Now we’re back from our 2-week adventure through Southeast Asia and immediately we must get ready for our next round of US guests. First is meeting up with the son (Sean) of another of John’s cousins (Peggy). John often likes to talk about how as a kid he would spend his entire summers at Peggy and her sisters’ house in a Chicago suburb. So we’re looking forward to meeting Peggy’s son Sean since it’s been about 15 years since we last saw him. He’s here on an internship with Mizuno, a famous Japanese sports apparel company. We’re going to show him some local sights since he said he’s mostly done only touristy things so far. Last night, Saturday, July 29,…
Summer Guests Part 1
We’re in the full swing of summer guests now. It’s Tuesday, June 27 and our Newport Beach friends are on their way home today. Good-bye Luke, Tom and Sheridan. We will see you again soon. Thanks for letting us go temple hopping with you in Kyoto, coming to dinner at our house and going to USJ and the arcade with us!Our Long Beach friends arrive tonight. Later on in July, two more sets of friends from Costa Mesa will arrive in Osaka at the same time. I’m getting off work early today so I’m planning to go straight to Itami Airport to hook up with John and Avalon. I want to be on time to see our friends when they…
Kimonos and Kyoto
Saturday, June 17, Avalon is signed up for a nature art camp at Ritsumeikan University, Ibaraki campus. We are meeting her friends and her art teacher at the Starbucks on campus in the morning. After the camp, my friend Satoko will drive Avalon and I to a kimono shop in downtown Osaka to go kimono shopping. This is a special kimono shop that mainly rents kimonos out to customers who need a kimono for a special occasion, or who just want to take fancy keepsake photos. I am looking for a nice used kimono or yukata (a light version that is worn in the summer heat) that I can buy for Avalon and I to share. This shop has beautiful…
Minoh Kawayuka
Back in early 2016 when we were thinking about moving to Japan, my Auntie Meiko said she and her sisters were coming to Japan on a tour in Spring 2017. That seemed like a far way off. But suddenly it’s Spring 2017 and she has already come and gone! I’d been looking forward to her visit for a long time. The day finally arrived on Saturday, May 20. I picked her up at Shin-Osaka train station. She said it only took 13 minutes by Shinkansen (bullet train) to get from Kyoto to Osaka. I guess that’s platform to platform. I couldn’t believe it! She said she was nervous about taking the train by herself, but it was a piece of…
Golden Week Guests
Saturday, May 6. Two things are dictating our Saturday morning. One, Avalon has to go see the doctor about her big toe that has been bothering her. I may have already mentioned somewhere that she had an ingrown toenail on her other foot and she thinks it’s the same thing, different toe. Two, Jun has to catch a plane from Itami to Tokyo and on to Baltimore, Maryland later today. We’ve been practicing how to say, “Hilton,” with him. He said when he stayed at a Hilton in Australia, whenever he said to the taxi driver, or anyone else, that he was staying at the Hilton, no one could understand him. It’s “hill-tuh-n” not “he-rue-toe-n.” While I’m at the doctor…
Guests and Gifts from Home
We’ve been busy lately. On Tuesday, March 28 my parents arrived from Riverside, California for one week. After they left we barely had enough time to get the laundry done before Avalon’s BFF and her mom arrived from Newport Beach, CA for one week. Then, overlapping with Avalon’s friend’s stay, we were asked by our school to host two visiting high school students from Seoul, South Korea. The Korean students are still with us but they are set to leave early tomorrow morning, which happens to be Sunday, April 16, Easter Sunday. My parents arrived with one suitcase full of goodies for us. The one thing I really wanted they actually brought for me — American kitty litter!!! The box…
Kuromon Ichiba Market
Kuromon Ichiba Market is in downtown Osaka, off of the Namba station exit. We found out by trial and error that this is a daytime market, not a nighttime street affair. It is fascinating! The narrow alleys are crowded with stalls and people and the sights and colors are all vibrant shades that pop out. The smells wafting out from each stall let you know if something is being cooked for the crowd. Fresh, premium fish can be found here. Wagyu and Kobe beef are cut here in generous strips and grilled on the spot. Thick pieces of fatty sushi sit atop little pieces of rice. Huge crabs, whole or cut up, are on sale. Fresh fruit and vegetables are…
Special Guests Who Love Tigers
It is Friday, September 16 and we are getting the house ready for special guests coming tonight. My second cousin Mayumi is arriving this evening with her family from Sapporo. Mayumi is a big reason why we were able to come to Japan for a year. Without her help it might not have happened. She spent many hours talking to the people at the Sapporo Immigration Bureau on our behalf. They are planning to spend the night with us and we are super excited to see them. Sapporo is a 2 hour flight from Osaka. It’s the main city on the northernmost island of Hokkaido and home of the Sapporo Brewery. John and I spent the whole morning cleaning the house….