Japan 2014

This is my longest post ever but our trip was 2 weeks long and I was pretty picky with the photos. 

We left for Japan on Saturday in the afternoon.

Our flight left for San Francisco at 3, so it was a prime time with happy kiddos.

Lincoln could not stop obsessing over the planes. He calls them "hoctors" which is short for helicopters...

As we waited at the San Fran airport we were learning quickly that babies don't have the greatest endurance when it comes to waiting, so we found it was best to let Lincoln explore.

At 6 pm our 11and 1/2 hour flight to Japan began...

entertaining him and keeping him from running around the plane took some creativity.

At around 1130 and some rocking and shushing Lincoln finally passed out!

But...he only slept for 45 minutes. Lincoln wouldn't go to anyone else so I was the lucky one to rock side to side while trying to lay as flat as possible in a chair for about 5 hours. It was literally the only way I could keep him asleep.

 Then they fed us...looks appetizing doesn't it?

He was so exhausted form horrible sleep he finally went to someone else.

The last 20 minutes were so turbulent that both ken and I got motion sickness. I asked Ken to get the sick bag ready while I held the very quiet, thumb sucking babe. I realized Lincoln wasn't feeling well either, when he tried more than once to climb off my lap so he could lay on the floor... He ended up vomiting all over us and the chairs. Sweet thing didn't even cry once! So he got to travel to our hotel in Tokyo wearing a sweatshirt and diaper. 

Our hotel was great and I was impressed we managed to get 4 hours of sleep!

We spent our day visiting the tallest tv tower in the world called the Tokyo Skytree tower.

That evening we got on another plane to Kokura. Sadly, they didn't allow us to check our stroller at the gate so I had to carry this big sleeping kid through the airport... It was becoming a trend.

 We got to Kens Aunt's home really late and passed out.

We all slept in one large space on mats called futons. We got another... 4 hours.

 cozy

 We decided to give Lincoln a break from tight quarters and take him out to see the sights.

 

 he's totally obsessed with "Jiji"

 Later that morning we got on the train to go into town to shop and have lunch.

Sadly, Lincoln fell asleep and missed most of it...

 We were able to visit one of the oldest castles in Kokura. On our first trip to Japan in 2010 we were able to come here, so bringing Lincoln was pretty cool.

 Because of the tight quarters and boys not sleeping so well... we were treated to a hotel.

It was pretty tight but Lincoln didn't seem to mind. We got to sleep 9 hours that night!! Totally worth it!!

The next day we split up from the grandparents and headed to Hiroshima. Jeff and Ken served their mission in Hiroshima and wanted a chance to visit again. 

This time Lincoln was able to really experience the train ride. And of course he loved it!

 

We had the great opportunity to take a little trip to Myajima island. 

On the ferry ride in you pass in front of the temple. They built the temple to look as if it is floating right on the water when the tide is in. It is a pretty interesting sight. 

I was a little nervous about Lincoln's reaction to the island because of the fact that deer roam freely around. They are incredibly friendly because they know they'll get fed. AND Lincoln has a sad fear of horses.

To my surprise, he did not even hesitate getting close to them. A few times the deer literally licked his face!

 We stayed that night at a beautiful Sheraton hotel right next to the train station

It had amazing views and a comfy bed. Again, we slept well.

The next morning we went to the nearby mall.

 something we really get a kick out of in Japan are the many errors in spelling or strange english they put on store fronts and clothing. One example:

For lunch we had one of Kens (not mine) favorite meals, omrice. It's basically a mound of rice covered in a big cooked egg, ketchup and Japanese mayo.

We were supposed to get on a train that afternoon to meet up with the grandparents in Wakamatsu. But instead Ken and I decided to stay another night in our fantastic hotel.

That next morning we were able to visit Kens old mission home

and the Peace Park. This building, which was a college library, is the last standing out of all the original. 

The museum was a little tough to get through with a baby on a leash though... yep we were one of those people...

Ken later took us through the city to a Subway he remembered on his mission (my husband knows me so well).

That night we grabbed one of my favorite treats, a waffle with chocolate and ice-cream in the center, and watched the trains.

The night ended in tears for no reason so we went to bed early.

The next day we got on another train and headed to Wakamatsu to meet up with the rest of the group.

