Visitors from another planet

Chris, Regina, and Jordan and Jason Wright...ok, they're not from another planet obviously. But, when you've been overseas for over a year sometimes the States can seem like another planet :-) Anyway, the Wrights were here Nov. 22-28 and (I think) they had a wonderful time seeing Tokyo, eating Japanese food, and meeting Japanese people. I was certainly thrilled to have them here. I won't give you a run-down of our entire schedule cause, frankly, you'll survive without it, right? So, let's skip straight to some pictures!!!! YAY, pictures!


Day 1: down in the left-hand corner you can spot Regina, Jordan, and me souvenir shopping in an area called Asakusa. It's a big attraction for tourists and Japanese people alike, known for it's many souvenir shops and one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. It was only moderately crowded that day, believe it or not.


Day 1: we were excited (and lucky) to find this traditional Japanese restaurant in one of the train stations. The food was really good, and I even ate some fish. Jordan and Jason did great and never complained if there was something they didn't like, and they liked a lot of it.


Day 3: I was gone to teach a class one night when the Wrights decided to find a place to eat. They are so much braver than I am! I wish I could tell you in detail about their experience at this restaurant. I'm so thankful I wasn't there, because they ate things that I wouldn't even go near :-)


Day 5: Me and the boys in front of KFC, or 'kentucky', as they say in Japan. They're all about Christmas at KFC right now. Did you know that Americans eat KFC and 'Christmas cake' on Christmas day? Neither did I. :-) It's cute though. I wonder how countries develop their perceptions of other countries.


Last day: We were invited over to my friend Tomiko's for the afternoon. (She's one of my Starbucks friends, for those who are new to the blog) Tomiko and her husband were there, along with their son, Shinichi, their daughter Rieko and her two sons, Hayaki and Yuki. It was fun to watch the four boys try to play together and see Shinichi try to translate or call for help. Laughter is universal.


We had a good time at Tomiko's. I'm really glad we were able to spend time with them. I think it was an important experience for the Wrights and for Tomiko's family. Thank you Chris, Regina, Jordan, and Jason!


It's a miracle Chris doesn't have a concussion after a week in my apartment! He hit his head literally every day.

As my dad would say, 'a good time was had by all'!