Travelog for: Jiaojiao

Hello, I'm Jiaojiao! This is my mom's name, she is an young artist.
To travel abroad, is a wonderful and beautiful thing. Every state is the best, it always makes me very excited!

Grandma and mom bought me, from Shanghai's IKEA.


Grandma knit beautiful sweater for me, so I'm unique bear.








Mom fav refrigerator magnets!! They come from Belarus, Australia, Germany, Austria and so on.




Today grandma made Chinese traditional "fried tenderloin", is very delicious!


Mom bought new dumbbell, her most hated exercise. Haha, I think it is very heavy!


Looking forward for my travel!
Love you, mom! Love you, grandma!
See ya!

Hello, mom.
I am arrived safely in Japan.
I was a little tired in the long journey, But I am glad and happy because my host and Toys warm welcome. We hit it off right away.
I showed my goods and postcards, they looked these with great interesting.
See you soon.
your little Jiaojiao

I went to the "Kurihama Hana no kuni"(Kurihama flower garden).
Many cosmoses are blooming in this season every year.
I heard it was so beautiful.
However many cosmoses had been blown away by typhoons this year.

Today is "Bunka no hi"(Culture Day), it is national holiday.
November 3rd was originally celebrated as a Meiji emperor's birthday.
It's also the day when the government grants cultural-service awards to people who have contributed to Japanese culture. And at the Imperial Palace the emperor confers orders of Cultural Merit to people who've rendered special services for the development of Japanese culture.

I came to Tokyo by train and subway(Oedo Line).
You can see subway map, We arrived It was Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
And, You can see Tokyo from 45th floor observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (height of 202m) .
It is free and open till 11PM.
There are a lot of public art at around.
Explore Tokyo!

I went to a very popular place Asakusa.

Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century.

Kaminarimon is the first of two large entrance gates leading to Sensoji Temple. First built more than 1000 years ago, it is the symbol of Asakusa.
BUT!!! I could NOT see big lantern of Kaminarimon.
It was screen of big lantern.

The Nakamise shopping street leads from Kaminarimon to the temple grounds,
There are many people. The Nakamise shopping street stretches over approximately 250 meters from Kaminarimon to the main grounds of Sensoji Temple. It is lined by more than 50 shops, which offer local specialties and the usual array of tourist souvenirs.

Sensoji ("Senso" is an alternative reading for Asakusa and "ji" means temple) is Tokyo's most famous and popular temple.
Built in the 7th century, it is also one of its oldest, although the current buildings are postwar reconstructions.

I could see Tokyo Skytree from here. The Tokyo Skytree  is a new television broadcasting tower and landmark of Tokyo. It is the centerpiece of the Tokyo Skytree Town in the Sumida City Ward, not far away from Asakusa. With a height of 634 meters (634 can be read as "Musashi", a historic name of the Tokyo Region), it is the tallest building in Japan and the second tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion.

And we can see beautiful carps in small Japanese garden.
There were a lot of foreign tourists there.

I went to History Garage of MEGA WEB in Odaiba.
MEGA WEB is car theme park by Toyota.
1950s to 1970s vintage cars from around the world on display in a nostalgic town setting, where history comes alive.
I can see Time Machine "De Lorean(DMC-12)".
Back to the Future!

Odaiba is a popular shopping and entertainment district island in Tokyo Bay.

I went to "DiverCity Tokyo Plaza",This new shopping, dining and entertainment complex opened on last year.
Its most unique attraction is the Gundam Front Tokyo with various attractions and a shop centered around the anime series' robots. A "life sized" Gundam statue stands in front of the building. 

Then The headquarters of Fuji Television, one of Japan's private, nationwide TV stations.
You can see some exhibits on popular programs, buy Fuji TV goods at a shop and access the futuristic looking building's observatory deck housed in the sphere shaped part of the building.

At last, I can see called "The Rainbow Bridge", The Rainbow Bridge connects Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo. The two story bridge is an iconic symbol of the bay and is especially beautiful during its nightly illumination.
Houseboat has tour under the Rainbow Bridge.

You can see our tickets, blue ticket is The Yurikamome
The Yurikamome is an automated, elevated train with rubber tires, which connects Shimbashi Station on the JR Yamanote Line with all of Odaiba's attractions and Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Subway Line.
Pink ticket is Tokyo 1 day pass ticket from Yokohama.

I had a fantastic time!
yours
Jiaojiao

That was not all for today!.
At late night, someone knocked on the door.
We were really surprised!
There is beautiful turtle Cassiopeia, alot hugging going on, we gave chocolate because she looks like tired.
We talked about Tokyo to her, she was interested reading a guidebook.
I would like to talk more to Cassiopeia. Well, I'll go to bed.
Night- night.