We all went to dinner together and had to get creative with keeping Lincoln in his seat. The leash from his backpack proved to work well as a buckle. We learned through the trip that almost NONE of the highchairs in Japan had one... the worst nightmare to anyone with an active child. 

We stayed the night in Ken's great aunt's home. 

 Since we all had to share a bathroom, we showered as families to consolidate time. Coincidentally, Ken is holding Jay in the photo, we really had Lincoln with us...

 I'm impressed to say we all fit in the shower and the room next to it to get dressed (the accordion door is on the left in the photo). Although, there may have been a few elbows in ribs and stepping on toes.

The mall we went to had amazing distractions. And of course they had... a train!

 

That day we got on a 3 hour train ride to Oita. 

 Jichan and Bachan live in Sosasarame, a cove that used to only be accessed by boat. You can now get to it by a tunnel.

 

Right behind the 100-yr-old home is a stair way up the mountainside that leads to the town shrines.

We spent the last week at their home to really get a chance for the boys  and his great grandparents to bond.

The boys were getting a little antsy and Baba got their attention with a silly little Japanese song. Lincoln could not stop laughing!

Lincoln wreaked havoc on their home a few times.... the paper doors were one of his favorites to destroy. Ripping the door out happened before he ripped paper off of them...

We even resorted to using Ken's belt to tie Lincoln to a chair while he ate, which kept him focused so he'd eat... and not tear everything apart while we ate. 

We had some good friends of the family come and visit us for dinner. Lincoln may have had a little thing for Haruka and didn't want to sit anywhere else.

 Halfway through the week Jichan took us on his boat to another island where he booked us a stay at a local hotel.

When you first get to the island there is a cute little playground and small restaurant.

Lincoln got another chance to get his wiggles out. Which on this trip, was priceless!

 The hotel was actually a large home owned by a cute family with 6 girls! And the mother was pregnant with the 7th! And due that day! 

 To keep Lincoln from opening and closing all the doors every 2 minutes (his favorite new game) the boys played some darts.

 Not only was the mother ready to have a baby, but she cooked us dinner and breakfast. 

 The food she served was very traditional. I was a wuss and needed everything to be cooked.

 When in Sosasarame, the local grocery store was where we walked every day to get out and let Lincoln see the trains that passed by. 

If you can't see the signs on the back wall they say, "VEGEITABLE" and "FLESH FISH". 

It was nice to have nap times in a bed instead of a stroller.

Nap time and bedtime usually required winding down this spirited boy by watching home videos or a show.

Sometimes I could rock him.

 Twice a week a food truck comes to the neighborhood, which was very exciting for us. 

 One afternoon we rented a taxi  and Ken got the best seat. Being too big was a common occurrence in Japan.

 

Lincoln was not feeling the asian Colonel Sanders dressed as Santa Clause. 

I think they meant "Just For You"

 Saturday was our last day and we got on another train back to Kokura. 

Our taxi driver had known Ken and Kay since they were little and wanted to wait at the train station to see us off. He got the boys a little souvenir and even told a passenger on the train to move out of our way. It was thoughtful haha.

It was sad to say goodbye since we're not sure when we'll see them again.

 The next day in Kokura I found a salon selling Moroccnaoil. "Hair Design+playfulmind"

After dinner that night we drove to the airport. Tired Lincoln passed out and transferred perfectly to the stroller. But woke when the airline wouldn't let us check it at the gate AGAIN... 

Luckily, he was a good sport and played for a few hours. He passed out on the first flight, 1 1/2 hrs, then passed out again on the second.

He slept for 7 out of the 9 hours of the flight. I was so relieved  since the first flight was such a nightmare.

A flight attendant asked us if we wanted a bassinet and knowing he was too heavy, but desperate for him to sleep, we said yes. Being 27 lbs on a 24 lb max bed, I was slightly nervous it would break... But it held up!

He played for a few hours at the San Francisco airport during our layover and thankfully passed out again on the third flight!

Even though the plane was small, we didn't feel too much turbulence. 

We finally arrived home at midnight after 18 hours of traveling... AND Lincoln went right to bed letting us all sleep until 11 the next morning! For such a rough start to this trip it sure ended easily.

Its now safe to say after 5 days, we are all back to sleeping through the night again!