Japanties: Yokohama and ice world

Wow, I really haven't written in a long time! With only one week to go I am resuming blogging.

I'll start from where I left off.

After Shizuoka we went to Yokohama, a really nice place just outside of Tokyo.
We actually went to Yokohama twice, the second time was when we experienced our first earthquake! Well, Jamie could've slept straight through it if I wasn't shouting his name out of fear (I was petrified it would be the big Tokyo earthquake that's been overdue for 15 years). Well if I knew it wasn't 'the big one' I would've sat back and enjoyed it instead of lay rigid in my bed for the next hour and a half, eyes wide open staring at the ceiling, wondering if I should get dressed just in case the big one does come and I don't want to be scrambling around trying to escape a crumbling building in just my pants. Not a dignified image.
Luckily this earthquake did not occur on the one night we stayed in the tallest building in Japan; the landmark tower (one of those buildings where your ears pop when you go up), if it did I probably would've been too frightened to even breathe.

We were in the top third of the building

view from the room (forgot to take a night one, oops)

There was a random amusement park in Yokohama scattered along the river. We went on a really fast rollercoaster and 'ice world'. Now we had NO idea what ice world was about, it was one of the most expensive attractions so coupled with that and my love of all things wintry and Christmassy we went in. Nothing prepared us for the wonders inside. It was basically a freezing cold room (apparantly minus 30?!) with cotton pastered on the walls, a polar bear, a tiny ice sculpture in the shape of a penguin behind a bar, and some fake christmas trees. It was simply amazing.

I think they spent all their money on the exterior. The building also looked deceivingly large.