Long Overdue…

I realize I have been dwindling on this whole blog thing…but I will try and be a little more consistent in the new year – one of my resolutions, as well as studying more Japanese, eating better, and going to the gym….we all know how that will turn out…But I really do have all intentions to be better!

So must has happened over the holidays! There is so much to write about and I have over 1000 pictures to sort through….don’t worry, I will try not to go into too many details!

December was a very busy month! I was preparing for a few guests and for the Christmas Family Trip! Evy was off touring around the world, and stopped in Japan for just over a week, before going to spend Christmas with her family in Paris. She was off touring the Kansai region for a few days before coming to Sasebo to spend time with me! We had a great time! Ahh it was like time had never passed – we were our dorky selves….as I’m sure you can tell by the photos. She came to school with me for a day and a half, we toured a bit around Sasebo, went to a party in Omura, and just hung out & caught up! It really was so nice to see a familiar & well-loved face! And very sad to see her go! But as it is with true friends – and as her trip proved, you may be apart for a long time, and yet when you are reunited, its as if you were never apart!

So as most of you know, for the Christmas holidays, I had the privilege of having my family come to visit and tour Japan with me! We had lots planned and were really excited! I met up with the fam in Osaka, and it was so great to see them! I cried, I’m not going to lie. Anyways, we spent the morning in Osaka, taking in Osaka-jo (castle), before heading to Mt. Koya. The train ride wasn’t too bad – but the cable car up the mountain (or more like the stairs with our huge suitcases up the stairs) was slightly more difficult (something we got very used to!!). We arrived at Muryoko-in, our lodgings in a Buddhist monastery for the night and were in awe of the surroundings. The mountain was beautiful and as we were expecting pretty modest accommodations (the description said “a down-to-earth place to stay”, which Ami interpreted as “a hole”), we were pleasantly surprised with the spacious room, a heater, kotatsu table, a huge & delicious vegetarian meal and a really cool garden. We were expected at the 6am morning ceremony, which was slightly chilly, but a really interesting experience. Afterwards, the head monk, invited us for coffee & sweets with the 2 other guests staying at the monastery, & an American man who was studying in the area. Apparently the head monk (don’t recall his name…oops) is a big fan of Hershey kisses….who knew? So after a huge breakfast, we set out to Okuno-in, a huge cemetery with thousands & thousands of tombs on a path that led to the Lantern Hall, which is apparently host to two lanterns that are believed to have been burning for over 900 years. Pretty cool! It was our first temple of many….as Ami soon found out. Temples in Japan this trip were the churches of England from our last big family trip. One after another…each with its own interesting story/history.

We left our monastery, and headed back on the cable car & train to Kyoto, our home for the next 4 days. There was so much to see – and we only brushed the surface, but it was really beautiful. Thankfully the weather was pretty mild throughout the whole trip – no snow and only one day where it rained. We spent our first full day in Kyoto walking on a suggested walking tour. We went to Ginkakuji Temple (the Silver Pavilion), the Path of Philosophy (probably not at its finest during the winter months, but was still very nice to see – and clearly still took many photos!), Nanzenji Temple, and visited the Gion district, famous for maiko sightings (geishas-in-training, if you will). We did manage to see a girl leaving a small alley all dressed up – so that was pretty lucky! Mom and I went to see a “Japanese culture” show – which had a little bit of everything – but we really just wanted to see the dancing. It had tea ceremony, ikebana, koto, and a few others – very interesting!

We had Christmas in Kyoto – Dad had brought a little tree over in his suitcase, we decorated, not over eggnog & Bing Crosby….more like chu-his and the sounds of my father and sister snoring (not their fault – caught a cold) – but we had a very merry Christmas nonetheless. We started the day by going to a big market held once a month in Kyoto, where I bought two new kimonos! Pretty excited about that! We went to Kinkakuji Temple (the Gold Pavilion), Nijo-jo and had a nice dinner. No turkey….just lots of Japanese food….the family wanted to get their fill of it while they were here!

