… New York?

… Paris?

… the Moon?

Wrong.

Odaiba – Tokyo’s faux getaway destination!

Can’t afford a flight abroad? Odaiba’s got it all:

• Amusement parks
• Beaches
• Spas
• Luxury hotels
• 5-star restaurants
• Endless, beautiful shopping malls
• Dog rental agencies (seriously! well, at least one…)

… and we were long overdue for a break from life in Tokyo, even if the destination’s still … Tokyo. Odaiba was by far the most convenient & financially responsible option available.

Join Naoki for his adventure on the other side of town, rental dog and all!

As an aside, incredibly – our buddies Mike & Kumi also had the same getaway in mind – on the very same weekend! In a city of millions, running into some of your closest friends at a restaurant on a Saturday night with matching weekend plans – no coordinating whatsoever – is, well … unbelievable.

Will Naoki have fond memories of his brief time in South East Asia? Has Shi-chan fallen for her long lost Japanese buddy? Will we ever go back to Tokyo?

Tune in and find out!

So long Singapore!

It seems these wheel dealies are popping up everywhere nowadays. London made it fashionable, but now it’s an international race to make bigger and fancier ones. For now Singapore’s got the title, but it’s destined to be eclipsed by Beijing within a year.

Still, Naoki’s able to say he’s been on the biggest at the time – which is impressive for a 1 year old!

Enjoy the ride.

First stop in Singapore: the island of Sentosa.

Sentosa’s claim to fame is that it is “Singapore’s Island Resort” – featuring numerous man-made beaches, restaurants & bars, hotels, an aquarium and soon – even a theme park. It is safe to say this is the place to go and enjoy the tropical aspect of this city.

So why not tag along?

Join us for day one of our stay in Singapore …

… and be sure not to miss part one!

It was a very quick trip lasting a total of just 5 days including travel time. Surprisingly, with all my travels around Asia I haven’t spent much time in Singapore. The city itself I had only visited once prior and it was just for a day, so in my book that doesn’t count. On the other hand, Singapore airport I have frequented too many times to count! I guess that can be attributed to my love of Singapore Airlines stewardesses. In any case I was well overdue to be able to say “I have been to Singapore” and mean it. I really wanted to see this very Westernised city in the middle of Asia.

… and Western it was!

It was hard to keep reminding yourself that you’re still in Asia. Singapore feels a lot like parts of Australia: very touristy and lots of everybody from every corner of the globe just hanging out. I liked Singapore – and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s a very comfortable place to be when you’re a non-Asian living in Asia.

So what did our 50% more Asian son Naoki think of Singapore? Join us and find out in this first part of his adventure to Singapore:

Spoiler: He doesn’t make it there until part 2!

In Niigata mid-September marks the beginning of rice harvesting. During my five day stay nearly all the fields had been reaped – quite a feat considering just how many fields there are in the prefecture. Makiko’s family has a few fields of their own: growing rice, eggplants, edamame and Japanese pumpkins amongst other things. Her sister’s family even has some farm animals! It’s quite a stark contrast to our big city life.

So – what better chance to get Naoki familiar with where all his supermarket stuff comes from, then from his own family?

niigata farm life

I’m sure he won’t remember it for very long – but the pictures and videos will last a lifetime.

Until next time, Niigata!

… hand-me-down shirt and all!

I dare say this shirt is the defining one of our family’s next generation. Purchased in Japan and sent to Ella in Virginia before she was even born, handed down to Ryan in Canada – and now back in Japan on the Naokster. Manger Du Pain! It still hasn’t lost its coolness.

While we’re all waiting for more videos – how about some snapshots of life with the original genfab adventurer? I spent this past week in HCMC, Vietnam while Makiko & Naoki have headed up to Niigata for some family time. Here’s but a few oddities and highlights of my quick trip …

hcmc vietnam

While the rest of the family remains up in Niigata – dad works hard in Tokyo and gets in the odd bit of geocaching to keep his mind off the great emptiness of our apartment. Gotta get those stats up and see more of this ginormous city …

tokyo geocaching

… back before too long!

View Larger Map

In this adventure – we have a record number of special guests! In order of appearance:

• Uncle Petey
• Cousin Ry-Ry
• Cousin Ella
• Jessie the Dog
• Papa
• Gram
• Sadie
• Cameron
• The Bidlakes
• Aunt Elaine
• Grammie Wendie
• Green Hat Boy (I’m sure my mom will remind me of the tyke’s name!)
• Aunt Stephanie
• Pepère (Fixing himself a hotdog in the background! Wishing I had a better clip…)

Thanks to all for putting up with the annoying camera man.

Without further ado…

Join us for all the fun!

One could go on a haikyo (it’s still there BTW) …

.. help out in the garden …

niigata gardening

.. or even play with rice machines.

Wait a sec – rice machines??

Rice machines!

Enjoy.

View Larger Map

Compared to the last footage, Niigata is completely different this time of year. Rice planting is in full swing and things are starting to green up all around. On a major plus – going to the toilet at 3AM is no longer the equivalent to taking a polar dip.

As always – join Naoki on his adventures as he meets some more family – including two more great grandparents (can you believe he has four!?) – and takes in some country life…

Until next time, Niigata!