Hawaii Day 6: We Met the Main Man, Mickey Mouse

img_3651.jpg img_3652.jpg img_3655.jpg On our 5th morning Makai’s sleep schedule is pretty much back to normal. We spent the early morning in our room with Josh, Juney and Mae, eating breakfast, watching cartoons and playing. When we headed out of the villa, we came across this Stitch statue and took photos next to it. Yes, that is magic marker all over Juney’s face! She did it herself that morning. No worry, we swam so much it all came off soon enough.

img_3657.jpg img_3660.jpg img_3663.jpgWe headed over to Aunty’s Beach House where they were having Open Play time. This is a total kid zone! We watched Disney movies, dressed up, played board games, read books, did crafts, played this really cool touch screen table game, went outside in the yard and climbed on the playground equipment and played with toys. And then to top it off, the REAL Stitch showed up to dance and sing with the kids. As we were leaving, we noticed a HUGE line of people wrapping around Aunty’s Beach House. Turns out this is where you can drop your kids off, for an hour, for the day… whatever you want. But you’re kids have to be at least 3, so bad news for us, since Makai was only 2.5. 🙂

img_3775.jpgimg_3681.jpgimg_3695.jpg Next we were back to the Makahiki buffet for breakfast. Everyone with reservation for breakfast, first got to meet the main attraction, Mickey Mouse.  Makai was pretty shy when meeting the main man, but eventually he did give him a high five. He didn’t cry, which is more than we can say for Santa and the Easter Bunny. Juney and Mae were really comfortable with all the characters, but they’re a bit older and had been to Aulani before. In the days/weeks since our visit he still talks about meeting the REAL Mickey Mouse, so even if he seemed reluctant at the time, I know it made a huge impression.

img_3701.jpgFullSizeRender-6img_3704.jpgFullSizeRender-7The breakfast buffet was pretty good. They had a really cute kids section where you could get Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and bananas cut to look like dolphins. Makai loved the waffle, but got mad when I tried to cut it and didn’t actually eat it at all. The loco moco was a little odd, but tasty. With my coffee, I had a POG-mosa. YUM.

img_3705.jpgimg_3710.jpgimg_3718.jpgAt breakfast we also got to meet Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Makai was so funny. He could see Goofy making his way through the restaurant towards our table and he was SO anxious that he could not even eat! Not until Goofy got to our table, we took our photo and he left. Then he could finally relax!

img_3729.jpgWe tried to use the potty at the Makahiki and saw this cool map of Oahu. Makai was really interested in looking at it for a long time.

img_3736.jpg img_3737.jpg After breakfast we went and checked out the beach. It was so beautiful. And perfect for kids. Very sheltered cove, so calm and shallow, clear turquoise water. Perfect.

img_3734.jpgWe also spent a ton of time in the other pools and water structures. No one went on the scary slide, though! In the afternoon our friend BJ and his son Kanehoa came to visit the resort and swim. Kanehoa is a bit over a year old and it was the first time we got to meet him! While we were in the pool, Goofy and his whole crew came into the pool and got everyone dancing and playing games. The resort really did a lot to get kids involved in the fun. I remember Makai in the pool asking “Where’s Juney!?!?!” When I brought him over to Juney he said “Where’s Little Juney?!?” (meaning Mae). It was so cute.

img_3751.jpg img_3747.jpgFullSizeRender-8Late in the afternoon we went back to the room for naps. Josh had to leave that night so he started to pack up all their things. I had seen a few shops I wanted to take a look at so I went out for a walk around. I’d spent so little time in the hotel that I actually had to ask how to get to the lobby! But what a beautiful lobby it is!

img_3742.jpgAt the shops I didn’t really buy too much. I got an Aulani tshirt for Makai, an Aulani Christmas tree ornament, and some stickers for Makai. When I got back to the room Makai was sleeping and everyone was gone! Josh, Juney and Mae had packed up and gone to visit Billy and Ging before going to the airport. And BJ and Kanehoa left too. I had no idea everyone was leaving or I would have made my outing quicker or not have gone at all! When Makai woke up he asked where his friends were and we said they had to leave and he started crying 🙁 🙁 🙁

img_3762.jpg For dinner we let the Aulani property and went to Curry House Coco Ichibanya in Kapolei. Dallas and I have been going to Curry House in Hawaii and Japan forever and have our standard orders down. We got a keiki plate and split with Makai. He had a tantrum and sat under the table on the floor for a while, but whatever! The waiter who worked here was suuuper nice. Great food. Pretty reasonable prices. Glad to mark another favorite off the list!

img_3764.jpg When we went back to Aulani there was a Hawaiian duo playing some really nice music. The weather was great. Beautiful night. Beautiful music. We stood on the overlook off the lobby and listened for a while. When we were up there Makai and Dallas were looking at a map of the property. On one side it said Mauka and the other said Makai. Makai pointed to his name and recognized it!

img_3772.jpgWe were walking back to our room and I wasn’t really paying attention, but Dallas led us out onto a lawn where they were playing Toy Story. Everyone who came got a woven mat to sit on. Great night to sit on the lawn outside and watch a movie!

