Greetings and salutations!

Tokyo Revisited

Well I've just come back from a 3 day trip to Tokyo and thought I'd give you the play by play! You can check out all the pics by clicking the TRAVEL PHOTOS link on the left.

Tokyo is everything the Japanese country side is not. A city of over 15 million, Tokyo is vibrant, exciting, hectic, and offers all the metropolitan distractions I so enjoy! I absolutely love any time I can spend there and I had a blast during this trip.

I took the JR out Saturday after work. Upon arrival, Takako and I went out for Mexican food at El Torito and explored the exclusive Shibuya shopping area. During my trip I stayed at Shibashi Business Inn...a capsule hotel for men only. I had been wanting to stay in a capsule hotel since arriving in Japan. It's really just row on row of cells in the wall. The space is large enough to accompany one person and a TV in the ceiling is the only perk...but it was a lot of fun *S*

Sunday we took off for Yokohama, the metropolis next door. We attended a great church service at Yokohama Grace Bible Church and had Chinese buffet for lunch. Then we did some more shopping before heading into Chinatown. Both Japan and China are steeped in history, but I find that the Chinese express their with so much more color and ornamental style. We met some great people including one shop keeper who gave me a great deal on some gorgeous traditional outfits I picked up.

After Chinatown it was off to a place I had been wanting to go for so very long...Akihabra...the Mecca of the electronics world. All it is is block after block and multilevel shops...a glittering ghetto of every piece of hardware you can imagine. I could so easily lose myself there and never return, but eventually we dragged ourselves away. It was then that I came across a promotional poster for the forthcoming Final Fantasy: Advent Children movie that I am DYING to see! That was a higlight in itself!

I was in need of a haircut so that was our next destination. Now this was to be another entertaining experience so much more than the standard barber fare to which I was accustomed. My hair was washed, then cut, then washed again (which I thought was great) and then I was given a straight razor shave which involved hot towels and several types of creams. It was the most enjoyable hair cut I'd ever had *S*

The $500 Makeover....

Haircut accomplished, the next day we had lunch at Takako's place. Her aunt Ayako (one of the most wonderful people) had spent hours preparing us a feast of meatloaf, teriyaki chicken, salad, soup and so on...followed by fruit, ice cream, and cake. It was the most wonderful meal. Joyce Kitano, a family friend was also there and I am glad I got to meet her.

After that it was off to the super luxurious Ginza district for more shopping and a visit to the Apple Store and the Sony Building. Lots of toys on display such as the forthcoming PSTwo...but unfortunately there was no demonstration of the PSP. As much as I felt like a traitor, the Apple Store was very nice and I enjoyed purusing the tools of the devil *lol* Next was to come the second part of my makeover....

Takako works as a reflexologist at a day spa called O2 Venus. At her insistence, I went and was bought myself a foot massage, upper body massage, and a lemon O2 treatment...it was very relaxing. Afterwards came more shopping and that's when I made the most expensive clothing purchase of my lifetime. I'm usually not one for such finery or to spend so much money on clothing, but I figured, how often do I get the chance to do this? I bought a $200 pair of Dutch Regal boots and a $200 pair of Ralph Lauren pants. They're quite smart so all I have to do is not trash them in a short period of time *S* In any case by this time I was feeling like a million bucks!

But, as wonderful as the trip was, all good things must come to an end. I was able to see a bit of the Imperial Palace and an entertaining animatronic display, but Tue morning it was time to come home. What a whirlwind three days it was though! I had such a wonderful time and was able to do some great things while spending time with an excellent friend and other fabulous people! It is certainly the best time I've had in Japan thus far and I look forward to future adventures!

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I don't know why I came back exactly, what I expected to find there. The old house had burned down nearly a month ago, in what I read was a fantastic inferno. I hadn't even been out to the summer house since Dad died. It was really our place. We spent so much time together there after mom passed away. We would go fishing, and hiking, or just sit out on the porch chatting about the weather and other trivial but entertaining matters. It was our place, and it just wouldn't be the same without him.

As I walked through the charred ruins of the cabin, my shoes sifted through the ash and debris. Anything left of value would have been taken long ago, but maybe there was something here that only memory could reveal. I was sad to see it go, but I still had all the recollections of how happy I had been here and what this place had meant to our whole family.

I found it just before where the old wood stove would have been. My shoes glanced off something and a sparkle of light caught my eye. Curiously, I bent over to wave my hand across the dirt, revealing a dented, tarnished, silver charm or broach. It must have been mother's but I couldn't remember seeing it before. It was obvious from the design that it was a locket, but the clasp had been crushed and it took a great deal of grunting and effort to at last pry it open. My breath caught in my throat as I stared down at it's contents.

It was a black and white picture, burned on the edges and smaller than a silver dollar, but the picture was as clear as the day it was taken. There we were, dad standing proudly beside a glowing mom, and I, so much younger then, sitting in the tall grass below them. It was the first day we had ever come to the old house, and even now I knew, it was the happiest day of my life. A tear rolled down my cheek. I brushed it away and stood, about to leave this place for the last time. But as I turned something came to my mind. As glad as I was to have found the locket, and as much as I wanted to hold onto it...it didn't really belong to me. It was a part of us, a part of this place, and I liked the idea of it being there long after I was gone. I bent down once again and dug a hole in the earth, lovingly placing the small treasure inside. I buried it there, in our home, in my memories, and I smiled as I did on the day of that photo before turning to walk into the coming sunset.

With Hope,
Joseph