the toy museum!!!

After our crazy long and exhausting day at disney- we did a nice relaxed day at the tokyo toy museum!  it was such a fun afternoon.  inexpensive, too.  

everything here is wooden and old school and felt very 'tokyo chic'.  Like 'urban mom with organic kids' type of feel. not really us- but we did our best to blend in!

the giant tub of wooden balls was supposed to be relaxing.  when you step into it- it is VERY painful!  the workers did their best at miming to us that we need to lie down.  it made ALL the difference. it was actually really comfortable and lovely.

mack hated it. ha.

everybody in Japan knows how to use the 'soroban'.  Metta constructed her own soroban and was very particular about finishing it perfectly.

the kids could have spent all day here playing with everything.  and the workers were so friendly to our kiddos.

this guy spoke english and showed our kids this 200 yr old wooden gear toy.  It was supposed to bring them a cup of tea- but turned around and went the other direction as soon as it got close.  Ike and zeb laughed and laughed.  so did the japanese man!

big stilts. and a laughing ike.

metta was ADORABLE playing on this phone.  I'm glad she knew how to use it!  she pretended to talk to all sorts of her friends.  I thought for sure she's pretend to look at it like facetime- but she never did!

adorable, right?!

this japanese baby loved me and my camera.  Japanese babies are so tubby and fluffy.  they are pretty cute.

on our way back to the subway- we stopped at the vending machine for drinks.  we look like a parade, right?  a mini circus with all of these kids?!  the japanese people gawk in bewilderment.

we had  very traumatic event on the subway.  Ike spent his own money to get a happy meal at mcdonalds (we only let them get nuggets or a sandwich and water- not a happy meal) because he really wanted the toy inside.  It was a pokemon ball something or other.  He kept playing with it on the train and I told him it wasn't a good idea because it may roll away.

Just after we got off the car at a stop- he dropped the ball and it went rolling off the track under the subway car,  Ike and metta were hysterical. sobbing and wailing. you would have thought it was mack who rolled away!  

the people on the platform who didn't see what happened probably thought we'd lost a limb or something horrific.  it was pretty dramatic.

hopefully it's a lesson learned.

at one of the stops- Anna and Elsa appeared on an ad outside the train.  metta begged for a picture and this guy thought she was pretty funny.    see her foot on the seat, though?!  the japanese have MAJOR issues with shoes being where they shouldn't.  it is SO STRESSFUL.  I never realized just how many places kids put their feet!! ahhhhhh!!  we are CONSTANTLY reminding and nagging the kids about their feet and shoes!!  it really does stress out the japanese SO MUCH.  I can't figure out their extreme aversion to shoes!!   even in some public bathrooms you can't wear shoes!  they have little house slippers you are supposed to wear.  they have to be germier than our shoes!!

and two new metro signs.

don't do your makeup on the train?!!?

and certainly don't get drunk or text near the tracks,