Tokyo is beautiful in the fall. When I used to picture Tokyo, I only imagined Japan’s version of Times Square, with the flashing signs and neon. There is actually quite a lot of vegetation, and in signature Japanese style, even the smallest areas with trees and gardens are designed with stunning visual appeal.

The city is also strikingly clean. The subways, streets, bathrooms—everywhere you go seems freshly swept. (There are few trashcans, too… definitely a “pack it in, pack it out” mentality here.)

While we saw our share of serious business men on their way to work, there always seemed to be one or two that sneaked us a smile along the way. I wish I had gotten a picture of the kids in their brightly colored coats and hats against the sea of grey and black coats and suits in the subways.

The Japanese are typically very reserved, but if you travel with children, you’ll notice that they are much less guarded with the little ones. We went to a baggage delivery service in the airport to get our suitcases sent to the hotel, and while Matt was managing the paperwork, an older gentleman working the other desk engaged Ransom and Jet in a conversation that went like this:

Man: I Justin Bieber.

Ransom: Me?

Man: No, me…I Justin Bieber. I have same face. (He holds his hands on each side of his face, and then bursts out laughing.) Justin Bieber famous. I famous!

The boys fell into hysterics with him, and the man launched the joke again with the girls. They laughed and then the man repeated the joke again for his co-workers.

One of the best surprises was discovering that we have assimilated more than we expected. I used more Japanese than I thought I knew and when a man in the hotel said in English, “Thank you for holding the elevator,” I didn’t blink an eye as I gave a slight bow and said “Hai!” (yes or ok, in Japanese). Then I laughed at myself.  As we drove back to our house on Okinawa, Cora Jo exclaimed, “It’s so good to be home!” as we passed the blinking lights of the casinos and the soba shops that dot the highway to our base. Indeed, it did feel good to be “home.”

We will definitely go back to see the other sights Tokyo has to offer: the Imperial Palace and gardens to the Ginza shopping district to the shrines and temples… and we may have to sneak in a little return to Disney Sea for good measure.