Host cousin's and sister enjoying time with the baby! 

My family with Ichiro's dad! He was very genki and quite nice!!  

Mom, Mom, Yuka and Kotaro!! 

To-ji 

Ummmm cool van, with Donald Duck on the back.....seriously. 

Kyoumizudera 

He's big, He's Sleeping. He's the big sleeping Buddha!! 

contemplating....lunch? What a beautiful garden!! 

Karaoke wedding style. Me and Ma are wearing shades in doors.... 

the happy couple, and umm...Onasu and myself 

tux time at tetsu's wedding! 

Too Much to think up a witty title for....

When playing host to friends and family in a foreign country one should be prepared for 2 things.
1. Handling all of the planning 2. translating (even if you aren't good at the language)

My lovely parents came to visit me in Japan 2 weeks ago, and boy wow was it an experience!! I had a great time leading them from the southern Island of Kyushu all the way up to Tokyo.

The first week was spent in my home town with brief excursions all around. We went to my good friend's wedding ceremony where I was asked to play the role of pretend priest. They were already officially married so I was more than happy to read them their vows, do a ditty in Japanese, run them through the ring exchange, and of course sing Beatles with my mother karaoke style in front of the 140 person wedding reception. We next went to Dazaifu where I was interviewed by a TV crew asking people what their dreams were. If I am lucky enough to make it past the cutting room floor, the show will air on January 5th. Dazaifu is most famous for a shrine where students of all ages and studies go to pray for blessings on their exams. Next to this temple is an ancient Zen Buddhist temple with one of the most sererne and beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

We then went to a gigantic sleeping Buddha which must have been well over 150 long. Seriously big. Then came a museum where we looked at Noh and Kyougen masks that were both interesting and scary....not to mention really REALLY OLD. We spent almost everynight out with the great people that have take such great care of me. I can't say how many delicious dinners we were taken out to. It certainly made our time here easy, but VERY VERY BUSY!! Every day we visited with 1 or 2 different groups of people from the time I was off work until just before bed.

Next came our trip up the country. We departed via shinkansen (bullet train) from Kokura station in northern Kyushu and made our way up to Kyoto. We only had one day, so we of course first went to Kyomizudera. Although it was very cloudy, we managed to not get rained on and had a wonderful tour. A woman from Tennessee asked me some of the oddest questions I have ever been asked: "Excuse me, why aren't there any squirrels here? We have been here almost a week and haven't seen any squirrels or other small critters..." RIGHT. Followed by "What are them trucks with the moon and the cat on the side? " They were delivery trucks. Probably shipping millions and millions of Japan's abducted squirriel if you ask me. The next day we overslept and didn't have time to go to Kinkakuji like I wanted to. Instead we went to the nearest place worth our time, ,To-ji. Boy was it ever. The cool and crazy cars in the parking lot were a stark contrast to the towering temples that had weathered countless storms over the centuries. The 5 story pagoda and beautiful garden were by far the most visually pleasing of the temple, ,but the less striking buildings also were quite charming.

Nagoya was next on our list Although the 3rd or 4th largest city in Japan at just over 3,000,000 people, it is generally not on most tour itineraries. The main reason for our visit was to FINALLY be able to introduce my parents to my hostfamily. After doing a 2 week homestay in Nagoya 5 years ago, my 2 families were able to meet! We had an amazing dinner with my host family (extended aunts and cousins and niece also present). After everyone had their fill of food and beer or shochu, we headed to karaoke! I figured if my parents could handle sushi and sashimi, they could handle a round in a karaoke box with my host family. They both faired quite well, leaving me both proud and slightly shocked! The next day we went to the Ichiro Musuem., although it was my second trip, it was my parents first. The first time I went there last year I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Suzuki. This time I was able to meet her again and also had the honor of meeting Mr. Suzuki himself, or as Japanese affectionately call him "Chichiro" (Chichi in Japanese means "Papa") !!! We chatted for a little bit, took pictures, and he even gave me some special Ichiro phone cards! Talk about a lucky day!!

Next we went to Tokyo where my good friend Akiko met us to help me out with the tour guide and host duties. Since I have no idea how to navigate Tokyo on my own in a reasonably efficient manner, we just followed her lead as we visited Keio University, Tokyo Tower, and Asakusa. Upon arriving at her house we enjoyed visiting for a few hours with her family before calling it a night. The next morning we had to get up early to go meet my host sisters mother and brother who came to meet us before we all flew home. We enjoyed cake and coffee together and enjoyed chatting for a few hours after the formal introductions were made. I look forward to spending more time with my host sister's family next time so I can get to know them all better!! This trip was a lot of fun but as I am COMPLETELY and UTTERLY exhausted it is good to be back home where the same old routine I do day in and day out will give me some time to catch up and relax!!