Tony Returns!

Tony recently spent two weeks in Japan. He traveled there for work and then spent some additional days sightseeing. He visited Okinawa, Osaka, Kyoto, and Okinawa, returning to us with slight jet-lag and only good things to say about the country. I think he would move us there if the offer came up! I'm quite jealous, but I'm traveling vicariously through all his pictures.

Olivia dressed up to go pick Daddy up from the airport, but the excitement (or was it the long car ride?) got to her.

As Tony unpacked his bags, gifts and souvenirs made their way into our hands. This temple incense smells amazing.

Solid perfume from Lush in Tokyo. Smells like honey, and apparently the name translates as "March of the Honeybees."

Habanero snacks. I haven't opened the bag yet, though, so who knows how spicy they actually are. I just like the evil little pepper dude on the package.

Banana holder...you know, to keep your banana from getting bruised...what did you think it was?

Napkins and tissues are hard to come by in Tokyo...in restaurants, you are given a hot towel to wipe your hands, not a napkin. Instead of handing out flyers, some bars and clubs hand out little packets of tissue to entice you to visit them.

Green tea hard candy, and fruit candy.

Samurai swords!

Everything has a face on it, Tony told me. I wasn't sure what he meant, so he brought me an example.

Chopsticks for everyone! Jackson and Olivia practiced by eating edamame, one by one. They're pretty good at it!

While traveling in Japan, Tony ate sushi every day, and developed an appreciation for miso soup at breakfast. I will post more about his food adventures and our attempts to recreate them. However, he came home with a craving for two American foods: Tex-Mex and pizza. So those were his first meals back home.

Abuelos is a chain, but we've always enjoyed it. They start you with a trio of salsas. The green salsa is super sweet; it has pineapple juice in it.

Sangria swirl, yes please.

Avocado enchiladas with ranchera sauce. Papas and steamed veggies on the side.

For pizza, we chose Mellow Mushroom. Adventurous toppings, lots of veggie/vegan options, and awesome chewy crust. Although, it's little pricey compared to other, just-as-good Austin pizza options. 

We started out with a Greek salad to share.

You can do a half-and-half specialty pizza, so that's what we did. The half on the left is Thai Dye -- curry tofu, tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers, basil, and Thai sweet chili oil. The other half is the Magical Mystery Tour with portabella mushrooms, pesto, spinach, feta, and jalapenos.  I preferred this half. I've enjoyed other Thai pizzas, but this one was a little too oily for my liking. The mushroom-pesto combination was great, however. And that crust! A good crust is my favorite part of a pizza.

Have you ever visited Japan?