Found some pretty big caterpillars which turned out to be convolvulus hawk moth caterpillars. They are common throughout most of the world, except north and south America. These guys were happily munching on flowers, getting fat so they can morph big and strong.
 |
| Convolvulus Hawk Moth (image from Google) |
These are interesting! The animal shapes of these crackers are a bit blobby, so they label them. But the labels are so unique! When was the last time you saw a rat or peafowl in a box of animal crackers? And what is a M. Duck?? Does it stand for mallard? I have no idea!
Here's a new game prize I found at an arcade. Scary little soulless children! Thrilling!
Found a koi pond with pretty pink lotuses. Japan is full of beautiful treasures! The koi would come up to you and nibble your fingers and let you pet them!
We just had to show Bruce the big Buddha and huge shrine in Kamakura. If you're in town, they are must-sees. We got to go inside the Buddha where you can read about how it was built. It was built in the 1200s from 30 pieces of cast bronze. Amazing! The original Buddha had been wooden, and was destroyed in a very bad storm. Then, after the bronze one was made, it actually floated away in a flood, and where it sits today is where it landed. The Buddha used to be completely covered in gold, but almost all of it is gone today, with only a tiny bit left behind his ears. I always love visiting Kamakura! It's full of beauty, history, and great food! |
| On the train to Kamakura. |
 |
| Bruce on the train. |
 |
| Cool brick planters! |
We spent a few days in Tokyo with the goal of visiting Edo Castle. Well! That was an adventure. Our friend Bruce and I became like Scully and Mulder working on a case. There is SO, SO much conflicting and fake information regarding Edo Castle online. It's extremely confusing. After hours of researching, we were left believing it could be any of 4 different buildings on the Imperial grounds. There are ruins on the grounds of the foundation of the original Edo Castle that burnt down in the 1600s, but no other information about the rebuilt castle (which many sources had said it was rebuilt). Well, after days of searching and studying and taking a tour of the Imperial Palace and grounds, it turns out that Edo Castle doesn't exist!! It did, in fact, burn down in the 1600s, however it was never rebuilt. The royal family lives in the Imperial Palace, and the only piece of Edo Castle that exists is the empty stone foundation. So, if you ever google or research Edo Castle, all pictures that come up are NOT of the castle! They are all of other buildings on the Imperial grounds, even though most of them are labeled as the castle - it's not true! Even if you google the Imperial Palace, almost all the photos are of other buildings on the grounds - you'll be hard pressed to find a photo of the Palace, which is quite underwhelming and plain. If any of you had planned on travelling to Tokyo to see the castle, just know that Edo Castle doesn't exist, and most info online about it is false! |
| Mt. Fuji viewing tower - NOT Edo. |
 |
| One bridge entrance to the grounds. |
 |
| One of the guard towers - NOT Edo. |
 |
| Another guard tower - NOT Edo. |
 |
| The very first pack of instant ramen ever made in 1958! |
 |
| My cup! |
 |
| My delicious flight! |
We finally got to visit a cat cafe!!! It's been on our to do list for months. It was amazing! They had the cafe decorated up for Halloween, and a few of the cats had costumes on! They had unlimited refreshments that you could drink as you hung out with the cats. They had a great variety of breeds (even a calico munchkin!) and they were soooo beautiful and playful. We will definitely be going back!
