The truth is, however, that we often think of Japan. It's rare that a day goes by when Tony or I do not reminisce (very fondly!!) of our time in Japan. We miss many things about our life there together. The list is long, but here a few:
Public transportation and the walkability of nearly every town - we never needed a car!
Safety - Forgot to lock your door? Carrying a lot of cash in your wallet? Left your purse on your chair when you got up to use the restroom on the train? Walking home after a long night of sushi, sake and karaoke with your coworkers? Have no fear! Crime is very rare in Japan!
Amazing food - are you surprised??
Kind people - this is us with Hashimoto-san, our landlord
Festivals - here are two photos from Mishima's summer festival (2006)
Our wonderful friends--they are our extended family!!
Here are some fun photos from our travels:
And, it goes without saying that we miss Mt. Fuji. This was the spectacular view from our apartment!
And in the evening...
And here's a shot from our town...our apartment is right next to the red-roofed building (it's hard to see here, but it's there)!
Other things we miss? Well, the little things! An excellent nationwide recycling program! Great bakeries! Oh, and accountability! Check out these baked goods that we bought at a convenience store. They were delicious and came complete with photos of the nice pastry chefs who baked them! Wouldn't you put a little more love into things you made if your photo went on them?
Here are some fun photos from our travels:
And, it goes without saying that we miss Mt. Fuji. This was the spectacular view from our apartment!
And in the evening... 
And here's a shot from our town...our apartment is right next to the red-roofed building (it's hard to see here, but it's there)! 
Other things we miss? Well, the little things! An excellent nationwide recycling program! Great bakeries! Oh, and accountability! Check out these baked goods that we bought at a convenience store. They were delicious and came complete with photos of the nice pastry chefs who baked them! Wouldn't you put a little more love into things you made if your photo went on them?
You can see what an amazing country Japan is. If you can, please visit one of the sites below to donate money (or purchase a Lady Gaga bracelet!) to help the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims. Arigatou!
P.S. We can't wait for Sammy and Brie to visit Japan and see how amazing it is firsthand. Until then, we hope they can learn some of the language and culture from us! Here's our little guy learning some (Spanish and) Japanese a few weeks back. He now can count all the way to ten in both languages, but when he was learning 1-5, we got this fun little vid.
P.P.S. We also hope that people will continue to visit and tour throughout Japan. It is a beautiful country, rich with culture and history. If you're thinking about visiting Japan, we'd love to help you plan your trip! Also, here's a web site called Welcome Inn Japan that we used a lot when booking tourist-friendly accommodations for our many weekend excursions:
http://www.itcj.jp/eng/index.php
P.P.S. We also hope that people will continue to visit and tour throughout Japan. It is a beautiful country, rich with culture and history. If you're thinking about visiting Japan, we'd love to help you plan your trip! Also, here's a web site called Welcome Inn Japan that we used a lot when booking tourist-friendly accommodations for our many weekend excursions:
http://www.itcj.jp/eng/index.php
P.P.P.S. And here's a video I took at Mishima's summer festival! Fireworks are a big part of most summer festivities, but Mishima is famous for its Tezutsu Hanabi or "Handheld Fireworks." Don't try this at home!
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