ANOTHER SATISFIED CLIENT

This summer, our male member who went to Japan to meet potential future partners shared his travel diary with us (leaving out the dating details). From his stories, you can tell he enjoyed not just the dates but also the whole Japan trip. Wouldn't you love to have a fantastic date in Japan too?

LOVE AND DISCOVERY: A SUMMER JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN

My July 2024 trip to Japan was very full of memorable activities and places!

One of the first places I visited was Ueno, an area known for its museums, and of which it has at least six. I visited the National Museum of Nature and Science and The Tokyo National Museum. At the National Museum of Nature and Science, I particularly enjoyed seeing the geological history of the Japanese islands, and how they are continually being formed by an intersection of multiple tectonic plates, unlike any other place in the world. I also learned a bit about the many different and unique plants and animals across the varying temperate zones of Japan from the subarctic in northernmost Hokkaido to the subtropical in the southernmost islands. At the Tokyo National Museum, I enjoyed the old look and feel of its interiors as it is the oldest museum in Japan; in some ways, it reminded me of San Francisco City Hall, also built in the 1800s. I saw ancient artwork, national treasures, and artifacts across Asia, that I had not seen before in the west. Although it rained the days I visited these museums, it was a refreshing cooldown from the heat of the prior days.

In Yokohama, I visited four unique places: The Planetarium, the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Chinatown, and... Costco! The Sea Paradise reminded me of a hybrid between the Boardwalk in Atlantic City New Jersey, SeaWorld in San Diego California, and Disneyland in Anaheim California. It had quite a vast aquarium, and even terrestrial wildlife, including the red panda, which I never saw before in real life. In Chinatown, there are places with all you can eat dim sum, including at night, and that are open late which is not as common in the Chinatowns of the USA. Costco was unlike any in America, with much more varieties of fresh foods, bakery goods, snacks, recipes, and food court items like Hawaiian pizza. I came across a 2.62 carat diamond that was internally flawless and colorless, appraised at over $200k USD by the US Gemological Society, but on sale for $20M yen (less than $200k USD!!). No, I did not buy this jewelry, unfortunately! But maybe I will someday!!

I did spend one very hot day in Osaka, that seemed even hotter than Tokyo. Shin Osaka station seemed to be much hotter inside compared to Tokyo station. Standing in line at Shin Osaka trying to get a shinkansen ticket was indeed a heated test of patience! I journeyed to Osaka thinking that getting a Rolex there may be easier than my previous experience at Ginza. But, details aside, the result was essentially the same. Overall, there is a selection and application process to buying a Rolex, and the watches they do sell are very few and not commonly known. Basically, I learned that getting a Rolex in Japan is no easier than in the US, but it isn't unique to Japan; it's a common problem worldwide. Oh, well..

My favorite area to visit in Tokyo hands down every time is Ginza and Chiyoda City. The shopping, dining, and ambience are unlike any other place in the world. In the Mitsukoshi mall, there is a permanent koi fish exhibit that I still like to visit. I discovered that Ginza Tanaka is a great place to get great quality jewelry, and tax-free as a foreigner! Tokyo Kyukyodo had very interesting paper stationary and gifts, including wind chimes and three-dimensional pop-up greeting cards. I also took a walk to the Imperial Hotel and found several interesting shops in the basement, one of which sold ancient coins, including a gold coin of Alexander the Great dated over 300 BCE from ancient Greece! There are some great dining options inside the hotel as well, including the Rendezvous Lounge and the Parkside Diner. Just a few blocks walk from the Imperial Hotel is Kagami Crystal, that sells some of the most impressive crystal glassware I've ever seen, and makes for great souvenirs and gifts to friends and family. I also enjoyed some of the best sushi I've ever had at Sushi Onodera and Sushiko-Honten.

For a more relaxing trip, I enjoyed visiting the Nezu Museum in Omotesando. It was similar to the Tokyo National Museum, but smaller and thus more intimate-feeling and personal. There are ancient artifacts but housed in a more contemporary setting and type of museum. It also has a nice garden and tea house. Also in Omotesando, I enjoyed a reservation to a live music and dinner at Blue Note Tokyo, and had fun trying on different sunglasses and eyewear at Gentle Monster! Finally, I went to the world-famous TeamLabs light and optics exhibit in Roppongi Hills. It was a sensory overload of many lights and optical illusions, like walking through a dimensional portal into a different world!

I should add another unique find in Chiyoda City. I found a Chinese restaurant near Shin Ochanomizu station called Manryu. They have a lunch special that includes a big scoop of fried rice, scrambled eggs, grilled chicken, two piece shumai, and chicken soup - a very large portion of food - for just 950 yen (about $6 USD)! This sort of portion and pricing is unheard of in Chinese restaurants in the US. It was great-tasting, good quality food at a great price. But, I had to wait outside in line for a bit as the restaurant is very small but with many customers - inside, there is only open-kitchen seating and a few small tables. And since all the seating is so close to the kitchen, it's very hot inside so I had to be ready to sweat it out a little bit and not mind the smell of a kitchen on me when I left! But, it was very much worth it, and was a great find on a fun journey!

Overall, this was probably my best trip to Japan in nearly 14 years, it ranks up there with my very first visit in 2010. Japan is a very impressive and special place in my heart and memories. I hope to return again very soon, I miss it already!!

今年の夏、結婚を控えるお二人と彼のご両親と一緒に、婚約のお祝いとしてランチを楽しむ機会がありました。彼のご両親からは、息子に素敵なお嫁さんを見つけてくれたことへの感謝の言葉が何度も述べられ、家族全員が彼女を受け入れ、喜んでいる様子が伝わってきました。

夏に結婚を控えているお二人と彼のご両親とランチをしました