Aria’s Girl Scout troop is representing Japan at their annual International Faire at the end of this month, so as a related field trip the troop took a train to downtown Los Angeles to spend some time in Little Tokyo. This was Aria’s second time on a train, but it was her first time at Union Station. She was impressed at how big it is.

As we walked from Union Station to Little Tokyo, we came upon this tower of signs. I asked Aria, “Well, which way should we go?”  and after a moment of confusion she finally said,  “Those aren’t street names! Gosh, do they want us to get lost or something?!!” 

Walking around the streets of downtown Los Angeles isn’t something that I do often, since we live about an hour away, but being there this day reminded me that I should really take my kids here every now and then. There’s so much to see.

When we arrived in Little Tokyo, the first thing we did was buy Aria a Japanese umbrella, a “Wasaga”  – the traditional Japanese Wasagas are made of rice paper and bamboo sticks.

Next we went into a Japanese food market. Aria lost her mind a little bit in the candy aisle. Her favorite purchase was the candies that were wrapped in edible paper. She thought being able to eat the wrapper was just about the coolest thing ever!

Thanks to Rich, Aria has always loved sushi. I am not a fan. But Aria fit right in during lunchtime with her sushi selection. She gave up on the chopsticks, though. Fingers are much, much easier.

She found a better use for those chopsticks.

After lunch, we walked down to a Buddhist temple. Aria learned from her troop leader a little bit about the Buddhist Concept of Nature; that our natural habitat and its inhabitants are composed of four or five basic elements. These elements are earth, wind, fire, water and vacuum (space).  We didn’t get into much of the Buddhist beliefs, but I thought that part was interesting!

We ended our little excursion with a quick walk down Olvera Street. Aria enjoyed the many shops with all their traditional Mexican toys and clothing. I thought she looked really cute in this sombrero!

“Adios, amigos!”

before you go….

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to fill out my short survey. If you still want the chance to take this survey, I will have it open a few more days. You can take the survey HERE.

Also, my last post was circulated around and I was put in contact with the victim’s family. The victim’s name is Steve, and he is a loving husband and the father of 5 young boys!  You can follow a Facebook page that was set up for him HERE, and you can help his family with medical expenses HERE. Steve is the sole provider for his family, and any donated amount with help! Thank you!