It started with a flight out of Chicago. Which was supposed to land in Narita at 3pm. But actually landed at 10pm. With immigration, baggage claim, and customs to go through before the last train at 10:41. And we made it!
Despite having endured 5 hours on the tarmac, and being rerouted, Mebbie and I actually managed to make it into Tokyo on Thursday night.
We then spent the next two days on a whirlwind tour of Tokyo- Asakusa, Ginza, Tokyo Imperial Palace, Ueno Park, Monjayaki Dori...
But there were two definite highlights: Taya Caverns in Yokohama and the Diabutsu (giant Buddha- pictured above)in Ushiku. Brian managed to find both when he was here, and I'm really glad we followed through on his recommendations. The Taya Caverns are this warren of rooms and tunnels that monks carved out of solid rock over the course of centuries. You walk through carrying just a candle, and looking at the incredible carvings that they put into the walls. It was meant to provide places that monks could be alone to pray, and it feels like a completely different world.
In contrast, the Ushiku Diabutsu is the largest statue in the world- it's about 3 times the Statue of Liberty. It was built in 1993, and is immense. It's a really amazing experience to see something that big, and the beautifully landscaped gardens around it are wonderful. Highly recommend both of these.
Mebbie's around for the next few weeks- we'll be doing a roadtrip down south, then taking a quick trip to Seoul, in addition to hanging out at home. Should be fun.
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