Hiroshima

Taken right after the bomb hit.  Complete devastation-

Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims

The Children's Peace Monument

There are hundreds of paper cranes made by children from all over.  They represent peace for the victims.

This was city hall now called the A-bomb dome.  This is only building the city left standing as a reminder.

I never thought much about atomic bombs until we visited Hiroshima. At 8:15am on August 6, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was hit by the world's first atomic bomb. A US Air Force Pilot was given the order to bomb Hiroshima in hopes of ending the war. Thousands of innocent lives were lost and those who managed to survive suffered countless radiation effects. Peace Memorial Park is a somber place and it's museum is a reminder of how war can devastate so many lives. The museum houses photos, and other materials (clothes, body parts, etc...) that convey the horror of that day. The bomb dome is all that is left standing.

Kyoto Japan

The entrance to the Torii Gates

Starting our climb up the Torii gates.  This is the scene where the girl runs through the gates in Memoirs of a Geisha.  They say there are about 30,000 gates.  The climb was tough due to my ankle injury.

Come on Melba, buy that golden Sake

Kinkakujui Temple area-Talk about a picture perfect landscape.  I just wanted to sit and go into a Zen state (LOL).  The temple is gold plated and beautiful-

What a wonderful trip we had to Kyoto and Hiroshima.  Kyoto had such a magical presence and feel, it is difficult to describe it in words.  It is one of the most preserved cities in Japan. We visited temples, gardens, the Torii gates where a scene from Memoirs of a Giesha took place, Geon Market and much more.  The bullet train ride was wonderful.  Traveling at over 200 miles an hour, you could hardly feel a thing.  Arrival time-2 hours-

Happy Thanskgiving 2008

Oh, Oh, what a recall on Thanksgiving

Notice that big bottle of Asahi beer on the table.  I hope no one is driving home (LOL)

Larissa's appetizer

This Thanksgiving was no different from last year except for the fact that we had twice the company and best of all we had family here.  It was a cloudy day, but the boys still managed to play football outside.  We had all the fixings, so needless to say after a long day of cooking and cleaning and hosting our guest, I am pooped!  I won't write much since I have yet to pack for our weekend trip to Kyoto and Hiroshima.  The train leaves at 4:47am and it is vital that we arrive on time to be able to catch our bullet train connection.  Anyway, we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  

The Art of Japanese Caligraphy

I think we did a great job!

Our instructor explaining to us the art and preparation of caligraphy

Only practicing at this point.  I am drawing the sign for spring.

What a spread!  We were also taught how to make seaweed sushi rolls. Delicious!

This is my dessert staring at you-

Well its getting to be that time of the year when all I have time for are weekly blog updates.  The weather here in Japan is changing.  The colors of the leaves are beautiful this time of year.  Today was a gorgeous day as I ventured out with my culture group to Hajiochi to meet our Japanese friends.  It was my first experience in a Japanese home.  Japanese homes are very small, but nicely organized.  This particular neighborhood was moderately upscale.  We were picked up at the train station and then off to Yuhko's house we went.  She had a very nice home.  After drinking tea, we were quickly taken upstairs for a lesson in caligraphy.  I soon discovered it was going to be hard to master the art of writing caligraphy.  After several times and much patience from my instructor, I ended up doing a fairly good job.  We were all given a personal signature stamp as a gift, then treated to a very nice sushi spread.  

MM21

Can you spot Larissa and Renie??

This roller coaster goes right into the water.  There are lots of fun thrills here at MM21.  Keep reading............

MM21

Having Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.  You will receive the best service here in Japan.

Renie is in there somewhere.....

Larissa had the Galaxy all to herself....

Larissa was not allowed to enter the haunted house.  She is a big scaredy cat...

Waiting for the train at Fussa.  We ran so fast to catch this train that only runs every 30 minutes.  No such luck.  Japanese trains never run a second early or late and they will not wait for you no matter how fast you run.  Oh well, the next train will arrive in 30 minutes, sit back and relax (LOL).

Well as many already know, Melba is counting the days on her return back to Texas.  It has been great having them close by even if it just was for 4 months.  I feel as if they were our guests all this time and now it is time for them to go back home.  Today we met Atilano and Melba for lunch over in Yokohama.  The kids had a blast at Cosmo World.  The atmosphere was filled with Christmas spirit and reminded me of back home, since MM21 has a beautiful mall with some US stores.   It is very modern.  Since Atilano and Melba are not very fond of Japanese food, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.  It was rather pricey, but good.  I can't remember when I saw a hamburger for $17.00.  The Japanese Yen is not doing very good right now.  When the US economy is not doing well, the Japanese economy also takes a hit.  You wouldn't notice here, Japanese people still dress like a million bucks.

Goodies

Mom, thanks so much for the goodies you sent. The cookbooks are great. Today, Rene was in heaven after eating what turned out to be a great dinner of carne guisada. I never realized how easy is was to make carne guisada. I guess I really never took the time to watch anyone make it. But then again, who ever thought I would ever make homeade tortillas. Next, I will try pan de polvo. Maybe next year you will be well enough to come stay with us before we leave Japan.

The Military Priest

Surprise!

Last night we attended a surprise 50th birthday party for our Priest, Father Rowan. Dress code: Black attire-Only a select few were invited and since I am a council member I was one of those select few invited to attend. It was a touching party since we were celebrating 2 months early. Father Rowan will be headed to the dessert for deployment and will spend his birthday there in two months. The military priest faces unique challenges. They deal with frequent deployments, confront death as part of their jobs, help troops contemplating suicide and etc...It takes sacrifice and self-discipline. Father Rowan is a high ranking officer and in charge of our wing here at Yokota. He is the reason we love going to church every Sunday. He is an extremely shy person, but when he is up at the alter you would never know it. We will miss him.

Japan's Imperial Palace

Japan's Imperial Palace

Today, our adventures took us to The Imperial Palace located in the heart of Tokyo.  The palace is home to the Emperor of Japan.   The property has been restored for years and is guarded.  We were only able to walk through half of the property.  The other half is only open twice a year.  The gardens are spectacular.  

I was only able to capture the Palace from a distance. It was covered by trees and gates. Enjoy the pictures.