Eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard...i've just spent 10 of the best days of my life with family and friends, traveling around and learning about Japan. On the morning of May 8th, i received a phone call from my mother, and she proceeded to explain that her passport had been lost at hartsfield international, delaying her trip here by a couple of days. After rearranging the planned festivities, i went down to Narita Airport to pick my mom and sister up and guide them back home. They were both dead tired, but happy to see the prodigal son. No fattened calves to slay, but i did celebrate by eating lots of raw fish. :-) One harrowing ride on the shinkansen later (we barely made the last train to Furukawa), we were driven to my apartment by Scott, one of the many friendly Furukawa ALTs.
The next day we were guided around Sanbongi by my supervisor, who even took us to Matsushima, a beautiful set of islands off the coast of Miyagi-ken that is considered one of Japan's three most scenic places. Walking amongst the quiet islets in Matsushima Bay established an idyll that was seldom punctured throughout the vacation. Despite butting heads with my mom a few times, i felt mentally rested for the first time in a while. A lot of things in my life seem to be coming together, and i feel like i'm establishing a direction for the next few years of my life after wandering around somewhat listlessly for a while. But that's an entirely different journal entry, one which will be written in a few months or so. Returning to the trip, on the night of May 9th, my mother, sister, and i attended an party hosted by my English conversation class, where introductions were made, pictures were taken, and names were spoken (and immediately forgotten). My mother and sister received kokeshi dolls from the town mayor, which they were enthralled with, and i ate a metric buttload of tempura (deep fried fish and vegetables).
The next day we took a taxi to the station in Furukawa, and then proceeded to Sendai, where i obtained my Japan Rail Pass (schweet!). On we went to Kyoto, where we checked in at the Uno House and then wandered the streets of Kyoto. Elisa wasn't feeling well, so we went back early, but i did manage to score some books at the Kyoto Maruzen. The Uno House is a very hostel-ish place with spare, yet adequate, accommodations, and dirt-cheap rates. We slept well, bathed regularly, and saved a ton of money. I heartily recommend it for travelers looking to see Kyoto without shelling out for sleeping quarters. Tomorrow i will conclude the family portion of the trip, so stay tuned.
been listening to: tool, orbital, weezer, miles davis, and arch enemy