We're on a Trip, not a Vacation!

    One of my highlights of the trip was going to a matcha store in Tokyo because we got to try some of the ice cream and it tasted very  delicious.     Another highlights was the fish market sushi. We woke up at 5:00 and went with Brian to the fish market by train. Coincidentally we were seated at the same spot we had sat at the last two times and the sushi chef remembered us from before. The sushi was  delicious, especially the fatty tuna, but unfortunately Acadian had a hard time eating the fish because of his new expander so I tried to help by telling him to swish it down with soup and tea.      Next, we went to a train station store where we bought some bento boxes in preparation for our ~2 hour train ride to Nozawa Onsen. I chose two bentos: a katsu sandwich box and a chicken karaage box. I didn't end up eating the chicken until later, but they both tasted delicious. When we got to the Nozawa Onsen train station, we took a bus...

      Before we got to Japan, Mommy gave us a list of ramen places that were supposed to be good and asked us to choose one that looked good from there. I chose one called “Ginza Tsukiya” because it looked like it had good Tonkatsu ramen, which I love. We went there and all got a nice bowl of Tonkatsu ramen and followed the instructions on how to eat the ramen; there was a specific order in which to eat the ramen. There was a light but extremely flavorful broth and thin noodles that you could slurp down with ease. It was so good we ended up buying some ramen kits from them so we could eat it at home.      The next day, we went to the Studio Ghibli Museum which Mommy and Daddy had been waiting 16 years to go to (ever since their honeymoon). The museum was intricately designed and the building looked like it was brought to life from a Ghibli movie. There were tons of interactive activities that I enjoyed, and a lot of pictures that everyone else seemed t...

Frankie, Bryce's MCDS/Lick friend, asked him to paint a Little Free Library as a school project for her book club. He helped assemble the libraries in mid August and initially designed a cool underwater scene with marine life and a scuba diver.  He then proceeded to paint over it before deciding on a dragon. The whole process took months of him working on it over the weekends, with Kyusik's help to do some of the painting. The finished library is his first public piece of art and even more special because the custodians on 7th Ave are Lulu, Acadian's good buddy, and her family.  Bryce has been taking a wood joinery and turning class and produced a beautiful bowl. We are looking forward to a new coffee table as well, once his teacher orders the glass that will connect the two pieces together. He is also playing the piano in the beginning jazz ensemble and performed a couple solos at the fall jazz concert, which Grampy and Grammy were able to attend as they went to Grandparen...

 Bryce just finished this acrylic painting at art class.