In October 2001, James and I made our second trip to Japan (the first was in April 2001). We were there for ten days and unlike our first trip, we were able to see more than just the shops of Tokyo and Disneyland. We arrived at Narita early in the morning and boarded the train to Tokyo. From there, we boarded the Shinkansen and made our way to Nagoya where we spent time with our friends and fellow Disney collectors, Joanne and Taka.

We spent two nights in Nagoya. Joanne and Taka were wonderful to us! They met us on Friday afternoon and took us straight to The Disney Store. :) We visited a few stores that afternoon, including Taka's own collectible toy store and then headed out to dinner. Dinner was an experience! We went to a place where you do the cooking. It was great, but I must say, at times I had no idea what I was eating. :) On Saturday, Taka was kind enough to drive by Nagoya Castle for us to catch a glimpse. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for a proper look. Oh well....We will just have to go back! :)

On Saturday night Joanne and Taka invited us to their home for a Disney Halloween barbeque with their friends. It was a lot of fun. We tried some food we would not otherwise have eaten and met some very kind people. For us it was a special experience as we were given an insight into Japanese culture and how Japanese people live - something you very rarely get as a tourist.