Westin 3 beds @ 23:00 JST
• Only 3 nights available at a great price
• Used card, but couldn't swing the ANA bonus points
• Tried to get a Starwood account to sneak them post-checkin
• Day 12
• Kyoto
• Went to Nat'l Art museum
• swords up close was a 60 minute wait
• Pottery
• Clothing
• Monkey exhibits (year of the monkey)
• Mister donut for breakfast
• Okonomiyaki for lunch
• Manga museum
• tons of manga available for reading
• few exhibits
• Kyoto Yodobashi for dinner
• Noodle shop
• Had some kids books for sale
• A few of the elementary books looked harder than JLPT5
• Day 13
• Kyoto
• Bamboo forest
• Wohlford got a kimono for his mom
• McMillan got fabric owls & bamboo shop owl for his grandma
• lots of traditional shops/goods
• breakfast across in the station
• lunch are near long hike through park
• had takoyaki, ramune and crepe
• stopped back at hotel
• dinner at mall across street
• Ramen
• Got Hip-Hop CD & Phone charm
• Got sword keyring for brother
• Got nice fan with Falcon
• Day 14
• Had to check out of nice hotel
• Omurice for breakfast
• Went to the Inari Shrine
• climbed up to the summit via back way with a waterfall
• climbed down via steps with a lot of people
• Giant serving of Yakisoba for lunch
• went to Goin district, but most shops were closed
• Unagi set for dinner
• Stayed at Ryokan/capsule hotel
• amazing English at front desk
• basically a 1K apartment with foldable foam mattresses
• Day 15
• Tried to stop by traditional food shop recommended by front desk, but it didn't have breakfast
• Mister Donut self-service at the station though
• Killed some time in a bookstore
• bought Shinsengumi book
• Shinkansen to JR lines to Fuji city
• lunch at one of a few open spots in town
• Then to normal Mt. Fuji station
• Walked to Wohlford's "shot"
• JR back to Ueno
• Walked through park back to hotel
• Dinner at the noodle place
• Taiyaki stops before and after
• Laundry
• Day 16
• Ikebukuro wandering
• Stopped at #1 Ramen shop for lunch
• 60 minute wait in line
• Akiba wandering
• found used item store
• bought Balman some sake
• Nadeshico sushi round 2
• Day 17
• Japan Sword round 2
• Joypolis
• Indoor amusement park
• Korean BBQ for lunch
• Akiba to get a tablet for Wohlford
• Split up for dinner
• Random noodle shop en route to hotel
• taiyaki of course too
• Wohlford had McDonald's
• Day 18
• Kabuki
• bento with onigiri for lunch
• two great older ladies were beside me
• Recharged Pasmo 2,000 yen, already had done another 1,000 yen previously
• Afternoon (17:00) Akiba
• No luck on laptop
• lost & found Wohlford
• Dinner at Yodobashi
• Had a whole ika (squid)
• Day 19
• Found out I couldn't mail liquor
• Tokyo Dome City
• Skipped the festival of food
• Did Roller-coaster (Thunder Dolphin)
• Sushi for lunch
• Crepes afterwards
• Jump store was lackluster this time
• Akiba
• Got laptop
• Ueno wandering for dinner
• Okonomiyaki eventually
• Wohlford walked through "yellow light" district
• Found couldn't get 5 tickets to Ghibli museum
• Day 20
• Mailed our swords back home
• Met Matty & Elizabeth for lunch
• Tokyo station Ramen
• Slightly better Jump store
• Another Totoro item
• Went to Harajuku again
• Oriental Bazaar was open
• Kiddyland
• 100 yen store
• Origami "museum"
• Taiyaki
• Shinjuku for dinner with Matty & Elizabeth
• HUGE station caused some issues
• Matty stopped by for a few drinks with Wohlford
• Almost missed the last train back to Shinjuku
• Day 21
• Later start (forgot about alarm again)
• Went to Sky Tree
• McMillan grabbed another candy art to take back
• Stopped at Art Gallery again
• Grabbed ~$80 laptop for my brother
• Ramen for dinner
• Boys went to arcade, while I did laundry & relaxed
• Day 22
• Heading to Sumo put another 1,000 yen on the Pasmo
• Gen Admin were sold out
• Went next door to the Edo-Tokyo museum
• lunch on the 7th floor at nearly 15:00
• Wohlford split ways after lunch and didn't finish museum
• finished museum after lunch
• tried and failed to get to pawn shop (it was closed)
• Back to Akiba
• McMillan got some figures
• Went to Sengoku Cafe for dinnner
• Dude next to us spent over $100 by himself (our combined bill was less than $60)
• Last day
• Sleet/Snow/Rain
• Went to a couple game shops
• including Retro Game
• Met Matty at Ueno for final Ramen lunch
• Went back to hotel to get bags
• Wohlford was powering through and we lost him
• he ended up on a faster/more expensive train ride back
• our train had some delays, but saved us a few dollars
• Met up with Wohlford at the gate for the flight
• NRT to ORD
• GREAT ANA flight
• Enjoyed 2 Japanese & 2 Bollywood movies, plus the food
• ORD to MCI
• Customs wasn't as bad as last time
• neither was security
• Changed clothes & socks
• Grabbed snack
• ended up on a partner/partner tiny plane and had to check carry-ons
• Stewardess was too large to fit down aisle without bumping everyone in an aisle seat
• MCI to DFW
• TSA checked our big checked bags messing up all the packing
• I had a 9 hour layover before ticket gate opened, as it closed 10 minutes before we landed
• Rearranged checked bag
• Tested new laptop
• Went through work emails
• Played new games on the Nexus 7
• Chatted with Matty & more
• DFW to ABQ
• Grabbed a snack, that I ended up finishing on the plane
• Slept from takeoff to landing

Had to grab a cab back home, as everyone was in class, but made it, unpacked, ate, and then passed out for about 14 hours before work the next day.