Wednesday, January 9th - Sunday, January 12, 2025 - Arrival in Tokyo and time with our daughter and family

After the lengthy flight to Tokyo we arrived at the beautiful Okura Hotel.  What a spectacular room!!  We were upgraded to a higher floor which afforded us an incredible view from the 32nd floor.  At night, the lights from this fabulous city were shining brightly and we had an incredible view of the Tokyo Tower. We checked into our room and immediately went downstairs where our wonderful daughter, Misha, and family met us for dinner.  Our little granddaughters ran to us which brought tears to my eyes.  

They are 7 (well, almost) and 9 years old and are absolutely beautiful.  We are so fortunate that she lives in Tokyo so we were able to spend a few days together. It was absolutely thrilling for us to see our family again!  It meant so much to us to see her, our son-in-law, and our two precious granddaughters. 

Our daughter is very organized and planned lots of fun activities for us.  We packed a lot into our four days together.  On the first day we drove to a volcano and visited the crater where we went to the hot springs and rode a gondola.  Next, Misha took us to a beautiful, historic hotel, the Fujiya (oldest resort hotel in Japan), where we spent a fabulous night.  There was an elegant French restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. 

 

The next day we visited a museum dedicated to the glasswork and jewelry of Lalique.  Previously we had visited a factory outside of Bordeaux, France, where Lalique is produced and it was fun to visit a museum where we could see some of the older art items.  After touring the museum we had a relaxing lunch in the lovely sun room.  After lunch we had a leisurely drive back to Tokyo and prepared for dinner of tempura, which is one of my favorite cuisines.   We sat at the counter and the cooks just kept putting course after course in front of us.  I was full after about the 5th course but for some unknown reason I continued to consume the next 5 courses they put in front of me!!!  After dinner I slid off my stool and rolled out of the restaurant to the car.  After stuffing waaaay too much food in my mouth we made our way back to the hotel and turned in for the night. 

The next morning we visited a a museum dedicated to the famous Japanese artist, Hokusai, who lived in the late 1700's.  His art included a broad array of subjects including portraits, landscapes, plants and animals.  He was influenced by Van Gogh and Claude Monet and by the end of the 19th century, his art had spread throughout Europe. It was a fascinating visit and I enjoyed learning about an  artist of whom I was previously unaware.  

Once we finished our visit we headed for the local stadium. Misha and Naoki treated Bob and I to opening day at the Sumo Wresting competition.  Now, many of us in the United States are unaware of the magnitude of popularity of sumo in Japan.  It is at least as popular as the NFL in the U.S or soccer in Europe!  We quickly learned it was the opening day of the season.  We're not quite sure how our kids were able to secure tickets for us but we are very grateful to them, especially since this was a bucket list experience for Bob.  People were swarming to take photos with posters of the most popular wrestlers.  It was quite a learning experience and very enjoyable.  

Once inside the stadium we found a packed venue where the energy was electric!!!  People were practically hysterical with enthusiasm.  There were tourists from all over the world. It was an absolutely fascinating experience.  I didn't realize how important ceremony was in the competition.  Before the wrestling began there was a ceremony to purify and consecrate the ring.  There was a prayer for the safety of the wrestlers which was followed by a procession around the ring of taiko drums, announcing the start of the tournament.  

Once the wrestlers were in the ring they clapped their hands to attract the attention of the deities and they threw salt to purify the ground. A small group of young people holding flags from the club of the wrestlers made their way around the ring one time as the participants went through their routines in preparation for their match. Once the match starts, it is over quite quickly.  It is over when one of the wrestlers steps outside the ring, indicating he has lost the round. I was amazed at how agile these huge men were as they moved around the ring.  It was certainly a fabulous experience and one that we will never forget. We are so grateful to Misha and Naoki for the opportunity.

On our last evening we shared a very special and fun experience.  We celebrated our youngest granddaughter's (Emma) 7th birthday at a local magic club.  It was a small, intimate venue and Misha arranged for us to have front row seats.   The magicians were excellent and performed on stage, then came to the table and continued to do magic for our table.  The girls were absolutely spellbound, and the adults were mystified as to how some of the magic was performed.  A cake was presented to Emma and everyone sang happy birthday to her, during which time she was absolutely glowing.  It was such a fun way for us to spend our last evening together.  They even brought her onstage to help with a magic trick!

 

After an incredible four days our time with Misha and family came to an end and it was time to say goodbye.  It was sad to leave them but we are excited that they will visit us this summer and have time with their siblings and the cousins can play together.  Once back at the hotel I spent some time enjoying  the beautiful views of this spectacular city.