d&h : in Japan for 3 years

Forbidden Jumpkick

In the forbidden city in Beijing.

Beijing – FOOD!

We quite enjoyed the food in Beijing, you can eat really well in nice restaurants for about $20 a person.   We had Sichuan hot pot one night which Henry really enjoyed.

The lamb was pretty good and the broth was delicious as well.

We had more Sichuan food at another popular restaurant.

And of course, we had to have Peking Duck which was so crisp and tasty at Da Dong!

It was a great way to end our trip to Beijing.

Beijing, the Mainland Sights

After 3 years in Asia, we finally made it to Mainland China, Beijing, to be exact.  We went to visit my old college friend and his family.  He was kind enough to arrange housing for us in the same complex.  We hit the big 3 touristy spots – Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City – and ate A LOT!  (Beijing food will have to be another post)

We took a local, very cheap train to the Badaling section of the Great Wall.  And while it was a more touristy section, it wasn’t that crowded and it was convenient to get there.  Apparently, they wash the trains between trips.

It’s amazing how far the Wall stretches.  It was quite impressive.

There were many Chinese tourists, too.  And many, shall we say “local” sights.

The Temple of Heaven was also beautiful but we’re not sure if the Echo Wall really works.

Finally, we walked to the Forbidden City which was massive!  So many alleys and courtyards.  There was also nice gardens as well.

Fireworks on Atami Beach

We went to Atami again for a beach ultimate tournament and as an added bonus there were fireworks on the beach that night.  We could easily watch it from the balcony of the hotel we were all staying at.  While it was only 30 mins (half the time of the usual Japan fireworks festivals) it was impressive and beautiful nonetheless.

The Finale

Tokyo DisneySea

We went with some friends to Tokyo DisneySea!  It’s a one-of-a-kind Disney sea-themed amusement park.  This year was also the 10 year anniversary of DisneySea.

Various ports of the world are represented and you can even drink beer in the park.

It was a long weekend and the weather was beautiful so there were many people in the park when we went.  There were even lines to get into the stores.

While most of the staff and “cast” were Japanese.  We saw Pocahontas who we were pretty sure was caucasian with a LOT of heavy makeup – she looked like she had a mask on instead of make-up.

We rode some rides, saw some shows and generally had a good time.

We also saw the fireworks show.