February 2013

 

 

 

 

 One Saturday we took a short trip to Yokohama, a major port city close to Tokyo.

 

 

 

In Yokohama we visited China Town.

 

 We didn't know it was the time of the Chinese New Year and there were lots of interesting things going on at the Buddhist Temple.

  Here is a picture of our English Class that we help teach.  We were having a Valentine's Day party on this evening.

Another Saturday we went to the Outdoor Architectural Museum.  It has many houses and stores that you can enter and see samples of Japanese architecture.  This picture is a farmhouse (probably about 100 years ago).

 

Here we are inside the farmhouse.  They burn a fire all year round because the smoke keeps bugs out of the thatch roof and also helps waterproof the roof (from the smoke residues). 

 

 

These are some of the stores that can be viewed.

 

 

 This is a fairly modern home.

 

 

The trees were just beginning to bloom.

 

 

Our next outing took us to Asakusa.  There is a Buddhist temple there.  As you approach it you walk down a street that is lined with souvenir shops.

 

 

This is the Shinto Shrine next to the Buddhist temple.  Shinto shrines are less colorful.  Below is a man praying at the shring. 

From Asakusa we could see the "Sky Tree" a very tall tower in Tokyo.

 

  We took a river boat ride to a man-made island called "Odaiba."  We had many nice views of Tokyo from the boat.  (The large golden thing in the picture above represents a sweet potato.  They sell roasted sweet potatoes here.

 A lady in her lovely kimono.

Odaiba Island

 
 Odaiba has a man-made beach.

 

They also have a Statue of Liberty (much smaller than ours).

 

                                                        Here we are on Odaiba.