I took photos of my kids’ Suica passes because I knew they would lose them and was hoping the picture would get me a replacement. Amazingly enough, they never lost them, although they did leave them at home and had to purchase train tickets once they got to the station on several occasions.

This pass allowed them to go from Takadanobaba to Tamachi and back as many times as they wanted. They could also get off or on at any station between those two stations on the west side of the Yamanote Line (including Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Meguro, Shinagawa, etc.)

This pass was Ryan’s. If you can read Japanese, you can see his name and age personalized on the bottom in the middle. The cost was about $400 for six months, which was the regular price for an adult. For kids 12 and under and those going to “qualified schools” (TIS wasn’t one of them) the price is much less.

You can also use a Suica card in many stores and vending machines if you put some extra yen on it.

Posted on April 19th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: ryan, Tokyo, trains. Comments Off on Suica Smart Card

Another random wallpaper of the day offering… This is my daughter sporting a Nishi-Waseda (西わせだ) Happi Coat for one of the many festivals we enjoyed in Tokyo.

That’s a 7-Eleven in the background. Although founded in the USA, 7-Eleven is now a Japanese company. There are far more 7-Elevens in Japan than anywhere else in the world. You can find almost 2,000 of them in Tokyo alone! In the USA I enter a 7-Eleven about once a year. While living in Japan I entered one, or a similar store (like Lawson, FamilyMart, etc.), daily. They are far more interesting, and have a much larger selection in Japan. It’s also the place to do your banking, buy concert tickets, etc.

Posted on April 17th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: ellie, nishi-waseda, Tokyo. Comments: 1

Here lies Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan. He began the Edo Period, which lasted for over 260 years, and moved the capital of Japan to Tokyo (Edo) where it has remained ever since.

My first trip to Toshogu in Nikko didn’t include a visit to his grave as it isn’t in the “regular” part of the shrine. My Toshogu pass on my second visit did include admission to his tomb. The stairs leading to Ieyasu’s grave includes this fantastic view.

Posted on April 15th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: cemetery, nikko, toshogu. Comments Off on First Shogun’s Grave

My random wallpaper for the day is this image, a photo I’ve never before seen. I’m guessing Ellie took this before consuming the ice cream inside (with a knife and rice cooker scoop?!?!). Two questions…

1) What is Hokey Pokey flavor?
2) Why would ice cream be imported from New Zealand to Japan?

Posted on April 14th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: food. Comments Off on Ice Cream from New Zealand in Japan

After a two week delay, Japan has finally opened their season. I took this photo of a lovely beer girl at the home of the 2010 winner of the Nippon Series (equivalent of the World Series in the USA), the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Posted on April 12th, 2011 under Japan. Tags: baseball, beer. Comments: 1