Duganland

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Witness the eldritch horror of the kidney STONE! Sometimes your most terrifying nightmare is your own body.

Next, watch Kylie repeatedly stab her brother in the face with NEEDLES!

Needs more SKULLS next year.

Due to some pre-Halloween travel and iffy weather, we didn't want to bring out the TV and computer for Plinkoween this year. Instead we had kids pick a DUCK to keep. Each duck was secretly marked in UV marker for how much candy they won. Yes, your eyes don't deceive you ... those are some full-size bad boys sitting there waiting to be won.

This year's not-so-terrifying SKELETON scene was a drive-in. There were classic horror movie trailers and concession ads on the big screen.

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For Kylie's graduation trip, she picked Japan again. We hit some new stuff. We hit some old favorites. And this time we brought along Future-Son-In-Law Ty and his brother, Ben.

First Stop: Osaka

We went to teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka. It's a pretty cool interactive art/light installation.

Pokemon Cafe:

Universal Studios:

My daughter is following my footsteps with the "take selfie with perfect strangers" hobby.

Samurai Museum:

Misc Osaka pics:

Back in the 90's when we lived in Japan, you would see these EVERYWHERE. With everybody carrying their own cellphones, this is one of the few I saw. I can't remember the last payphone I saw in the states as well.

Next stop: Nagoya

Ghibli Park just opened in the fall and they are still working on sections of the park. The main section is called "The Grand Warehouse". It houses displays from many of the Ghibli movies. Some of them you can jump in for a picture.

There are many outdoor sections of the park as well.

They also have a life size recreation of the house from My Neighbor Totoro. You are encouraged to touch and explore the house. There are character's belongings you can find in drawers etc.

Even the entrance/exit elevator is cool.

Next stop: Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kylie, Ty, and Ben went to a traditional Onsen

They also went to a riverside noodle shop in the mountains that shoots noodles past you in a sluice.

We went back to Fire Ramen because the Harmon boys needed to experience it. Click to play the video, and watch Ben's face on the far left. He really wasn't expecting it to be quite so energetic. Run it full screen for best comedic effect.

Sean got a Fire Ramen bowl so the head chef autographed it for a returning customer.

Next stop: Tokyo

We are contractually obligated to visit an Disney facility if we are nearby. Sherri defines "nearby"

We stayed at the Toy Story Hotel. It was was painfully cute:

Yes, that is your room TV.

We actually got to ride something we hadn''t seen before. The Beauty and the Beast ride was like riding a big roomba. Still fun.

Tokyo wanderings:

We went down to Yokohama for the day to see the Cup Noodle Museum. It was actually pretty interesting and a lot of fun. You got to make your own package of instant ramen. Before you ask ... yes, you get to keep the chicken bandana.