When we got back to our room, we put a ton of pillows from around the villa onto the king bed and then put Makai in the middle. We’d learned on this trip that he thrashes around in his sleep, so we were trying to avoid him falling off the bed. Dallas went to sleep in the suite that Josh and the girls had been in. My plan was to join him, but when I went to check on Makai a while later, most of the pillows were kicked off and he was laying right on the edge! So I decided to sleep in the king with Makai. He totally hogged the bed all night and laid so close to me that I was teetering off the edge. Every time I moved him over and fell back asleep, the same thing happened!

Christmas at Our House

IMG_0265_edit_sm IMG_0421_edit_smAmanda had to work on Christmas Day, so we planned to celebrate Christmas the day after. Since mom and dad were already at our house, they all came down to Chicago.

IMG_0518_edit_smDallas cooked our Christmas lunch, which was Japanese/Hawaiian themed. We had pork katsu, Japanese curry stew, kimchi fried rice, and mac salad. My family loved trying the new food and took many leftovers home!

IMG_0526_editAfter lunch Makai took his regular nap. Richard, Amanda, Jessica and I all played a game called Monopoly Draw, while Dallas, Stephanie and my dad all napped on the couch!

IMG_0270_edit_smIMG_0287_editIMG_0545_editIMG_0550_editWhen Makai woke up we could finally open presents! Jess and Makai got gifts from everyone. For the second year in a row, Steph was in the adult gift exchange and for the second year in a row, she had my name and I had hers! I got her a trendy necklace from an Etsy designer and some cold hard cash. She got me a Sephora gift card, a bunch of Starbucks coffee and Teavana tea, and a really cool holiday collage that she made out of holiday Starbucks gift cards!

IMG_0320_editSteph also brought a bunch of cake pops from Starbucks. Makai loved them!

IMG_0375_editIMG_0385_editIMG_0395_editIMG_0399_editIMG_0403_editIMG_0410_editIMG_0352_editAfter presents and dessert, we took a bunch of santa hat family photos. Everyone except TWO PEOPLE wore hats.

IMG_0326_editOne of Makai’s gifts was a great big dinosaur puzzle. How many people does it take to put it together?

IMG_0416_editOh, Jess and I did not forget to take our photos by the hats we drew in 2010. Look how much she’s grown!

rbjbhats_2010
2010
rbjbhats_2011
2011
rbjbhats_2012
2012
rbjbhats_2014
2014
rbjbhats_2015
2015

Cocoro Japanese Restaurant

cocoro_katsu_curry

cocoro_ramen

A few weeks ago we went to check out Cocoro with Adam and Christine. We ordered so much food!! I remember saba, tuna sashimi, grilled squid, grilled miso eggplant, seaweed salad, shrimp shumai, spicy dragon roll, katsu-ju, katsu curry, tonkatsu ramen, and misoyasai ramen. I took photos of the katsu curry and tonkatsu ramen because I thought they were the stand out dishes, but actually, I find myself still thinking about the grilled squid. It was so tasty. The grilled eggplant was another favorite. Actually, everything was really good.

Maisen in Shibuya, Tokyo

01_maisen

02_maisen_pork_shumai
Pork shumai appetizer.

03_maisen_tonkatsu
Dallas’s pork tonkatsu.

04_maisen_prawns
My prawns.

05_maisen_prawn_set
The whole prawn set.

06_maisen_shibuya
Maisen store front.

When we were in Omotesando and Harajuku, we tried to go to Maisen for lunch but there was a long wait and we were starving. When we realized it had a few locations in Tokyo and we were headed to Shibuya, where one was located, we decided to check it out. Similar to “>Tonkatsu Waku, which we visited on the top floor of a department store in Kyoto, this tonkatsu house was also located on the top floor of a department store.. but in Shibuya, Tokyo. The similarities did not end there. The types of tonkatsu and what was included with each set (kind of like combo meals). One big difference was that at Maisen you could order all different kinds of pork, like when you go to a steak restaurant here, and then the prices matched. It could be quite spendy if you wanted to get a really top cut/grade of pork. We stuck with the basics and it was so good. They just can’t do katsu in the US like they do in Japan!