It is Stoker's birthday, 582 years old. He looks young for his age.
We decided to make a birthday cake for him.
Usually, He sleeps late into sunset, We must not  make a noise while his asleep.
Mix for flour, make a source of strawberries, add decorat chocolate.
It was not easier than I thought, we did our best. I love it.
He was very pleased with our birthday cake.
I think we did a very good job.

We went to the Kannonzaki park.
Here is a very nice park, but it is a very ghost spot where ghosts meet up in the midnight.
Ghost is called "Yuurei" or "Obake" in Japanese.
In this tunnel, ghost footsteps, strange white shadow, has been witnessed in particular.
I was afraid to walk through the tunnel. When ghost smiling when I looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel, What should I do?

Then, we went Kannonzaki lighthouse.
There is a oldest lighthouse in Japan. November 1 is the lighthouse anniversary to commemorate the start of construction date of this lighthouse.
Collapsed in the earthquake of twice, the current lighthouse is the third generation.

I found a cute yellow flower.
This flower is Isogiku(Chrysanthemum pacificum).

We went home and playing in a little seaside .

I heard a strange story from my host .
One day, 10 children went to play in this park .
But when someone count, 1, 2, 3... there are 11 children.
It is each other face that everyone knows .
At that time, photo was taken, you look at later ...It was 10 children.
But it was 11 children certainly in that place!
Would it Who was hell. Kyaaaaaaaaa! yiiiiiiiiipe!

It is said that you are hearing a scary story with ghost behind you.
Abracadabra!

Today is Labor Thanksgiving Day, national holiday in Japan.
But my host is little sick in bed.
We went to buy Christmas stamps and Christmas postcard and paper tape to go to the shop for her.

We came to Yokohama, get on 30 minutes by train.
Standing 296m, the "Yokohama Landmark Tower" is a marvelous cityscape featuring offices, a hotel, and a shopping mall in the central tower, as well as a variety of facilities.

Most people in Japan, not only Christians, They will enjoy Christmas Eve by exchanging presents with family and sweethearts and by eating dinner together.
By the end of November, large trees decorate shopping districts and the advertising for Christmas sales in department stores and shopping street arcades, We found a Christmas tree.

Then we passed Yokohama Sakuragi post office.
Post office is closed because it is saturday.

And we came to Yokohama Stadium.
Game of professional baseball in Japan will take place in April to October.
Unfortunately, I could not watch a Japanese professional baseball game.
There seems to be a Little League baseball game today. Boys wearing baseball uniforms had to fun.

We had little walking, arrived soon Yokohama park.
There are green and yellow and beautiful red leaf
Looking at all the beautiful autumn foliage here is such a treat.

We came to Yokohama Chinatown.
Beautiful red lanterns for Chinese New Year was being decorated, and Christmas decorated.
The main attraction of the Yokohama Chinatown, however, is the cuisine offered at its many restaurants and food stands.
Has a history of 150 years, there is 500 Chinese restaurant  in the narrow and colorful streets of Chinatown.
And delicious Chinese cuisine smell from here and there.
It smells wonderful! It makes my mouth water.
We visited "Kanteibyo" .
"Kanteibyo" is a gaudily colored temple in the center of Chinatown. Constructed in 1873 by Chinese residents, it is dedicated to the Chinese god of good business and prosperity.
Various events and festivals are held in Yokohama Chinatown, such as Chinese New Year around the beginning of February or ending of January.

I was a walk in the Yamashita Koen-dori avenue.
I think yellow ginkgo leaf is very beautiful .
Then we went to Yamashita Park.

Yamashita Park is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront.
The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space.
It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade.
The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver and Seattle line.
The ship had first-class cabins that attracted the likes of the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin for the transpacific journey.
In 1960, after 30 years at sea, the ship was retired.
It now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s.
You can see the black-tailed gull aligned on the chain.

I was able to see the Christmas tree beautifully decorated in Landmark Tower.
Christmas coming soon! I'm getting excited! Mom!
See you!

Hi mom,
My host has been feeling under the weather the past few weeks. She got better now.
She loves to read the travelog of many toys. So, She learned for the first time "St. Nicholas Day" and the "Advent calendar".
Especially, It impressed the Advent calendar, she said "That's interesting!", it bought us the Advent calendar from Czech Republic at imported goods shop.
Many people not knows the St. Nicholas Day and Advent calendar in Japan.
See you soon!