My wife was wearing a new outfit she had gotten in Japan, and Kai noticed. "Mom, I never saw you look so beautiful before." He is such a sweet talker. :)
We then made the drive back to Tokyo, stopping at a travel plaza for a potty break. It was the hottest day since we arrived in Japan so Kai welcomed the relief from the fan that blew a cool mist.
We later stopped for lunch. Kai had beef curry rice.
My father-in-law and wife had cold noodles.
Our destination for the afternoon was the Ghibli Museum. This is the museum of Studio Ghibli, which is known for the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki.
Photos are not permitted inside the museum, but we took a few pictures outside.
Miyazaki's films are enjoyed by children, but have depth, artistry, and adult themes that make the films appealing for grownups. Similarly, the museum was a delight for kids, but adult fans would enjoy seeing the original artwork from creating the films.
In the evening, we had our last dinner in Japan at Zauo, a restaurant where you catch your own dinner. They have a huge tank filled with fish. You grab a pole and fish!
Here's Kai trying his hand at fishing.
My wife caught our first fish, a red snapper.
Here's Kai pulling one up.
A restaurant worker takes the fish and you tell them how you'd like it prepared - sashimi, grilled, or deep fried.
Jiji tried to catch a lobster.
It took awhile, but he was successful!
Kai caught another fish, a flounder.
After a successful catch, they bang the drum in honor of the fisherman.
Here they are honoring Kai's catch.
The drum is quite loud and it bothered Kai when we were first starting to fish, but he seemed to adjust once we started to catch fish.
And then it was time to eat!
We had the fish prepared as sashimi, grilled, and fried. Here's the sashimi.
I liked the grilled fish the best, but this place as much about the experience as it is about the food. It was a fun final dinner in Japan.
It has been a great two weeks, and it will soon be time to leave. It's bittersweet when you come to the end of a vacation; you're sad that it is over and to have to say goodbye, but still filled with joy from all the good times we had.
See you back home.
A sweet talker indeed. Mamma must have been so happy!
ReplyDeleteThat was a man sized curry dish. Could Kai finish it all?
I have never seen a catch before you eat restaurant before. I wonder if such a concept would be viable here. I think the people of the South wouldn't pay for what they do all the time, and the city folk are too impatient / have too little time. Kai must have really enjoyed that restaurant.
A vacation well spent. It is a little sad to leave such a fun place, but, I think your wife's parents must feel the most sad. I am glad they got to spend tome with all of you during the whole trip.
Kai loves curry rice - it was one of the things we knew he would eat while we were in Japan - and, yes, he did finish it all.
DeleteI think a catch-your-own restaurant might attract a crowd in the US, at least initially for the novelty. Japan had so many entertaining restaurants. I enjoyed so many meals there, both because the food was tasty, but also because many times the meal was such a fun experience.
No doubt our leaving was most sad for my wife's parents, especially her father who enjoyed a lot of time with us and adores Kai so much.