June 29th, Sunday was our last Hokkaido tour day. I thought about our daughter and her family arriving from Chicago the day before we were to return to Hawaii.
On our last day in Japan, Art and I managed to oversleep! Art hadn't set our travel alarm clock because we'd always awoken too early anyway.
What a surprise it was to hear the knock on our door. Dennis and Mom were ready to go to breakfast. We hurriedly dressed and joined them.
After breakfast, the bus took us to the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade.
We bought quite a few last minute omiyage (gifts) and fun souvenirs.
We returned to the Daiso 100 yen (Dollar) store. I think there were four levels and we had such fun looking for good deals.
Tour friends told us about UNIQLO. They said UNIQLO had fashions designed for smaller (shorter?) women there. We'd never heard of the place, but we enjoyed walking around and I did find a great hoodie which I bought.
Lunch was at Hakata Shokudo, a ramen shop. It was reasonable and tasty.
And yes, we DID get one last ice cream cone.
We also took a photo with our very capable and kind bus driver.
Next stop was Lake Shikotsu which is the second largest crater/caldera lake in Japan. It is 1,000 feet deep. It's supposed to be almost ice free because it's so deep. The 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics downhill skiing was held in this area.
I like taking photos of crows whenever we travel. Each country seems to have a different variety.
In Japan, I also like to collect these stamps. Soon, travel buddies were keeping a look out for the stamps for me so I could add them to my journal.
And then we were back at Chitose Airport with Doraemon.
The Hawaiian Airlines food was OK.
As we passed through customs at Honolulu International Airport I called our daughter, Tiffany to let her know we'd arrived.
"We're right outside," she said.
We stepped into the sunshine and I heard a happy voice call out, "Grandma! Grandpa!"
It was so good to be home.
What a surprise it was to hear the knock on our door. Dennis and Mom were ready to go to breakfast. We hurriedly dressed and joined them.
After breakfast, the bus took us to the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade.
We bought quite a few last minute omiyage (gifts) and fun souvenirs.
We returned to the Daiso 100 yen (Dollar) store. I think there were four levels and we had such fun looking for good deals.
Tour friends told us about UNIQLO. They said UNIQLO had fashions designed for smaller (shorter?) women there. We'd never heard of the place, but we enjoyed walking around and I did find a great hoodie which I bought.
Lunch was at Hakata Shokudo, a ramen shop. It was reasonable and tasty.
And yes, we DID get one last ice cream cone.
We also took a photo with our very capable and kind bus driver.
In Japan, I also like to collect these stamps. Soon, travel buddies were keeping a look out for the stamps for me so I could add them to my journal.
And then we were back at Chitose Airport with Doraemon.
The Hawaiian Airlines food was OK.
As we passed through customs at Honolulu International Airport I called our daughter, Tiffany to let her know we'd arrived.
"We're right outside," she said.
We stepped into the sunshine and I heard a happy voice call out, "Grandma! Grandpa!"
It was so good to be home.
it was a wonderful trip, thank you so much for sharing with us, the sound of your grand daughters voice must have been wonderful to hear after such a long trip home,
ReplyDeleteJust hearing her voice gave me a burst of energy.
DeleteWhat a perfect way to arrive home from a wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteInteresting journey and Japan is interesting country.
ReplyDeleteYou guys deserve a medal for every trip successfully completed!
ReplyDeletesuch wonderful post! Your mom did so well on this trip! Interesting about the crows,so these were Japanese ones lol.
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful trip! and what a wonderful welcome home!
ReplyDeleteIt tickles me to hear of the 100 yen store. Those bus drivers make such a difference on a tour. So capable and friendly. So glad you had such a wonderful trip, and we have enjoyed sharing it with you.
ReplyDeleteOh, you bring tears to my eyes with this happy ending. Officially welcome home.; What a nice trip.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed you comments and description of your trip.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you went at the right time; not freezing cold, not sweltering hot, and out of range of the monsoon weather! It showed Hokkaido at its best, didn't it? Can't wait to read about your next international travel!
ReplyDeleteEXCEPT that we were too early for the lavender. That was a big disappointment for me. I'm surprised I liked the onsen experience more than anything else.
DeleteWhat a wonderful trip. Sounds so relaxing!
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful trip to follow through your photos. And what an even more wonderful greeting when you got home. Lovely to have your daughter and granddaughter waiting for you.
ReplyDeleteWow...you went from the Hokkaido trip to hosting house guests without skipping a beat...even though the guests are your daughter's family. I'd be very stressed the whole trip just knowing all the busyness ahead...I give you lots of credit.
ReplyDeleteL...w
I did get ill when I got back from the trip, but my daughter and son with their families were kind to me until I recovered.
DeleteThanks for taking us along on another of your great adventures!
ReplyDeleteOh, that arrival home was wonderful! To hear the sound of those sweet voices was just the best welcome ever. :-)
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful trip, Kay
ReplyDeleteUNIQLO is very famous over here too.
When I mentioned it to my daughter she said she even orders from their website. She said she wished she'd known we were going there because she would have ordered something.
DeleteI love the crater lakes. I had no idea about Japanese geography. They really are volcanic islands!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful greeting when you got home!
A wonderful trip! Thank you for all these great photos. And your mom seemed to be a happy traveller. Nice to watch!
ReplyDeleteReceived your instructions and will now try it out. As I mentioned in my email, we had a great sightseeing tour that covered Tokyo. Sapporo, and Hokkaido during the winter month I believe in early February for the ice festival. Although it was very cold in Sapporo and Hokkaido, the food (especially the different types of crab) was outstanding. We have been thinking about going to the one in Harbin, China. Enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteRon - Re: Vietnam, Cambodia, & Thailand Tour
YAE, Ron! Thank you very much for leaving your comment. I really appreciated your perseverance. I've heard so much about Harbin. Someday, someday! Our next trip will be back to Europe although I don't relish the flight times. We sure loved traveling with you through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
DeleteI like how Japan even has their counterpart to dollar tree
ReplyDeleteJapanese must be very intrigued by you!
ReplyDeletePer usual I have really enjoyed your guided tour. You should work for a travel agency and let them send you all over for free in return for the great reviews. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to have even more delight waiting for you at home.