2007- A year in travel and culture reviewed

2007- A year in travel and culture reviewed

The start of 2007 began with my wife and I recovering from Christmas travel to Okinawa, Japan. New Years (shogatsu) was spent with my in-laws at our apartment in Saitama. Winter vacation was concluded by making a visit to the Urawa Culture Center and observing a tea ceremony and taking pictures of Japanese women in traditional dress (kimono). Later for my wife's birthday, we took in the Japanese language movie Letters from Iwojima at the Saitama Shintoshin theater. A few weeks later for my birthday, I took in the sights at Tokyo's electronic district, Akihabara and did some birthday shopping and attended Youkoso! Japan Weeks 2007 hosted by Japanese actress, Yoshino Kimura. After Kimura's presentation, a fashion show ensued where young and attractive Japanese models wore outfits ranging from kimonos, urban wear to cosplay. I later met with my wife who treated me to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Akasaka (red hill). After this, we met with friends for drinks at a Japanese pub (izakaya). A few days later, my in-laws treated me to a birthday feast consisting of roasted chicken, rolled sushi and yakisoba (sauteed noodles) . We concluded January by making one final trip to the American wholesale outlet, Costco Wholesale in Chiba and later visiting my wife's friend from college who lives in Kimitsu, Chiba.

February started with attending a one-day sumo tournament in Tokyo with other classmates and teachers from Bunkyo University in Koshigaya, Saitama. For Japan's National Foundation Day, we took a return trip to Hiroshima. Our flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport was diverted to Fukuoka due to heavy fog in Hiroshima. We rode a bullet train from Fukuoka to Hiroshima. A few days later, we had a family outing at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. For Valentine's Day, we celebrated this day Japanese style when I received chocolate from my wife and enjoyed a quiet dinner at home consisting of catchatori chicken penne pasta and red wine. Also, around this time, we met with my wife's teacher from college who treated us to a wonderful lunch at a fancy Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. Towards the end of this month, I took a business trip to Yokohama and spent two nights in a capsule hotel. My first evening in Kanagawa prefecture was at a bar near the ocean called "Backas" (two fools?) and my second evening was at my old stomping grounds, Yokosuka. This month was concluded by saying farewell to some graduating teachers at Bunkyo.

In March, we returned to Kanagawa Prefecture on a family outing and spent a weekend in Mirukaigan. In this port town, we enjoyed delicious Japanese cuisine (washoku) and a tour of the harbor. Around this time, I returned to the US on bereavement leave and upon my return to Japan, I prepared for another business trip to Japan's Tohoku region, Fukushima. Here, with snow still on the ground, we worked in the calm environment with the British landscape as the back drop. Upon my return from Fukushima, I met with my in-laws for a day trip to Hakone, Kanagawa. We concluded this month by attending a soccer game in Urawa's Saitama Stadium (former venue for the 2002 World Cup) where the Red Diamonds were dominate in J-League action.

In April we attended our second Japanese baseball game where the Tokyo Yakult Swallows hosted the Nagoya Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium which was founded in 1926. For Spring vacation, we traveled to Japan's Kansai region and took in the sights of Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka.

The months of May and June were the start of farewells with a party held by the English conversation lounge that I worked at for three years in Omiya, Saitama. In mid-June, I acted as a tour guide for an American visiting from my hometown. We did a day tour of Tokyo. I made my final lesson of introducing American culture and English at my friend's elementary school.

The start of July, we made international travel to Taipei, Taiwan. Upon my return to Japan, I concluded my farewells from Japan by attending a shrine only open once a month to the general public. Here, my mother-in-law and wife prayed for their deceased ancestors. I made a near teary-eyed farewell speech in Japanese at Bunkyo where I studied Japanese for almost three years. My wife and I parted ways with her two friends who came with her to the US in 1996 at a shabu shabu restaurant(hot-pot dish of thinly sliced beef cooked at the table by dipping in boiling broth). Honestly, more farewells that I could keep up with as I recall seeing a group of students as I was commuting from Warabi Station, on a different occasion seeing a different group of students on the train. One place that I was fortunate to take in and is some of the best sushi in Tokyo, is a place called Sushi Cho. This places is open only at lunch and provides unlimited chirashi sushi (rice dressed with vinegar and topped with egg and seafood and served in a box), two kinds of miso soup and a small dessert for 1500 yen. This month was concluded by returning to the US which was my third country for the month.

In August, we entertained my father-in-law and his family in the US by showing them the sights of Atlanta, Upstate SC and Western NC. In September, we traveled to nearby Charlotte, NC to witness rock n' roll magic with original vocalist returning to Van Halen at the Bobcat Arena. With focusing on starting our new life in the US, this concludes my travels and experiences with different cultures for 2007.

Video was taken when we attended a soccer match between the Urawa Red Diamonds and one other team. While J-league soccer trives in Urawa, the rest of the league has a weak turn out for their matches.


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