Tokyo II

good old Shibuya. Lights and crowds!

Ate yoshinoya. Yup, the same chain all over America. Much better in Japan and it has a decent salad and the same cool dressing container I saw in the Busan airport for my jam.
Naka Meguro. Ate lunch in the cafe upstairs. It was cool cuz it was a nice small place with 5 tables. Two cooks in the kitchen and a server. So lots of employees provided great food for a room that didn't fit many people.


Daikanyama. One of our friends got a haircut, so I was sitting outside. This is a heater with a LeCrueset pot they used for potpourri.
The lighting and tight architecture creates a warm ambiance in Tokyo side streets. The close, small streets are balanced by the clean streets.

Tokyo II, Ghibli Museum

Deux Chavaux on the way to the Ghibli museum, we saw this Citroen 2cv. If you are gonna have a car in Tokyo, might as well be a cool one.

Crazy big koi in the river. Wild pretty koi in a river in the middle of the city. I like Japan lots.
So this is the Ghibli museum. Thought we were gonna spend maybe an hour or two. We ended spending like 4 hours I think. It's a must see if you like Miyazaki films.
Totoro manning the ticket booth. haha.

Sorry no pics inside. It's banned but it is real cool!

Tokyo II

Cool bikes all over Japan. Love the bar brakes. Gonna be huge in the states soon.

woke up and ate sushi at 7am. Damn good!

soooo fresh.

Japan, trip to Hakone

Took a train to Hakone to go to the hot springs. Nice ride.

Small city with cool hot springs. It was indoor and outdoor. Sorry no pics, was afraid steam would mess up the camera. We stayed one night, had a great meal. Sadly, we didn't partake in the beauty of the area. The lake, hikes or historic buildings. We instead chose to make a dash back to Tokyo and overwhelm our senses some more.

Tokyo repeat, this time Christmas!

After leaving Vietnam, stopped by Taipei for a nite and picked up some folks. Went to Tokyo the next morning. This time got to explore with friends not work. yay!!!

Crossing the bridge next to Tsukiji, more on fish market later.

I have shown a photo of this bakery from my last trip but never went in. It's in Ginza and it looks super cool. Curved walls, smells delicious. Kinda like make believe.

Cool shop in Ginza. Yeah we went to Laduree and had some macaroons for a snack.

Vietnam VIII

Scooter ride before heading home. I rode with my cousin around the city. It was super packed on saturday nite and they drive pretty crazy. I recommend giving it a shot since you can get around the traffic where a car would get stuck for hours. Also wear a mask because my throat hurt for 4 days afterwards from the pollution. Not used to the air.

Evening traffic.

Vietnam airport. Much more modern than I expected. Sadly, everything will be updated and won't be much of an adventure to travel to Vietnam.

It was a cool trip. Never thought I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. It was very easy to feel at home in Vietnam. I guess knowing the language, familiarity with the culture and an open mind all helps. After 5 days it is time for my next stop. hehe.

Vietnam VII

One of the nicest meditation places I have ever been too. We visited a temple run my nuns. It is super clean and organized. Also out in the country so no neighbors, very quiet.

there lotus pond, they collect the seeds. Lots of fish which were huge, they don't eat meat so the fish grow lots. It is also connected to the local river so the fish have a place to hide here from people.

There rice patty. so nice. there were a couple acres of self sustained plants for the temple. Like 250 nuns I think.

they individually wrap the fruit on this tree to protect it from birds and insects. They also built covers on other fruit trees to protect it from the sun. You really have to have a deep knowledge of the plants your growing even if they are local.

Pic of a family on a scooter. hehe.