Pokemon Center

B goes through phases with Pokemon (definitely a HUGE hit between swim and dive practice in the summers!).  I researched Pokemon in Toyko and it seemed the Pokemon Center was the place to go.  It was located in an enormous mall and when we arrived, the line wrapped around the store and down and back.  Not moving.  We were unsure this was the best way to spend our time, but we were there and soon they let in half the people.  It seemed they opened it to 100 or so people every 20 or so minutes.  Eventually we go in to what was just a place to purchase pokemon paraphenilia.  We spent awhile wandering around, purchased a few things and were on our way.  

Across from the Pokemon Center was the Pokemon cafe where we indulged in various Pokemon treats.

 

Cooking Class!

When we were in Italy last year, we did a pasta making class and really enjoyed it so I booked a ramen/gyoza class in Tokyo.  It was a highlight for sure, mostly because of the intimacy of the class.  It was hosted by a couple in their home, with only 10 of us.  And the food was incredible!

 

Capybara Cafe

Various people told us that animal cafes are a thing to do in Japan, specifically capybaras.  We did see a whole variety of animal visitation locations, but capybaras are harder to come by than rabbits.  I had to book this weeks in advance, but it was pretty fun.  We spent 30 minutes petting, feeding and learning about these animals (not indigenous to Japan).

 

Team Lab-Planet

We flew from Bangkok to Toyko and didn't arrive to our air bnb until pretty late.  We just grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant (which was a feat in inself figuring out how to order in a country where very few people speak English and the characters are nothing we can read).  We quickly learned how to change the language on the ordering tablets, which was a good skill to have and was used daily the rest of our trip.  

The next day we had tickets to Team Lab Planet that was highly recommended we go to by nearly everyone I know who has gone to Tokyo.  Its an immersive art experience, where all senses are used.  Definitely worth going to.

 

Last night in Bangko

Brian made reservations for the rooftop restaurant of our hotel for our last night in Bangkok.  While the views were pretty remarkable, the food was not to be remembered.  

They did have some fun drink options that we all ordered.

 

Bangkok- Christmas Day

We spent Christmas day in Bangkok.  We went to Wat Po and wandered around (tried to get massages at the school, but they were fully booked.)

Brian was in Bangkok a few months ago and ate at the most incredible restaurant on the roof, so he made us reservations for Christmas dinner.  It didn't disappoint.

We even saw a couple get engaged!

We spent A LOT of time on trains in Asia.

This one was empty, so the boys did a little workout.

The hotel had incredible views, even from the bathroom, so B took advantage and did a little writing.

 

Phuket to Bangkok

Nicholas rented a motorcycle while we were there, but the police pull over tourists for not having an international driving license so he masked up and spoke Thai if he was pulled over.  

Hotel breakfasts were a huge hit for these kids everywhere in Thailand.

There was A LOT of car sleeping.

The Christmas tree in our hotel in Bangkok was something special and enormous.

And the pool was equally beautiful.

We hit up a lot of malls, where you could buy ANYTHING!  

None of these brands are real, and you can tell if you look very closely, but if you do not look close, you can get quite the deal on anything your heart desires.

These malls were many stories tall, stuffed with booth after booth,