Tonkatsu Wako at Kyoto Station

kyoto_tower
Kyoto Tower is across from Kyoto Station.

On our last morning in Kyoto, we got ready at the hotel, checked out and then headed to Kyoto Station. We actually planned to arrive hours early because there is so much going on just in the train station! This thing is massive. There are a couple shopping malls, a museum, a skywalk, an observation deck, a hotel, a movie theater and every kind of restaurant from fast food to high end. It’s 15 stories tall and also goes underground. Crazy. I read that it’s one of Japan’s largest buildings. And unlike the rest of Kyoto, that is very traditional, Kyoto Station is super modern.

cafe_du_monde_kyoto_station
I thought this was some weird knockoff Cafe du Monde, but it actually seems legit.

We shopped at the JR Kyoto Isetan department store, which is 11 stories tall. It was fun to look here, but most things were really high-end and out of our price range. Dallas looked at a coat he liked, but it was $350! Too much to even consider!

tonkatsu_wako_washcloth
I miss getting these washcloths before every meal! At nice places it’s a real cloth, warmed up, but even at chains like this, you get a prepackaged moist towelette.

tonkatsu_wako_chopsticks
Nice chopsticks.

tonkatsu_wako_fried_chicken
We started with fried chicken appetizer.

tonkatsu_wako_inside
Tonkatsu Wako

tonkatsu_wako_napkins
The napkins were so cute! Scalloped edges.

tonkatsu_wako_rosukatsu_gohan
This is what Dallas ordered. Rosukatsu Gohan: Another popular dish at Wako. A flavorful high-quality pork loin in which the original taste of pork can be savored.

tonkatsu_wako_combination_set
This is what I got. Ajisai: 2 bite-size pork fillet cutlets, 2 fried shrimps, crabmeat cream croquette and a steamed egg savory custard.

tonkatsu_wako_shijimi-jiru_miso_soup
Sijimi Clam Miso Soup came with both meals.

tonkatsu_wako_sauces
One of these is tea, but the others are some sauces. There was a tonkatsu sauce, shoyu, a dressing for the cabbage, and some kind of barbecue sauce, if I remember correctly.

tonkatsu_wako
Outside of Tonkatsu Wako.

We wanted to get lunch before we left and read that Tonkatsu Wako is a great place for tonkatsu, a favorite Japanese dish of ours. We didn’t realize it at the time, but Tonkatsu Wako is like the Starbucks of tonkatsu! I mean, the restaurant was pretty nice and the food was excellent, but we just saw last night that there are more than 250 locations in Japan! I wish we could get just one in Chicago. SO good.

I don’t know how, in Japan, they get the panko to be so light and fluffy. It’s like biting into cotton candy almost! The only thing I didn’t really care for was the steamed egg savory custard. Oh, and I was envisioning crab rangoon when my set included a crabmeat cream croquette, but the “cream” was actually like a mayo. I like Japanese mayo, but not hot and fried! Ew. Otherwise, everything was great. If we’d have known this was such a big chain we’d probably have eaten here again in Tokyo!

Our First Lunch in Kyoto

walk_to_kiyomizudera_temple
Walking up to Kiyomizu-Dera Temple.

walk_to_kiyomizudera_temple_kyoto
Walking up to Kiyomizu-Dera Temple.

entrance_to_kiyomizudera_temple
Kiyomizu-Dera Temple Entrance.

kyoto_ramen
My pork ramen.

dallas_ramen
Dallas was so hungry he got shrimp tempura ramen…..

kyoto_katsu_curry
…. and katsu curry!

green_tea_soft_serve
For dessert, I had my first of several uniquely flavored soft serve cones. This one was green tea flavored.

I wish I could tell you the name of this place, but I can’t. When we arrived in Kyoto, we checked into our hotel and found we were starving. I asked the concierge, who spoke perfect English with hardly even an accent, if we should get lunch nearby the hotel or nearby the temple we wanted to visit. She gave us a map and told us there were a ton of places to eat on the walk up to the temple. She also told us to take a cab there because it wasn’t that expensive (maybe like $10) and taking the public transportation would be like 3 times as long. Perfect.

So we headed off to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The cab can only take you so far and then you walk up to the temple grounds. There were about a million shops on the way, but we were having a hard time finding restaurants. Before we knew it, we were at the temple entrance! Luckily I spotted a sign with photos of ramen and katsu in the front of the last shop before the entrance, on the left side of the street. It was kind of strange because the shop was selling trinkets. Where was this mysterious restaurant? Turned out it was in the basement level! I wondered how many hidden restaurants we’d passed along the way! Long story short, this place kind of looked like a cafeteria inside and catered to large tour groups, but the food was really good and hit the spot.