After exhausting Shizuoka's offerings, we hit the road for the Ocha no Sato Tea Museum about 40 minutes away. We paid a typical admission fee of 300 yen (about $2.80 USD) per person. I don't know how Japanese museums manage, charging so little. The building looked brand new, and there was staff everywhere. We wandered …
Continue reading The Ocha no Sato Tea Museum, Plus a Detour to Shizuoka’s Questionable District
So the Miata is at the shop, and we have a loaner car and six hours to kill. The Lonely Planet Japan guidebook doesn't even list Shizuoka at all, and we quickly learned why. The Toro Ruins looked interesting enough, but alas--closed on Mondays. Same with the Shizuoka City Museum of Art. So at the …
Continue reading We Really Tried to Enjoy the Sites of Shizuoka
It's Memorial Day, a US holiday that is known in Japan as...Monday! That's right--the kids are at school as usual, and Mark and I are on the road for a quick trip to Shizuoka, a city two hours away. Two months ago Mark fulfilled his wish for a second car while nipping a looming midlife …
Continue reading Road Trip! Let’s Stop at the Best Rest Area Ever
Last weekend we headed to Nikko, a historic city nestled in the mountains northwest of Tokyo. The kids wrestled the camera away from me a few times, so I decided to showcase our trip mostly through their eyes. Though of course I can't help but add a few snaps of my own at the end.... …
martayaki 