11 is the perfect age to go to Japan

In case you were wondering, we've deemed 11 to be the perfect age to go to Japan. Ashley is old enough that the memories of this trip will stick with her for a long time, yet young enough to be considered a child. In some cases, this has meant free entry to museums and temples, other times she is half-price. She rides public transportation for half-price. Even Disney charged her the kid rate.

Plus she has the added benefit of being young enough that her brain is a sponge and she is picking up Japanese words left and right (literally), cat, deer (which we saw a lot of in Nara), and various body parts. Hiroko and Masumi quiz her on these words. Me, I can't seem to grasp the pronunciation for even the simplest words. I just don't hear it, and can't repeat it properly. Reminds me of being 18 and living in Belgium and not being able to grasp the "u" sound. At the time there was a TV commercial for Lu cookies that featured an American trying to make the "u" sound (which I finally did master), hence many people thought it was cute to see if their local American (me) said it like an American or like a Belgian. 

Kids love seeing her. A group of Japanese teenagers wanted to take their picture with Ashley. School groups shout "hello" to her. She is being treated like a rock star, but nicer.

She has been a terrific sport about being taken to lots of temples, parks and restaurants with different foods. She is the best!

Not a bad deal overall.