I am kind of at a loss for appropriate words for my final Japan blog entry. It was an awesome experience for 8 weeks. I got to indulge the ful
l scope of what Japan has to offer. Of course I couldn’t hit all the must see zones, but I think I did pretty well. As I looked through my tourist book, I guess the biggest thing that is not in the guide books is the 5th biggest earthquake in history! I thought it was well advised there that they encourage people to put together an “Oh Shit Kit” in case of a disaster. I put one together and fortunately was not in a position to need it when the big one rolled in. I spent my last couple of weeks in and around Tokyo and a day at Enoshima, down on the coast. I spent a day wit
h my mom who came to visit with friends, the Anzai family, from 45 years ago. We got to hang out with the fa
mily, including all of their “kids” who are around my age. I thought it might be hard to connect or find things to talk about, but it came as naturally as it did all those years ago. It was very generous of them to take time off from work responsibilities in the middle of the greatest crisis Japan has had in a long time, to visit me. I won’t go on about that. I have posted here a few hilarious signs that I had to photograph ( I never thought of 
McDonald’s as a dining 
bar). What a country to put a liquor shop in a vending machine. As you can tell, I love Udon, especially when they throw in tempura veggies and serve a bottle of sake. This is also a picture of the Anzai Family, plus me and mom (we are the white ones). Also a picture of Mt. Fugi from Tokyo with the sun setting 
behind it – the picture is nowhere near as breath-taking as actually 
being there. So I finished Japan and I will miss it, in many ways. Now home for while with probably nothing interesting to blog about. At least I hope so. Between the blizzards, volcanoes, traffic accidents, tea with HRM the Queen, earthquake and tsunami, I need a break.
I am kind of at a loss for appropriate words for my final Japan blog entry. It was an awesome experience for 8 weeks. I got to indulge the ful
l scope of what Japan has to offer. Of course I couldn’t hit all the must see zones, but I think I did pretty well. As I looked through my tourist book, I guess the biggest thing that is not in the guide books is the 5th biggest earthquake in history! I thought it was well advised there that they encourage people to put together an “Oh Shit Kit” in case of a disaster. I put one together and fortunately was not in a position to need it when the big one rolled in. I spent my last couple of weeks in and around Tokyo and a day at Enoshima, down on the coast. I spent a day wit
h my mom who came to visit with friends, the Anzai family, from 45 years ago. We got to hang out with the fa
mily, including all of their “kids” who are around my age. I thought it might be hard to connect or find things to talk about, but it came as naturally as it did all those years ago. It was very generous of them to take time off from work responsibilities in the middle of the greatest crisis Japan has had in a long time, to visit me. I won’t go on about that. I have posted here a few hilarious signs that I had to photograph ( I never thought of 
McDonald’s as a dining 
bar). What a country to put a liquor shop in a vending machine. As you can tell, I love Udon, especially when they throw in tempura veggies and serve a bottle of sake. This is also a picture of the Anzai Family, plus me and mom (we are the white ones). Also a picture of Mt. Fugi from Tokyo with the sun setting 
behind it – the picture is nowhere near as breath-taking as actually 
being there. So I finished Japan and I will miss it, in many ways. Now home for while with probably nothing interesting to blog about. At least I hope so. Between the blizzards, volcanoes, traffic accidents, tea with HRM the Queen, earthquake and tsunami, I need a break.