Okay, so when I first learned that my daughter was going to be living in Japan for a job contract with Disney, I immediately knew that I had to visit. I didn’t even give it a second thought. That’s where my daughter was going, so I would be going to visit. I am not a traveler – though I wish I was – but getting my passport and using it to go to Japan wasn’t exactly where I thought my first stamp would be from.
I was soooo excited to see my daughter and where she lived. I wanted to know all the ins and outs of her life there. I was more interested in what she did there vs. what Tokyo offered. Thankfully she had a few days off with us and was able to show us around and get us familiar with her new life. What I ended up realizing was that, I LOVED this whole culture. The people were the absolute friendliest people I’ve ever met. Also, it was so clean! I mean, immaculate – and while there was no trash/litter to be seen, there were no trash cans to be found. It was astonishing.
Where’s The Cars?
In all my life, I never used public transportation. It was our only means of travel in Japan and by the looks of it, that is how most people got around. Buses, trains and bikes. I was so proud of Kylie – being able to learn this transit system, all while trying to navigate through everything being written in Japanese! AND BIKES! Guys …it was pouring and there were men, women and children, riding bikes to work and school. All were nicely dressed in suits and dresses, holding an umbrella and riding their bikes. Some women had their children in the little cart behind them, covered in plastic and the rain didn’t stop them from going to where they needed to be. Let’s be honest here – I’ve heard people call in sick due to rain and no ride to work! That’s our work ethic here in the states (and I know that doesn’t apply to all but I’ve seen it time and again, first hand).
The etiquette and politeness was so great to see. It was honestly so refreshing to see people, even if they didn’t speak ‘my language’, try and communicate, be courteous and kind. People stood to the left side on escalators to allow others who wanted to walk up, have the space. There were always greetings when you walked into a public place and always with a smile on their face. I was so impressed – and also, so very thankful that my daughter lives in an area that is so safe, respected and well taken care of. And she is absolutely surrounded by the nicest people!
I will say – my favorite place to visit was Harajuku in Shibuya. I know, it’s probably not most peoples but I just loved the energy, the vibe and the crowds. I know that most people seem to like the more serene areas but I could have gone to Harajuku every single day! I think I even mentioned that to Kylie and she was like, “You want to go there again? Don’t you want to visit somewhere else?”
My Princess
We’ll get to the food in a sec but let’s chat about my daughter and her job! She is contracted to work at Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea. Ok, first of all – these places aren’t owned by Disney SO, everything about these parks were soooo much cheaper. The tickets to get in, the food, the drink and even the gift stores. It made our days so much more enjoyable knowing that I didn’t have to take out a small loan to get a water! (exaggeration …yes, but you know what I mean if you have been to Disneyland!). I am a proud momma for sure but I will admit, proud momma or not ….my princess is a natural performer! She is so professional – even seeing and interacting with her daddy and I, she maintained character the whole time. I loved seeing her with the children and some of her fans (yes …there are legit fans that go daily to see their princess!). While we saw her as Esmerelda as a greeting character at Disneyland, we were able to see her in the parade as Jasmine too! Watching her dance through this parade with Aladdin, greeting everyone on the side lines, just brought tears to my eyes!
Disney Sea is kind of their California Adventure. It was amazing. If you can only go to one park, I say go to Disney Sea! This is where we saw Kylie do her final appearance as Jasmine in the Tanabata Parade. Tanabata is also known as the Star Festival. It’s a yearly celebration & it was so nice seeing how people write ‘wishes’ and tie on various stands with colorful streamers, for the upcoming year. Anyway, the rain didn’t stop the parade – they wore plastic over their costumes but thankfully the rain stopped before their last appearance so we were able to see her in action without the plastic garb.
Eats!
Ok! I have a food blog and I love creating and posting recipes BUT on this trip, I realized I’m not a foodie! WHAT???! Here’s the thing. I’ve been doing this paleo thing long enough to know what foods work and don’t work for me. I like feeling good and I don’t like feeling bad (right?). I can and could have tried “all things Japan”, but I chose not to. So when you’ve dabbled in this space long enough, you begin to really just crave all the things that make you feel good. I didn’t want ramen! Everyone said, “You have to get ramen” but honestly, why? It doesn’t even sound good to me so why get it for the sake of saying I got it. Sushi?? Yes …cheap enough and evidently so good! But I’m not a sushi lover either so I opted to get eel when my hubby and daughter grabbed sushi. I still craved an egg, bacon and spinach for breakfast! I wanted a nice hunk of protein for dinner …with veggies and fat! I didn’t care to try all the baked delicacies because frankly, they just didn’t sound good.
What we did drink a lot of, were coffees! There were many little spots that offered almond or coconut milk. We actually ate at a Mexican restaurant 2 times! They had amazing fajitas and we just had to go back one last time before we left. The food there was so fresh. The egg yolk was bubbly and orange!!! The eggs everywhere, were so rich in flavor. The proteins were on point! I don’t know where their meats are sourced but they had an amazing flavor and very tender. I was so ‘ok’ with eating my way and not dabbling with other foods. I did try a couple of things that sounded good to me …(see below) but other than that, I stuck to what I know I like and what makes me feel good.
Little Nap Coffee Stand
So who would think that eating at a grocery store would be a thing? But let me tell you – I had THE BEST sweet potato I’ve ever had in my life and it came from the grocery store. There’s a little cart and the potatoes are cooked in the cart, then sit on hot stones, waiting for you to grab one. But you must get their early because they sell out quickly! We actually ate the potato & cooked chicken, in the store (they have seating and various other food places…… Kylie even brought along her ghee and garlic salt!) I actually recreated this delish sweet potato the other night at home and I’ll be sure to share the recipe with you soon because it’s the best! And then you can have a little taste of “Tokyo” ….haha.
I learned – I’m Not a Foodie…
That’s really it for food. See? This is what I’m saying…..I’m not as much of a foodie as I thought I was. I didn’t care much about the food culture and what I needed to try while I was there – I was still mindful about fueling my body with foods that I know make me feel good. I wasn’t depriving myself. Trust me. If I wanted it …I would get it. In fact, there was a gluten free/vegan donut place that we HAD to try and also a purple sweet potato ice cream spot, that my daughter had been wanting to try since she’d been there, so we made sure to get one of those. It didn’t disappoint! So my advice, is to do you. When you travel, try all the things that make you happy! And that goes the same for not trying things that you know won’t serve you (meaning – don’t let the peer pressure or surroundings persuade you, if you’re not feeling it). You know ‘you’ best. So this is your decision, your body and your happiness …..make the food choices accordingly. I did me and I regret nothing! And I felt amazing the whole time.
All in All
This trip was amazing from start to finish. Walks with my hubby in the early morning, chats with my daughter over coffee, taking a Cardio Barre class with her, communicating with the language barrier, seeing my daughter in action, fighting for a spot on the train, walking miles and miles each day and just seeing how others live. I couldn’t have planned this trip any better than it was. I will always be grateful for this opportunity. If it weren’t for my daughter and her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and do this job in another country, I would have never made this trip. I’m so proud of my little princess. What a freakin’ amazing opportunity this was for her! She has always been our princess but now she lives in ‘a whole new world’ (see what I did there?) and is living out many little girls’ dreams. And this is only the beginning. I can’t wait to see what else life has in store for her!
Jaa ne …..Koko ni ite kurete arigatō! (See you ….Thank you for being here! – I hope that’s what is says …..
