Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Tokyo

  • 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…

  • Weekend In Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan

    Weekend In Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan

    It is a lovely Spring day in Tokyo. It is also the weekend. Our quiet neighborhood is abuzz with grandmothers on bicycles, old men doing tai chi in the park, and families out for a walk. We are a little lazy because we have been crisscrossing the country on a bullet train this week. We…

  • Nagoya Spring: Travel Goals Japan

    Nagoya Spring: Travel Goals Japan

    It is Springtime in Japan. After a brief trip from Tokyo on Japan Railways, we arrive at Nagoya Station. (I highly recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass if you are going to visit several cities. It is so convenient and affordable.) We have a very busy day in Nagoya ahead of us. There are more…

  • Cherry Blossom Tea: Travel Goals Japan

    Cherry Blossom Tea: Travel Goals Japan

    I have long dreamed of having a cuppa in a traditional Japanese tea house. At the National Museum in Tokyo, I unexpectedly find a lovely tea house in a beautiful garden and immediately want to go in. Better still, there is no wait. Off come my shoes and I am inside. The tatami mats are…

  • The Art Of War: Travel Goals Japan

    The Art Of War: Travel Goals Japan

    At the National Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, and a number of smaller palace museums there are displays of Japanese armor. Japanese armor first appeared in the 4th century, but during the 1000’s the unique Japanese  armour ō-yoroi and dō-maru appeared. I know next to nothing about Japanese armor. But “o” and “do” make me giggle. In fact, most of the suits…

  • Bullet Train: Travel Goals Japan

    Bullet Train: Travel Goals Japan

    I am riding a bullet train today. There is one leaving the station every few minutes. I can arrive and walk to the platform with absolutely no fuss. I am still in shock that for a small fee I will be in a city across the country in just a few hours. With a Japan…

  • Adventures in Grocery Shopping: Travel Goals Japan

    Adventures in Grocery Shopping: Travel Goals Japan

    One of my favorite things to do when we travel internationally is to hang out in the grocery stores. This is weird because grocery shopping is not something I enjoy normally. I would put it in the necessary inconvenience of modern life category. But a grocery store in an unfamiliar place is a cave of…

  • Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan

    Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan

    Today we visit the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo. While it is the primary residence of Japan’s Emperor, the inner palace area is closed to visitors. Instead, we head to the East gardens. Both the palace and the gardens are built on the grounds of the former Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. There are…

  • Beautiful Surprise: Travel Goals Japan

    Beautiful Surprise: Travel Goals Japan

    Just walking through Tokyo, we take a short cut suggested by Google Maps. We are on our way to Tokyo Tower to get an aerial view of the city. Google says we can walk through an ancient wooden door. My husband is leery because it is obviously not a street and Google has taken us…

  • TeamLab: Travel Goals Japan

    TeamLab: Travel Goals Japan

    With our son along for the experience, we journey across Tokyo to find teamLab. As we wander between office buildings and upscale retail, I am convinced we are lost. Finally, we find the entrance tucked in a remote corner of a very large, sterile mixed use building. We are directed to put our coats and…