First Day In Yokohama — Foleys In Japan

After arriving in Yokohama, we had a full day and half before we would be given keys to our apartment. In the morning of the first day, we started off with breakfast at the delicious hotel buffet. The kids were happy to see that pancakes, french toast, and waffles were all available. We have probably eaten our weight in bread products so far.

One of the ways we got the kids excited about Japan was by telling them that they have awesome toy stores. Elsa had to run off to take care of some banking and residency stuff so the dudes and I decided it was time to visit Yodobashi Camera. This 8 story behemoth has all kinds of crazy stuff and each floor offers something different. We were headed for the sixth floor: the toy floor.

I'm not quite sure the kids were ready for what they saw. Toys are everywhere. I initially took them to the toy car section since that's what we promised them they would be able to pick out. We ended up spending about an hour walking the entire sixth floor before they came back to the car section and made their selections. In the end, Miles picked out a small playset for cars and Calvin and I both picked out a car to use with said playset.

When we reunited with Elsa, we went to a local Family Mart to grab some lunch. Family Mart is one of many popular convenience stores in Japan (7-11 and Lawsons are also popular). These stores have all kinds of cheap and delicious food and are pretty well respected with the locals. You see lots of people grabbing quick bites to eat while moving through a train station or on a lunch break. We picked out some onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, and sushi and went back to the hotel for a taste. Though they definitely didn't like everything, the dudes did a good job trying it all.

Getting a little restless sitting in a hotel, we decided to head out and check out a park close to our apartment. We hopped on a train (the wrong one at first) and headed to Minatomirai to visit Rinko Park. Being couped up in a hotel, the kids were happy to have some open field to just run around and play tag. We also grabbed some delicious bread products from the train station on our way and ate them by the water. [Elsa: The waterfront reminds me in many ways of sitting out by Boston Harbor. Always soothing for me to stop for a minute to just watch the boats and listen to the water...]