Grandparents, Tokyo and a passport

We enjoyed the rest of our visit from Todd's parents.  It was especially nice for P to have lots of cuddles and entertainment from their singing.  He responded with coos and smiles.  It is so fun how he interacts and responds to our voices.
In the above left picture he is alert and ready for his passport picture but by the time we walked to the picture place down the street he was asleep.  We had to tickle his neck to wake him. Once he woke up he looked a little like the above right picture with less cheese.  This picture was taken in the morning when I can get lots of smiles from him.  I am SO in love!!

We rented a car (a FIT!) for the last few days of the grandparent's visit.  It was nice to explore more of the surrounding areas of Hachinohe.  We went to Kabushima, a shrine covered with seagulls and their poop.  P and I stayed in the car.  Then the coast.  It was cool and windy but they enjoyed the beautiful views and walk on the sandy beach.

Saturday afternoon, before our train to Tokyo, we enjoyed lunch at the Hasshoku fish market.  First we shopped for the fish we wanted to eat.  Then we grilled it at a restaurant next door.  Some of us even tried whale meat!  I passed (: I guess it tastes like salty beef.

Here we are ready to board our shinkansen to Tokyo.  We arrived in Tokyo Saturday night.  Todd's parents left for Australia Sunday evening so we got a day together to explore the city.  Parker is a really good traveler. When he is not in the carrier sleeping, he is looking around at the lights.  He enjoyed riding the Tokyo metro with Memere and Papa.

After enjoying a Starbucks fix we went to Yasukuni shrine where there is an outdoor antique/flea market every Sunday. We were in search of kokeshi dolls and special WW2 sake cups. It was a beautiful place to stroll through the vendors under the tree lined walkway.  Later that afternoon P and I helped Memere and Papa find their train to the airport and we bid them sayonara until August. Then I enjoyed some Tokyo shopping while P slept (the joys of traveling with an infant, he sleeps most of the time!)

We stayed near Ikebukuro train station, home of the owls.  On the way to the embassy, Monday morning we had the pleasure of commuting with Tokyo residents.  Whoa, they really pack into the metro cars!! We had a 10 am appointment to apply for P's passport. We got a little taste of American security, metal detectors and bag searches to get into the embassy.  Fortunately, I had all of the correct paperwork and all went smoothly.  P is now officially an American citizen.  

We had a few hours before our train home, so why not go shopping in Shibuya?!

A view from our train, Mt. Iwate.  Almost home.