<Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens >　Loved this! The guide was very knowledgable and I enjoyed his enthusiasm and love for the park.

<Lunch at Kagurazaka Oishimbo>　This was a fantastic meal and interesting location, like going back in time! I like how they used fresh ingredients. Even after many years living in Japan, I discovered new tastes with the dishes here.

<Walking in Kagurazaka: Hyogo Yokocho, Kakurenbo Yokocho>　I liked this a lot. It gave us a chance to see many things and also talk with the other tourists. Our guide also explained the background of some of the traditional items in the stores like ceramics, cosmetics and dolls which also make fantastic souvenirs.

<Asakusa Hanayashiki: Ninja experience>　Anytime you can be a ninja and learn the ways of an ancient art, it's a good experience. I loved how friendly our ninja sensei was, teaching us to throw ninja stars, learn concealment and event some new Japanese words. It may seem like a touristy thing to do, but really, ninjas are just cool.

<Walking in Asakusa: Asakusa Hanayashiki, Sensoji Temple, Nakamise street, Sumida park, SKY TREE>　I enjoyed this the most. We got to not only experience an old temple but also a chance to shop and eat! It was a nice chance to relax and also try new things like senbei and gold leaf soft ice cream! Sensouji Temple is a place where I could feel the spirit of Japan.

<Dinner at Rin>　Excellent dinner! I love the “tako” octopus theme to all the dishes! Nothing it better than a cold beer at the end of a fun day!

<Keio Plaza Hotel>　The room was AWESOME!! The view was very -- Shinjuku. It felt like I was in a move to wake up and see the Tokyo Metropolian Building! The bed was perfect. Everything clean. Breakfast delicious! I left the hotel very happy and refreshed.

<Flight from Haneda to Tokushima>　Excellent JAL flight! Great seats. On time. I was surprised that water bottles are okay to bring to the airport departure gate through security. Japan has a special machine to check the contents! We need those in the USA. Tokushima airport was great. Loads of signs welcoming us. In fact, there was an AWAODORI dance group to greet and welcome us at the exit! I could experience Awaodori within the first 5 minutes in Tokushima! Our guide also met us at the gate and we felt very comfortable right away.

<Uzunomichi>
Very, very, very cool! We couldn't see super big whirlpools but I liked the bridge and the chance to walk over the waterway. We spent about 40 minutes here and had a lot of fun jumping on the glass windows where the sea is 45 meters below!

<Lunch at Wakayama Shoten>　Lunch was good. It's always nice to have a fully prepared meal waiting for you, and that was this boxed lunch! It was nice to sit down and relax. The restaurant was fairly clean. Perhaps next time, we can have a picnic by the sea since the weather was perfect!

<Otsuka Museum of Art>　This was AMAZING!! After 18 years living in Japan, this was the first time I'd heard of Otsuka Museum. One of the coolest museums I have ever visited. I couldn't believe I could watch the Mona Lisa so Closely! I was really moved by the beauty of this place, the Sistine Chapel and the Van Gogh works all in the same building. I will definitely try to come back here again. The fact that you can watch the art so closely,take pictures makes it perfect for the family so I'll recommend it to my brother who will bring his children next summer.

<Hotel Clement Tokushima>　The hotel was in an excellent location, perfect to see the festival – come and go all day. The staff was very nice and I enjoyed my time here.

<Awa Jurobe Yashiki>　This place really surprised me. I didn't expect to like it, but I loved it! It's not very central so it is hard to get there, off the beaten path for tourists.But when we did arrive, I was charmed by the experience! ART! CULTURE! HISTORY! PUPPETS! It's certainly a must-see attraction because I really felt like I was in Japan, in another world here, watching an ancient art that is no longer mainstream. The performance was fantastic and getting a chance to touch and even play with the dolls was a great experience.

<Lunch at Men Oh>　Loved this ramen. Our guide showed us how to eat it with raw egg. RAW EGG RAMEN! Very unusual but also very good. It's best to get there early or there's a 15-20 minute wait – or more! I can understand why after eating it.

<Tour in Tokushima>　Tokushima's attractions are quite spread out which makes it hard to see in a day or two. Our guide pointed out places of interested while driving around. I wish we had a couple more days to see the top of Mt. Bizen or the castle ruins, but I actually enjoyed the driving to get to each location because I also got a chance to see the city in more detail. In Tokyo, it seems like I'm also underground in the subway so this experience in transport above ground was very nice.

<Dinner at Saketomeshinohirai> 　The chicken was excellent! I can understand why Tokushima's chicen is famous. Karaage!! It's definitely one of my favorite foods in Japan, perfect with a beer! The menu here was big and our guide ordered an very good assortment of food to try.

< Awa odori at Kotsu-Koen Park> This was the main event! We were lucky to have such wonderful seats close to the action. Our guide explained the dresses and dance style to us and I was glad he was there to answer some of my questions. The special seats were nice but I preferred the end when the dancers were in the street and locals were dancing with them. The awaodori turned into Japan's biggest street party! I tried to join in when I could. It's nice when you can also be a part of the festival and share the experience.