Toyota City Shrine

Carter and I walked around and found this Japanese Shrine in Toyota City one afternoon. It was very peaceful and interesting.

Ema, or the tags in the pictures below, usually purchased for around 500 yen and bearing the chief symbol or characteristic motif of the shrine or an animal associated with the Chinese zodiac, ema are inscribed with a wish or hope: success in exams, luck in marriage or finding a partner, a healthy child-birth, financial prosperity, winning the lottery...anything is possible...just buy a plaque, fill in the details, pray to the kami (gods) and hang it up with the rest.

World Expo 2005 Park

Around the first of October we went to a park about the size of Kings Island that was once built for a World Expo in 2005. Scott's first trip to Japan was in 2005 (we didn't even know each other then) and he went to the Expo while it was happening. He said it was really neat. They constructed huge buildings knowing that they would be demolished after the Expo was over, but the park still remains and has different things to see and do. ie: An indoor water park, an ice rink, a Tea House with beautiful gardens surrounding, an indoor children's activity center, and much more. It was free to get in and worth every penny saved!

This was taken from the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan website, just a little description of what the Expo was all about.

"The EXPO gave visitors a chance to experience at first-hand the leading-edge technologies, new social systems and future lifestyles that may provide solutions to the many serious issues now facing the entire world. This was also an opportunity for people from all nations to share their varied insights and unique approaches, and to lay the foundations for working together on a global scale."

The indoor children's activity center (just a small portion of it)

Carter loved the pit full of wooden balls

And playing blocks with Daddy

The mascots of the World Expo 2005

These are some of the garden areas surrounding the Tea House.

They were so pretty!!

Sorry to Neglect

I'm soooo far behind on posting, but we've just been so busy while here in Japan. It always seems as though Carter and I are doing something, walking some where new each day. And when the weekend is here the 3 of us are walking to a new place.

So, I promise that this coming week will be dedicated to updating this blog. In the meantime, search for me on FB. I post all the good shots there!