We decided to take a day trip out to Nara on Boxing Day. But first, we made a stop to Fushimi-Inari Taisha, famous for its hundreds of red torii gates that go up a path 4km up a mountain. If you have seen “Memoirs of a Geisha” – you may know what I am talking about. I wanted to recreate the scene from the movie with Ami….but she wasn’t so keen on that. I also have quite a few videos – I may try and set up a youtube account to show you….I’ll keep you posted on that one.

After Inari, we went to Nara to see Todai-ji – one of the world’s largest wooden buildings and home of the giant Buddha statue. Nara is also famous for its hundreds and hundreds of deer that roam free throughout the city. They are considered sacred animals there and are quite friendly with the tourists…

The next day we went by shinkansen to Miyajima in Hiroshima – a beautiful island which is famous for the red torii gate in the water. It is apparently one of Japan’s top 3 most photographed/recognizable sites. It was really nice there, and we stayed in a traditional ryokan (Japanese Inn), which was very nice. AND it was my mom & dad’s 25th wedding anniversary! So extra special and a really nice place to spend it at! We wandered around the island…well mom and dad did – Ami and I sort of slept in – but we definitely saw the tourist shops! And a whole Hello Kitty store! Its sad really how a little cat has taken over my phone…and my life….I swore I wouldn’t turn to that…

Anyways – we then went to Hiroshima to take in the A-bomb memorial and museum. It was really interesting and very sad to see and hear the stories of the atomic bomb. After Hiroshima, we hopped back on the train, and went to Sasebo! As much as I never thought I would say this, I was kind of excited to be back in Sasebo and my apartment and show the family around…Who would have thought…

We took it easy over the next few days in Sasebo, as the rest of our trip was slightly “whirl-windy”. We went to the 99 Islands lookout, wandered the arcade, ate out at a few of my favourite restaurants, and chilled a lot in my tiny apartment. We watched the Red & White show on T.V. (I got a T.V.!) on New Years Eve – and I took Ami out “on the town” for the countdown…which turned out to be a really bad night in a terrible navy club….but we can laugh now. It turns out that Ami does not share my love and affection for Malibu…and the bar was so terrible that we left at 12:30 (after meeting up with people at 11:30!).

We also took a day trip to Beppu, a city on the other side of Kyushu which is famous for their hot springs. We drove down in my “super off-roader”, went to the different “hells” and went to Mt. Takasaki (or something like that!) which has a wildlife sanctuary for monkeys!! Very cute!! They were everywhere! And you could get pretty close – or I at least tried my very best to! We then tried to go visit a sand bath (you get covered in warm sand and relax), but it was closed, so we just went to the onsen. It was a really old onsen – so a little primitive, and the water was super hot. But it was a neat experience.

So after our little “rest” in Sasebo, we were packed up again for Tokyo! We took the shinkansen again – about a 8 hour ride (with two transfers). The train ride was neat because you go right by Mt. Fuji, which looked really cool in the winter with all the snow. The first few nights we were staying in Asakusa, so we went to the Sensoji Temple at night, and it was absolutely packed! Because it was just after New Years, the area was very busy with people visiting the temple – huge lines of people waiting to make an offering, and often many women decked out in kimonos for the New Year. Very pretty.

Most of Tokyo we spent wandering around the different areas of the city – such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Akibahara & Ginza. Lots to see – mostly huge electronic or department stores. But very cool

and bustling. We moved to a different area of town for our last two nights to stay at a hotel…live in luxury for a bit! And we spent our last day at Tokyo Disney Sea! Yes, my second time in 6 months (six months! Can’t believe I’ve already been here that long!) – but I wanted my family to go there! It was lots of fun! They have pretty good rides and shows. A nice way to end a super vacation.
On our last day we bummed around the hotel before having to pack up and go to the airport to say goodbye. It was definitely really hard, and it was now my turn to see them go. But I’m so glad that we had this vacation together – I can’t think of a better way to spend the winter vacation! Same time next year? Hawaii?? Eh? Eh??

So I know I have not put in too many details & have probably forgotten a few things – buuuuut I really can’t bore you any more! But I will be posting some photos on my Flickr account (www.flickr.com/photos/megumip). Don’t worry – not all 1000 photos will be up….but many more than here. Hope all is well with everyone and that you had a lovely holiday season!