Prisoner of Hopes

Category: travels

  • Museum Opening: Travel Goals Japan

    Museum Opening: Travel Goals Japan

    It is opening weekend at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. We are excited to visit. Unfortunately so are thousands of Tokyo residents. There are lines to form lines to get in line to buy tickets. Suddenly, I am not sure this is such a good idea. But we are firmly in the line to get to the…

  • Zoo In the Rain: Travel Goals Japan

    Zoo In the Rain: Travel Goals Japan

    I love zoos. At least I love them when they are modern, champion conservation, and have plenty of room for the animals. National zoos are usually stellar, so we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to visit the National Zoo of Japan. We head to Ueno park, even though it is raining. We are…

  • Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    We came to Kanazawa to see the castle. But the cherry blossoms are at their peak and a world famous garden sits just across the street. Kenroku-en garden is considered one of the best traditional Japanese gardens in Japan. I feel lucky to see it as the pale pink blossoms blanket the garden. It is…

  • Kanazawa Castle: Travel Goals Japan

    Kanazawa Castle: Travel Goals Japan

    Visiting Kanazawa castle requires us to take a train from Tokyo to Kanazawa station and then a bus to some spot further into the city . The bus stops are unnamed. This will be challenging. I have no idea if we are in the right spot, but the gps thinks so. So we hop off…

  • Tokyo Disney: Travel Goals Japan

    Tokyo Disney: Travel Goals Japan

    While we are in Japan, we decide we need to head over to Tokyo Disney. This has not been as easy as it seems because they don’t sell tickets on the property and for whatever reason I had a lot of trouble purchasing through the Tokyo Disney app. I finally worked everything out and today…

  • Our Very Odd Day In Odaiba: Travel Goals Japan

    Our Very Odd Day In Odaiba: Travel Goals Japan

    Odaiba is a teenager’s dream destination. We ride into the area on a futuristic area aerial train. It is raining steadily, making the harbor dark and gray. It is also cold and windy. Hopefully we can find plenty of indoor activities to keep us busy. Leaving the rail station, we cross the elevated walkways along…

  • Fuji-San: Travel Goals Japan

    Fuji-San: Travel Goals Japan

    When you think of Japan, you think of Mount Fuji. Iconically shaped, Fuji is a stratovolcano. At 12,389 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan. My first glimpse of the mountain was from the train as we made our way to Kyoto a few days ago. It looked close enough to touch even from…

  • Skagway, Gateway To The Klondike: Travel Goals Alaska

    Skagway, Gateway To The Klondike: Travel Goals Alaska

    I was a big fan of “Northern Exposure”. In fact, I just watched the series again recently. New York City Doctor in the wilds of Alaska makes for some fun television, mostly due to the quirky locals. It seems wild and unsettled. Walking the streets of Skagway after the cruise ships leave port, I can…

  • Yokohama Adventure: Travel Goals Japan

    Yokohama Adventure: Travel Goals Japan

    Yokohama. When I hear the word, I see images in my head of ancient streets and trading ships. I see GI’s sending products home after WWII and wandering dark alleys. I don’t know what put those images there, probably a book I read or a movie I watched. All I really know is that it…

  • Matsumoto Afternoon: Travel Goals Japan

    Matsumoto Afternoon: Travel Goals Japan

    Matsumoto, Japan is the kind of town that I quickly come to love. It is quirky. And boy do I love quirky. It has history and culture and food. Apparently, the town mascot is a frog. I love that we keep running into frog statues in all shapes and sizes. We have spent the morning…