Dek and Yukino

 

 

Dek became fast friends (and quite the flirt) with buddy Yukino, who he hadn't seen since they were babies. Both had a good time hanging out in Tokyo. Though Dek already exhibiting typical boy behavior by ignoring Yukino when she would share toys, and then refusing to share anything Yukino.  (Sigh who knew this started so early). Here they are enjoying a nice little moment in Ginza while we take a time-out from our walk about town.

Through Tokyo

 

 

We were pretty jetlagged when we got to Chisa's place. But we managed to wander about Shinjuku and Ginza a bit. We made it down near the fish market to try some sushi and then Dek had his first real Mochi. He was pretty cooperative though navigating the big city with a stroller required some skills in finding elevators and ramps, but we managed to have a good time.

Transit to Tachigawa

 

 

 

 

We made it. Us and our 3 luggages (only 1 big one surprisingly for a whole month in Asia with a little one, I'd like to pat myself on the back for that killer packing job).  We stopped at an ATM, bought bus tickets, called Chisa and were on our way. The bus was one of those nice big coach varieties where you can sleep. It took us over 2 hours in traffic to go from airport (to the East of Tokyo) out to the suburbs. Luckily the announcements were in English too so we could figure out where to go> Dek and I were so tired we zonked out on the bus.

The Journey East

Terminal time

Airplane!

5 hours in

Where do I sit?

Let's start off. The first leg of the trip was Dulles to Narita - about 8,000 miles and a 12 hour plane trip. I had prepared for weeks about what we'd bring on the plane. Extra clothes for all of us. Snacks, enough to feed us for weeks. Toys. An enormous assortment of toys. In the end, there wasn't too much to worry about, Dek loved flying. What's not to love? He enjoyed the TV, juice in unlimited quantities and he even napped a good 5 hours at the end of the journey. ANA was a great airline to fly and even though we were in economy, I felt that it was a decent experience, until Derek spread across my seat and started sleeping in and warmed me up beyond belief. Note that Japanese airlines keep their cabins warmer than American ones and I found myself sweating even with just 2 layers on.  Dek had a mall making friends with other passengers, using the lavatory and even eating cabin food. His favorite of course was Soba  noodles. I, on the other hand, slept none of the flight and jet lag would soon be hell to pay.

The Big Trip

We are back from our trip to Asia. Lots to catch Dek-lovers up on how he fared on his first international trip in Asia. Here we are at the start at Dulles Airport before our first (of many flights). Sadly, that little panda backpack didn't make it out of the airport.  Sorry for the radio silence! Next stop: Tokyo!