去年夏天，我和家人一起去东京旅游。东京离上海不远，坐飞机只要三个多小时。在东京，除了参观著名的浅草寺以外，我们还去了东京塔看夜景。晚上的东京漂亮极了！大街上到处都是人，非常热闹。除了日本菜以外，我也很喜欢那里的文化。虽然东西有点儿贵，但这次旅行很开心，我打算明年再去一次。
Take a step forward
Usage of 除了……（以外）
Meaning:
- “Besides…”, “In addition to…”, or “Except for…”.
Context:
- Used to include or exclude specific items from a category.
Examples:
- 除了他以外，大家都来了。
- Except for him, everyone came.
- 除了咖啡以外，我也喜欢喝茶。
- Besides coffee, I also like drinking tea.
- 除了北京以外，我还想去西安。
- Besides Beijing, I also want to go to Xi’an.
Usage of 极了
Meaning:
- “Extremely…”, “Super…”, or “…to the max”.
Context:
- A common way to express a very high degree of a quality. It follows the adjective and is stronger than “很” (hěn).
Examples:
- 这只猫可爱极了！
- This cat is extremely cute!
- 那个电影好看极了。
- That movie was super good.
- 考试结束了，我开心极了。
- The exam is over, I am extremely happy.
Pinyin
Qùnián xiàtiān, wǒ hé jiārén yìqǐ qù Dōngjīng lǚyóu. Dōngjīng lí Shànghǎi bù yuǎn, zuò fēijī zhǐ yào sān gè duō xiǎoshí. Zài Dōngjīng, chúle cānguān zhùmíng de Qiǎncao sì yǐwài, wǒmen hái qùle Dōngjīng tǎ kàn yèjǐng. Wǎnshàng de Dōngjīng piàoliang jíle! Dàjiē shàng dàochù dōu shì rén, fēicháng rènào. Chúle Rìběn cài yǐwài, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān nàlǐ de wénhuà. Suīrán dōngxi yǒudiǎnr guì, dàn zhè cì lǚxíng hěn kāixīn, wǒ dǎsuàn míngnián zài qù yí cì.
Translation
Last summer, I went to Tokyo for travel with my family. Tokyo is not far from Shanghai; it only takes a bit more than three hours by plane. In Tokyo, besides visiting the famous Senso-ji Temple, we also went to Tokyo Tower to see the night view. Tokyo at night was beautiful beyond words! The streets were crowded everywhere and very lively. In addition to Japanese food, I also really like the culture there. Although things were a bit expensive, this trip was very happy, and I plan to go there again next year.