Sam's Visit to Japan

In late April, Sammy visited me! We had a fabulous time running all over Japan. Here are just a few events in the two weeks that he was here. Tokyo was first on the list of sites to see. We did the major sites such as the Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya and even ventured to Kamakura.

Traditional Japan!

There are a lot of people in Tokyo and I seem to forget that aspect when bringing first timers there. It might be a city that one needs to ease into and take multiple trips to before the real love for the city evolves. Or perhaps I am just a true city girl at heart! I certainly hoped he liked it but was amazed by the amount of bodies in the metro and train stations. Considering I did take him to the busiest station in the world where about 3 million people pass through it in one day!

Shibuya Crazy Crossing!

Our trip to Kamakura was a bit more relaxed with a nice walk around the big Buddha and a walk through the beautiful gardens of various shrines. I introduced Sam to an assortment of Asia foods and was so surprised to find he actually enjoyed it; even sushi!

We left Tokyo on Saturday to find ourselves in Niigata-ken (my home) for the weekend. My birthday week started on Saturday when my wonderful friends through a great birthday celebration for me! The afternoon started when Sam and I arrive in Kashiwazaki from Tokyo. Sam had the pleasure of meeting Jamie and Michelle and we began our time with a nice stroll on the beach! The day was beautiful so had to show off Jamie’s proud ‘coastal town’.

That night we all headed to a fabulous restaurant/bar for dinner and drinks. About 15 people came to help me celebrate my early birthday and Sam’s visit to Japan which was wonderful! I love seeing all my Kashiwazaki favorites together in one place. Loads of food and drinks came rushing to the table and the fun began! After we had cake and our fill of socializing, we all headed to karaoke for more! Nice, Nice always offers the foreigners a great drink special and more songs than one can sing. Sam was a bit leery of karaoke at first however, ended up enjoying the box style singing in the end. Sunday Sam and I drove through the country hills of Niigata to my apartment. We had a nice rest followed by meeting Michelle and some more Japanese friends for dinner in Nagaoka.