Final of Parent's Visit

The day has come! Here are the lasts pictures and places of my parents trip. And while I am a day late, it's fitting to share more photos of them because they just celebrated their anniversary!

 

And these happen to fall in no particular order because I have lost all track.

We took the rope way up the mountain, enjoyed the scenery and then mom and dad had a quick herbal foot bath. There was so many people waiting that day that I just decided to sit this one out. When we go to the top there was a school class there and they were so excited to try out their English on us. We then hiked down the mountain, a good leg workout to say the least.

 

 

 

Another afternoon, we headed over to the port of Kobe, pretty close to where we live. They have a bunch of shopping and restaurants right near the water. We decided to go up in the tower before the sunset, sit and have a snack and drink while the top revolved, and then enjoyed the sunset. Afterwards we grabbed dinner at a buffet that offered all kinds of different Japanese cuisine. I think I mentioned a while back we took in plenty of baseball, four games overall.

 

 

Then we ventured into Osaka to check out the Umeda Sky Building. Brandon I had never been before but he sees it on his daily commute and I had heard neat things about it. It is two separate buildings connected at the top with an observatory deck. Thinking we would get a pretty view we headed up before dark and stayed while the sunset. It was pretty hazy that particular day but still offered up a great view!

 

 

And I forgot this one from our time in Hiroshima. Mom had heard about these famous pancakes, which I now see everywhere but before their visit had no clue about them. So we found a little shop right near peace park. I wasn't so sure about it but I was starving and needed to eat something. They are actually pretty good and we had them once more during their visit.

 

 

And that...concludes my parents visit from MAY! I can't believe we leave in a month because looking back to when they visited seems like yesterday! I have no idea when I will start recapping my sisters trip. She actually said she would write that for me, but obviously I'm in no rush to get things done, possibly before Christmas.

 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

 

Nara. Take Two

And although Kyoto is one of my favorite cities here in Japan, Nara just happens to be a close second. It's just peaceful and relaxing and so much like being in the country with all the surrounding deer. We went to Nara on the last day my parents visited. It is about an hour train ride but there isn't a huge hurry to do or see a lot in a small time. It was relaxing and didn't involve a ton of walking which we thought would be a good thing the day before a long flight.

 

Kyoto. Take Two

I had already visited Kyoto once before. I thought I had a pretty decent idea of how to tour the area but the truth is a hired private tour guide is probably the way to go. Because Kyoto is such a busy city, the old capital of Japan, and top priority for many sightseeing visitors it is not easy to get around quickly. Especially if one decides to visit the day of one of Kyoto's famous festivals. But we did it anyway and enjoyed the parade and culture along with a few shrines and temples. Kyoto, you are still one of my favorite cities.

Hiroshima - May 2013

You read that right, MAY 2013, I won't even apologize for being this late on this post or the next few for that matter. I just have not felt like editing pics, writing posts, or doing much of anything except resting and feeling baby move around constantly. Oh yeah and eat. Plus I am pretty sure pregnancy excuses me for such tardiness. I'm working on some virtual nesting to get caught up on all the posts I have planned and want to write about so for the next couple of days while Brandon is gone on a short road trip I plan to tackle them with a vengeance.

Hiroshima. It's heart wrenching, tragic, and hard to completely capture the devastation that took place. It is a quiet place, one where most are there to pay respects or learn of a significant historical event. I'm not a history buff so I won't get into the war and reasons for the bombing but below are photos of and around Peace Park Memorial including the A-Bomb Dome and Children's Peace Monument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiroshima Castle

Parents Visit Revisted..(the first few days)

Lets travel back in time.. to my parents visit two months ago. I keep saying I will recap their visit and just have not made the time to do so. Now that I am in a writing groove I'm going to try and keep the ball rolling with an update of their visit! Whoo hoo. Plus it's like I get to relive it again!

