Field Trip Fridays and Family Movie Night

When we got ready to start school this morning, Braxton asked if we could have pajama day. This reminded me that Fridays were often a fun day for him in school. In 3rd grade he had ‘Friday Fun’ which involved getting to play games on his chrome book. In 4th grade, they had something very similar. Dave and I decided to make Fridays from now on ‘Field Trip Fridays’. We completed school in the morning, so we would have the entire afternoon for whatever cultural activity we decided to do. Tokyo has so many things we want to visit, we could have a field trip everyday – and maybe we will. We are a family that loves a ritual though, so Field Trip Fridays it is!

Pizza in Japan

For lunch, we decided to try out pizza in Japan. It will be fun to see each countries take on pizza throughout the year. Japan did a really great job! They had a no cheese option for Braxton which he was super excited about. There were only personal size pizzas, but the variety was remarkable, with some really interesting topping options including squid. We all went with something familiar, but look forward to coming back here again to try something new.

A Surprise Garden

After lunch, we planned to visit the Sumo Museum. According to Google maps the museum should have been tucked off to the side of the Sumo Arena. We walked back and forth in front of the arena a couple times before we figured out that there was a tournament later on today, so the museum was closed.

There was an entrance to what looked like a garden ahead of us, so we decided to check it out. This is my favorite thing about Japan so far – there is something new around every corner! The garden was a beautiful oasis right in the middle of the city. We enjoyed walking around and there was a small pond in the middle with koi fish and turtles.

Change Of Plans – Sword Museum

After exploring the garden, we decided to check out a different museum close by – the Sword Museum. This was interesting, but not something we stayed at for very long. I embarrassed myself by saying ‘yes’ in Spanish instead of Japanese to the lady selling us tickets. It was bound to happen eventually. The most interesting thing there was a sword that dated back to the 1100’s. We enjoyed seeing all the different parts that are constructed to make one sword. As with most things here in Japan, it has a lot of history and symbolism behind it.

Finding Personal Space and Family Movie Night

Something that has proved difficult here in Tokyo, is finding personal space. In Costa Rica, Dave and I enjoyed coffee on the deck daily. It was a place we could retreat to and have some space from the kids. In Tokyo, balconies are not used for sitting and are simply for utility (i.e. laundry). There’s even a sign that warns you against putting any furniture outside. Our microfiber towels came in handy again, as Dave I found a way to get some much needed personal space! We sat on opposite ends of the balcony and savored our coffee – kid free.

We enjoyed our traditional Friday family movie night after the kids indulged in some screen time. Everyone was excited to try out the different treats in Japan for our movie snacks. We got a variety for everyone to share. We are slowly making our way through the Rocky movies and watched Rocky IV – my favorite. It was a great end to our first week in Tokyo!