We heart Tokyo!

Ok, so first things first! We got a final picture of little Ivy Sara, from Okada-san attending a festival in her village. Obviously, we can't wait until Saturday, but we are trying to stay busy.
Here are some pictures that we have taken so far-- out of order, but oh well. Ok- so there is a picture of the 100 yen shop- which is like a dollar store- endlessly entertaining for me- Brian was a little bored. Also a picture of my new favorite book store in the world (and I've been in a few :). There is a picture of the Tokyo Tower- which we could practically touch from our lodging. A picture of our first successfully navigated meal in Japan (this one is for you Vicki!). Brian in front of a nearby Starbucks. I told him that this is like going to McDonalds-- and he didn't care. The Starbucks is exactly the same as any other Starbucks anywhere else- food offerings a bit different. A picture of some vending machines- they are EVERYWHERE! A picutre of our first glimpse of beautiful Japan from the window of the plane- and a picture of us on the plane too.

Ok- so we love Japan! It is a beautiful country, and we find the citizens delightful! Everywhere I look, I'm trying to soak up the experience so I can tell Ivy about it later. Its kind of hot here- and quite humid, but not as bad as South Carolina this time of year. We are trying to get comfortable with the area this week- so we can explore confidently with Ivy next week. Our lodging is very nice and spacious. It is situated at the foot of the Tokyo Tower- so we'll never get lost... you can see the tower from every part of town. Yesterday, when we woke up, we set out to explore a bit- and figure we walked about 6 miles or more. We had lunch in a noodle shop- somehow ordered and paid for it without speaking Japanese or english. It was delicious! We found the Roopongi Hills shopping area and did a little bit of shopping- but mostly just window shopping. There are coffee shops everywhere- litterally on every corner- which makes us very happy. At the end of the day, right across from our hotel we found a delightful bakery that has European style pastries. It was a nice way to end the afternoon of exploring.

We were pretty tired out from all the walking- Brian took a nap and I read for a while. I'm almost done with the book already (the only one I brought), but there is a lending library downstairs! We ordered dinner in and watched a movie on the laptop.

I know this is too much info for some of you, and not enough info for others of you... but there's so much to tell about this awesome experience, and we aren't even to the Awesome part yet! Saturday at noon is our big event-- synchronize your watches. More later...