We are a bit out of order but I'm positive no one is going to mind. The day they arrived they got in around 3:30 pm, putting us at our apartment with two tired travelers close to five. I fixed an easy meal of beef bowls and then we tried to keep them awake to kick the jet lag.

The following day we headed into Sannomiya, a giant city center, to shop, look around, and pretty much not do any crazy sightseeing on their first day. We went to a rooftop nursery. I introduced my dad to the bakeries and his favorite, cheese bread, and then we decided to go catch the Buffaloes game at the outdoor stadium. On our way to the field we stopped at another shopping area where my parents delighted in some crepes. Then they experienced their first Japanese baseball game.

 

The following day we were greeted with rain. I had not planned ANY activities for rain and had no idea what we could do. My dad, Ken, found a couple sake breweries not to far from our apartment so we headed out to those. It was a wet nightmare but after my dad stopped and got directions, with my assistance, we set out to find the brewery. If you've seen one you've seen them all but it was neat to see just how it used to be made.

 

 

Then the days start to mix together so it gets confusing. We went to have a Japanese dinner one evening at a Yakiniku. There is a grill built into the table and you order your meat choices or vegetables and cook them yourself. At this particular restaurant it is timed and you can eat all you can in 90 minutes. At this point, I don't believe we had shared the news that they would be grandparents. I was super nervous that the raw meat sitting in front of me was going to make me sick, but I enjoyed the entire meal with no problems. I even had tongue for the first time and it was pretty good.

 

 

The first few days allowed them to get a feel for traveling by train and the general idea of our life here in Japan. Our first all day excursion was to Awaji island which you can read about here and then we will be ready to move on to the next big travel days of Hiroshima, Kyoto and around Kobe.

 

But first...a special video. We decided to tell my parents the night before Mother's Day because Brandon was busy all day that Sunday and wouldn't be around. A little back story behind the gift. There was some sort of pop up sale  in our building that had all sorts of Japanese goods. My mom spotted this really pretty lazy susan she wanted but didn't buy it. When she told me about it, I told her not to get it because it would be to hard to get home. The next morning we walked right past the sale again, she had a massage, and it was still there, which is when I got the bright idea to buy it and use that to surprise her with our news. While she was getting her massage I hurried, bought the plate and got it back to the apartment, hid a special surprise inside, and kept it until after our dinner pictured above. She thought she was just getting her lazy susan but ended up with so much more! I love that Brandon captured her reaction because they are the only two people we got to tell live in person.

 

A Week Alone

It's quiet here. Almost too quiet. Yesterday I took my sister to the airport and its nearing 24 hours and she isn't home yet. Her flight from Osaka was delayed by about three hours just allowing her to miss the plane crash at SFO where she was to catch her connecting flight. It's scary and I am so thankful that she is safe and hope that she can make it home soon!
 

 
We had a super busy but awesome visit from the time I picked her up until the time I dropped her off. She got to experience Japan as Brandon and I do and I'm letting her do a recap of her time here so that I can finally catch up on my parents visit from May.
 
If it wasn't bad enough sending her home, Brandon just walked out the door for a week. It is bittersweet. He is finally recovered from his injury 100% and is scheduled to pitch for the big league team on the tenth. How I have LOVED our afternoons and evenings together and it will take a few days for me to adjust to being here by myself after about two months of having him here.
 

 

Which will probably leave me missing him and my new best dog friend Henry. Karla and I went on a little trip to Tokyo to visit our friends living on the Yakota Air Force Base and I soaked up some dog loving time with this little dachshund. He was so pathetic waiting by my bags before we left. I think it's safe to say he liked me a little.

 

 

 

So for the time being, I will keep growing this little baby of ours that received two packages this week. My friend Rachel, which finally had her baby boy on the 5th (Happy Birthday Max and to my bff Liz) sent us some baby goodies and a some reading material for me. Then my mom shipped us a box with stuff we needed, toothpaste/deodorant/lemonade packets, etc., and then this CUTE bear and onesie that she made for us. I can't believe how small a newborn onesie is, but I love it. Trying not to get anxious because we still have six months to go.

