Japan

I'm back from Japan. It was a good time. We spent 4 days touring around Tokyo, saw a lot of shrines and temples.

We stayed with a family for two nights who were very nice, and let me try on a kimono.

Our last day in Tokyo we decided to go to DisneySea.


After that we went back north to Miharu where Jenna lives. It is a smaller town and it was nice to see that side of life in Japan as well. We got a chance to go play tennis, which was really great. I think we both really enjoyed being able to get out and hit and relive old times. It also really hit me how similar all industrialized nations are. We were in a shopping center in Yokohama, where there was a Wendy's a Coldstone, Tiffany & Co. and so many other chain stores. I don't know why this struck me, but it seemed cool that stoplights work the same all over the world too. Even down to the flashing red and yellow at night. I used to think that it was only Americans who were into things being the biggest (Such as on our drive to Portland we saw the biggest Holstein in the world and walked on the longest floating boardwalk). And we all know how much I love Noah's Ark, America's largest water park. Turns out Japan is into big things too. While there I saw the second largest Buddah in Japan

The third largest Cherry Blossom Tree in Japan. Found in Jenna's town of Miharu!

We also went to the Miharu Dam, the most popular place in all of Japan to commit suicide.

That wasn't meant to make this end negatively. It was a great trip, a wonderful experience, and it was nice to see Jenna. It also marked the end of a glorious work free summer, that I had truly been enjoying. I have now been thrust back into a whole new life of work and moving that isn't settling quite as well. . . I'm sure you'll hear about it soon.