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My beautiful wife is sometimes a nervous flier, so she has learned a technique for getting more comfortable when she must take a long flight. As we board the plane, she asks to greet the flight crew, which the airline will almost always arrange for her. Then she chats a little with the pilots, so that she feels more comfortable with the people at the plane’s controls. I usually go straight back to my seat, so I don’t participate in the visits.

I noticed she was very relaxed on our trip to Japan, following her pre-flight stop in the cockpit of the 777. A day after we arrived, one of the crew members sent her this photo to remember her visit.

Yep, that’s Cathy in the captain’s seat.

We arrived home from Japan yesterday, and this is my last trip entry.

I had such a wonderful time on this trip that I am dreaming about Japan every time I close my eyes.  I will be thinking about my trip, and all the sights I took in, for a long while.

While the sights were fascinating and educational, what I will surly miss the most are the sincere, warm and generous people that we visited with on every step of our journey.  Our friends in Japan, new and old, were all soooo kind to us that I felt like we were completely cared for.  (For those of you reading this in Japan, my sincerest thanks to all of you for this kindness.  Please come visit us in Renton so that we may attempt to host you in a similar way.)

We completed our Tokyo Disney visit at Disney Sea, a Disney park that is unique to Japan.  The park is themed around waterfronts from all over the world, including a century-old New England Coast from the US.  There are some Jules Verne type rides, including an undersea voyage and “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, which provides a fantasy trip deep below an active volcano.

If any of you ever have just one day to take in a Disney Park in Japan, I recommend Disney Sea because it is great fun, while being much different from the standard “Magic Kingdom” park that is also available in California, Florida, and Paris.

They also have Sinbad’s voyage, a terrific roller-coaster with a loop-the-loop, an Indiana Jones ride similar to the one in California, a uniquely themed “Tower of Terror”, gondola rides, and many other attractions.  We also saw some great shows, including a “Little Mermaid” aerial ballet, in which the dancers flew around on cables as if swimming all around us.

In the Arabian village, following a Genie show based on Disney’s Aladin, we were walking through a square when a troop of traveling musicians/dancers pulled me and other guests into their act.

We wrapped up our Japan visit back in Tokyo, meeting with friends, and enjoying the Tokyo Disney resort as it kicks off it’s 25 anniversary.

I’ve finally had a chance to upload some pictures from Tokyo Disneyland.

This park is really nice. It is similar to Disneyland in California, but with some Asian theming and color schemes. There really are not any language issues for English speakers familiar with Disney. And the park is even more impecably clean than those in the United states (the street sweepers used soap spray bottles to clean spills of the street and sidewalks, and there is no gum-chewing allowed). We also got lucky on the timing of our visit, and experienced no crowding at all. Every ride was available in five minutes or less at both Disnyland and Disney Sea, a real plus for any Disney visit. The service and hospitality are top-notch at the park.

In addition, our Hilton Hotel adjacent to the park (and at a Disneyland Monorail stop) was nicer, newer, more accessible, and gave much more personal attention than the famous Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, and it was also less expensive. I suspect it is not a match for Disney’s newest luxery hotels, like the Grand Californian (where I have not stayed), but it was very, very nice. I would recommend it. (We paid about $190 per night for a large, comfortable room at the Hilton)

see all of the pictures by clicking here

Katie’s wedding pictures