 

 

While Karla was here she couldn't resist pictures of my tiny bump I've been sporting - already rocking her Aunt duties.  After being on our feet all day and large meals that baby really likes to pop out, which makes me wonder if we are going to have a big baby on our hands come January.

 

 

 

 



With all of that said, I am left with a full heart to take on this week alone and catch up on some Facetime!

Awaji Island

Its such a wonderful thing to be able to capture memories through photos but then actually writing what they mean and what happened adds a whole new meaning. This isn't exactly day one, but where I wanted to start with recapping my parents visit. It was early on in their trip after what began with a few rainy days. I don't know where or how but they suggested we head over to an island for the day to check out some gardens and other attractions. I was on board trying something new because I knew our week ahead held some repeat things that I had already seen but knew my parents would enjoy as well.

 

The morning of we hopped on a train, then took a 15 minute ferry, saw one of the longest suspension bridges, grabbed some maps from information and set out. I had done little research the night before and had very little idea of where on the island we were going and what we were going to try and see. Mistake #1.  

 

Our first sight to see happened to be right across the street from where the ferry drops off. It was this giant rock. Cool. Mom had mentioned next that the other three sights were all within a close distance so we headed down the road walking. We came upon a little beach and then directly across from that, a shrine that happened to have a festival of sorts going on. While some of us were intently studying our whereabouts on a map, ahem dad, others were eager to go see what the music and cheering was all about, me!  I didn't care what the map said I was checking it out and dragging them along with me. I really can't explain what took place so I will let the video show you.

 

After that, whatever you call it, we continued on to our next destination. After a little bit of walking we came across an intersection and all three of us were having trouble locating our 'your are here' point on a map. I had brought our wifi internet with us that day, and it was not of much use at all. Them a nice man on a bike asked us if we needed help. Of course we did. So we showed him our map and he too couldn't locate our spot but suggested we weren't far off the map. He told us we had a 2km (1.2 miles) walk or so, we thanked him still not quite sure if we should keep walking or redirect our plans for the day. So we walked and the sun beat down on us, but we walked. Along the way we stopped at a little bike café. I was whining and needed to stop, take a break, get a drink, and figure out exactly where we were going. They also had a cute puppy out front that I pet and gave me a little dog fix for a while. The owner was super nice and we were the only ones in there. We, just to make sure, asked him if we were headed in the right direction as well. Map laid out on the table, he too told us we were just off the map, but close. We gathered our things, and a rocky road brownie for the road and continued our walk. And then we saw the sign for the park we were headed to - a botanical museum/garden gallery.

 

Let me tell you, we all agreed it was worth the walk. The landscaping and flowers were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

 

We paid a few extra dollars (again worth it) for a greenhouse exhibit they had going on for Mother's Day. It too was filled with perfectly pruned flowers, everything you could think of and tons of roses! I do believe my mom said, I think this is probably what heaven will be like, and I hope she is right because I'm going and it was gorgeous.

 

Since it was one of the warmer days while my parents were here, we stopped to have a seat and grab a snack at another little café within the park. We all had ice cream treats as we laughed about our latest discovery that made us feel more silly and like tourist than ever.

 

My mom laid it out perfectly. Imagine you are in downtown St. Louis with a map of the Six Flags Amusement park, and you stop to ask someone where you are on that map. Our map, was actually a map of the park we were trying to get to, not a map of the entire island. Yes you can laugh now and call us big dummies but we had a good laugh and a great day.

 

After ice cream we finished our day at the 100 tier garden which sat up on a hill behind the Westin hotel with a gorgeous view. It was like an optical illusion with lots of stairs.

 

Needless to say after our long walk and tackling all those stairs, some of us were worn out! We went to the hotel and took a cab back to the ferry instead of walking. Best move of the day. One ferry and a train later we were back home for dinner.

 

And because I loved my last video so much I've decided that I'll keep making them.