Delta 581 SEA

 For months they were simply days on the calendar, a squiggle of bold lines protectively cordoning the dates, an airline code happily scribbled alongside. For weeks we parried the how many sleeps and when are they coming with distractions of every nature. But as the days marched slowly toward those squiggly lines, even I had trouble containing my enthusiasm.  Our first visitors to Tokyo! And who better to sprint through those squiggly lines and into our Tokyo winter than Aunt Dano and Uncle Shad!

   

 

For ten luxurious days we held them tight and soaked them up. The kids proudly shared their new world, happily providing train guidance (Never take an Express if you don't know where it's going!), dining advice (Avoid anything in the form of a ball! You never know what's inside!), and touring expertise (If you want some time alone, go to Tokyo Tower!) (Despite its Lonely Planet classification as a 'shameless tourist trap', we always find this out-sized and outdated radio tower refreshingly empty by Tokyo standards.  Perhaps the crowds have migrated to the newer and taller Tokyo Skytree, and that's fine with us. That leaves us happily eating ice cream and sipping coffee at the embarrassingly low height of 150 meters in the Tower cafe, but without the danger of dripping on anyone sitting too close. And believe me, that threat is real anywhere else in Tokyo.)

Enjoying a little down time
up in the tower

Despite a little bit of jet lag and perhaps an even greater amount of work lag, this cheerful duo hit the ground running, offering in no time their own train guidance (If everyone else gets off a train, you should, too!), dining advice (Think twice before ordering the sushi for breakfast!) and touring expertise (who knew there were pubs and craft brewery offerings right here in Tokyo!)

As I had feared, the week all but evaporated in a flurry of activity and sightseeing...a lazy Sunday brunch on a blustery February day, a stroll through the gardens of the Imperial Palace, a Shinto wedding procession at Meiji Temple...a few of so many wonderful things packed into those cordoned dates on a calendar page!    

Before launching these two back into the past from which they had come, we made a final excursion to Kyoto to relish the sights of old Japan.

We began our visit to Kyoto with a tour of Nijo Castle.
The site has housed a temple since the 700s,
though the current structure dates 'only' to the1600s.

The castle is famed, in part, for its "Nightingale Floor" - a clever little security measure quite effective at keeping intruders at bay. Even the spryest of ninjas would find it difficult to advance upon the Shogun without his presence announced by the chirp of each  incriminating step.

Our day concluded with a visit to Kiyumizu-dera. An old Japanese saying references this ancient temple: to leap from Kiyumizu's butai means you have made an important decision or done something requiring great courage. I like that.  Another source indicated that during the Edo Period, it was said that if you could survive a leap of 13m, your wish would be granted.
I guess I'm more of a figurative girl by nature.

With a baby due in July, Danielle and Shad 

have essentially leapt from Kiyumizu's butai! 

A visit to the Golden Pavillion on Sunday
completed our tryptic of breath-taking sights.

The cost of such a visit is dear.  We now have memories of Danielle and Shad in this place where before we had none. That tugs at the heart a little, but it's a price I'll happily pay! Thanks for coming, you two!