Day 6 - Kichijoji Ward

Today brought back all sorts of memories. We took a train to Kichijoji and found the ward pretty easily. The building is a lot bigger than any church I was in in Kyushu many years ago, but the architecture is similar and the kindness of the people there was very familiar.

I was pretty worried that I wouldn't be able to follow the speakers and lessons, but the vocabulary and such came back pretty quickly. It was fun to have several conversations with members who have kids in Utah or who have visited before. The girls seemed to have a good experience too, despite some initial worries about not knowing anyone or understanding Japanese. I'm proud of them for being brave.

We also met a bunch of missionaries, including a senior couple from Cincinnati. It would be pretty interesting to come back and do that someday. They work in the office, but I'm not sure exactly what that means. I was reminded about why missionaries learn Japanese so quickly...
I had more conversations in 3 hours at church than I have had in the three weeks I've been here put together. Daily, extended opportunities to talk and listen to native speakers makes all the difference.

I'm looking forward to attending a couple more times here and also in other wards in Kyoto and Kyushu.

We made curry together after church and had a nice, relaxed evening. It rained this morning and was cool and cloudy most of the day. It seems that we've entered a rainy pattern -- but the cooler temps are nice. I hope we get a clear couple of days for a trip to Hakone when we can see Fuji.

懐かしかった。

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Day 45 - All the way home

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Well, we did it! 45 days in Japan with a family of 6 light-backpacking travelers. The weather has been good (but hot), none of us got sick (except some pesky light rashes - I blame the humidity), and the memories will last forever. I am so grateful for Angela and the hard work she has done to make sure we had what we needed for the trip - people all over Japan have commented on how lightly we traveled for a large family (of girls), but we had everything we needed. It was a great way to experience the reality that we can live happily with far less than we have. I am also grateful for the girls who have been amazing travelers. I hope they see the value in what we've done now, and I am very confident they will see it as they grow up. It's been a blast to share Japan with them. I'm grateful for all the people we met on our way. To the Serizawa's for their generosity and kindness to us at the beginning of the trip (and to the Stouts for helping set it up), to my old...
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Day 39 - To Kumamoto

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We took a train to Kumamoto at midday - the Shinkansen makes it so much faster to travel around Kyushu than it was when I was here before. Ang got a pick with her new boyfriends... a boy band that has done a lot PR for trains around this part of Japan that i recovering from a major earthquake last year. We got lunch before boarding a trolley for the trip through downtown to our apartment. The apartment is a really interesting place. I think it used to be an office in a building that has apartments on the upper floors and businesses on the bottom. They have done a really nice job making a cool living space that is plenty big enough for all of us. It's clearly our favorite Airbnb so far on this trip. The kids especially love the "yoga hammock." Walking around the shotengai - shopping streets - has brought back a million memories both of my missionary and student time in Kumamoto, and we took a bus to Kumamoto University, where the memories really hit me like a ton...
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Day 38 - Omuta Memories

After a slow morning in the apartment, Isa decided to have her 1-on-2 date with the parents and we headed south about an hour to Omuta, the first area from my mission. Predictably, it was crazy hot and humid, but we had a nice lunch at a small restaurant near the station and then walked to the church which is on the second floor of a commercial building near the station. No one was there, but lots of memories flooded back from my first days and weeks in Japan in 1988. I remember feeling out of my comfort zone as everything was so new, but also feeling safe because of the kindness of those around me. We then walked to my old apartment which is still there and still looks just as shabby as it did almost 30 years ago... not worse, just the same. We stopped at a 7-11 for ice cream and drinks and then headed back to the station and home to Fukuoka. This evening we went back to Canal City. Ang, Amy, and I got street vendor Hakata Ramen which was good, but a little anticlimactic, and then...
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