Japan

Stacy and I had an amazing opportunity to take our first trip out of the country (first time either of us had ever gotten a passport). My cousin had been teaching in Japan for over 2 years and was planning on coming home in August. It was now or never. We figured that we wouldn't have another opportunity to go to a foreign country, have a guide who spoke both languages fluently, and have a free place to stay. We planned our trip for the end of June 2007. Nick and Aya (my cousin and his fiance) were going to host us and my other cousin Brittany would be joining us there as well. We had a blast.

When we got there, we went to Nick's place, got cleaned up and took the subway (their subway system is amazing) to a restaurant that Nick and Aya really enjoy. We each had a new drink (don't know what it was called, but it was super-yummy. They brought you a drink and then you squeezed the grapefruit into it-Tasty!) We knew it was planned, but Aya was completely blown away when Nick made her stand up and he got down on one knee and proposed to her. It was very romantic. I think we all started to get a little concerned when all she did was cry. The agony was killing us--was the crying a yes or no? As it turned out, it was a definite yes and we felt pure joy at being able to be a part of such a special moment.

We travelled around the city of Osaka, taking in all of the sites. There were rice paddies in some of the backyards, vegetable gardens that maximized every square inch of space, and every little front yard area was beautiful with flowers and greenery. We really take it for granted how much space we have here in the states and how big the houses, yards and cars are. In some of the areas, where they park their car, they have to turn in the side mirrors just to have it fit in the parking space. Many of the people ride bikes and use the subway rather than drive everywhere. We really did a lot of walking while we were there. Even the concrete trucks were tiny!

The city of Osaka was HUGE! It is actually the second largest city in Japan (after Tokyo) and is about the size of New York City. Needless to say, we only saw a very small percent of the city, but it was awesome. I was truly amazed at how clean the city was and how much they pay attention to detail. There is also a picture of the manhole cover (not only decorative, but painted!)

We also went to Nara, where they have huge temples. In Nara, they also have deer (this was my favorite part) that are considered like the gateway between the Gods and the people and you could buy rice crackers to feed the deer. They are completely tame and used to people feeding them, so if you had a packet of the cookies, they would swarm you, begging for them. When you hold the cookies up in the air, the deer would bow and bob their heads as their way of asking for the treat. The temple was huge and so beautiful. It was very cool seeing their history. Most of the temples we visited were at least 400 years old (about the same as our entire country's history!) It was very beautiful and peaceful. These are actual pictures that we took and they look like postcards. One is my cousin Brittany feeding the deer. I am standing under one of the ginormous bells that they have at one of the temples in Nara.

We also went to another temple, which was one of the candidates for the 7 new wonders of the world. These temples were beautiful and brightly painted. They were outside of the city of Kyoto, which was the setting for the movie and book "Memoirs of a Geisha" and we actually met a real geisha. In case you were wondering, geisha translates into "Entertainer" and they are trained in the arts of playing musical instruments, singing, dancing, and Japanese Tea Ceremony. Many people think that they are just prostitutes, but this isn't true at all.

A couple of other highlights...this should come as no surprise to any of you, but Stacy was freakishly tall over there. Here is a picture of him and Aya (my cousin's fiance, who is very tiny) next to a door. Also, a picture of him going down the stairs to the subway (no, he isn't standing on tiptoe, he is flatfooted!) as well as a picture of him among a group of Japanese students (probably high-school age, so nearly as tall as they would get) After bumping his head a few times and winding up with a huge scab and permanent knot, he learned to walk with his head ducked down and slightly sideways!

Overall, we had an amazing time. We learned a lot about the Japanese customs and history. A HUGE thanks to Aya for this as she was very patient with us and explained everything so well. It wouldn't have been the same without her. Stacy LOVED it over there...everything about it, the food, the culture, how big it was, the pace--he would love to move there.

Again, thank you to Nick and Aya for hosting us and to Brittany for keeping us entertained nonstop while we were there. We had a great time and cherish the memories we created while there.