japan- part two

one thing i noticed fairly quickly in japan are the drink vending machines that dot the corners and streets. they did have "american" drinks, but i liked to try the japanese ones. this one had little jelly cubes in it!
and, check out the size of that ant!

these fish flags were fairly common, too, but maybe just because it was golden week. golden week is a week with four (i think?) holidays in the same week, so lots of people take work off and celebrate. it kind of made for some crowded sights, but it was also nice to be able to spend more time with ryan. i think the fish were for children's day.

these flowering bushes were everywhere! they were so bright and beautiful! these first few pictures were taken at our niece savannah's school- the american school in japan, or ASIJ. her brother, cole, plays baseball there on sundays.

and more of robot park! i think these bouncy robots are so cute!

just a little demonstration for my boys!

there was this slide at the park that was made of metal rods that rolled as you slid over them! it was pretty long, and by the time you got to the end, your bottom was hot from the friction! how cute is that little girl?!

a view from the bottom. we both had to try it, and mr. o actually made a video of him going down! it is kind of loud.

here's a better view of that robot totem pole you got a glimpse of in the first post. gotta love robots!

the next day we went with ryan and savannah to tokyo tower. it was crowded, but the japanese are so organized and efficient that there wasn't much wait or chaos. we went to the first observation deck, and it was an experience just to ride in the elevator, with the lights changing colors as we went up, along with the chime-y music!

here's a view from a little window in the floor of the first observation deck.

and a couple views of tokyo. the city seems to go on forever, with countless clumps of skyscrapers in every direction! you can also spot some parks, temples, shrines, and cemeteries.

we also felt our first earthquake while we were in japan! we were hanging out at the house when the couches started shaking- it was the most bizarre feeling! it lasted a good thirty seconds or so, and jen had an earthquake alarm on her phone that said it was a 5.8 and about 20 miles away. we were pretty excited to have that experience, and grateful it wasn't worse, of course. i can't imagine how they felt last year during the big one- so terrifying!

read part one here!