On Day 6 of our trip to Japan, I wanted to do something a little bit different. We had done all things cars at this point, and I just wanted a change of scenery for a day. Looking at the things left to do in Yokohama, I found an aquarium not far away. I love going to zoos and aquariums, always have since I was a little kid. Greg agreed and off we went. Greg used to have several salt water tanks so he has a wealth of knowledge about what we were seeing, the conditions it takes to keep certain creatures alive, which ones are aggressive, which ones are smart, etc. It was a beautiful day and low stress. We had nowhere to be, which was nice.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by SOGO. This place was truly the most incredible thing I had seen up to this point. It's unbelievable. It's a department store just outside of the Yokohama train station. It's 10 floors of unbelievable. When you walk in the door, you see counters full of gift baskets and collectibles. At first thought, it's just a place to buy souvenirs. Then you start walking down the aisles and you realize it is so much more than that. They sell every possible type of chocolate confection made, wrapped in the most beautiful wrapping paper / baskets you have ever seen. They also sell every kind of food you could possible want. I mean every kind. Doesn't matter, it's there. From steak to chicken to octopus to squid. You can get it raw to take home to cook, already prepared in to-go meals, or sit down and eat what you picked out at a restaurant. Their spice section is two full aisles. The produce section of the grocery store is unbelievable, but also very expensive. Apples were $3.80/each. Strawberries ranged from $6.00-$9.00 / pound. We didn't buy anything here but it was just a stunning experience to go in and browse. Didn't get many pictures, it was too overwhelming and you really just had to experience it for yourself.

Below is the link to the aquarium pictures. Feel free to ask questions about any of them and I'll be happy to give you details. There was no way we could post up all the pics - there were almost 2,000 of them all together- so we just made an album on the site so you could look at your leisure. There was no way I was taking the time to post a description of each one either. There will be several separate threads so make sure you read them all. The links are specific.

PICTURES
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/japan- ... ohama.html

If you have questions about anything, ask away!

Awesome photos! As a car enthusiast and a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium (we were just there this last Saturday), I approve of this vacation stop. Sounds like you had lots of fun!

Whoa, a polar bear?! We don't have one of those. Did they have any touch tanks with critters in them?

No they didn't. They specifically had signs that read, "don't put your hands in the water"