Back to the Land of the Rising Sun

Earlier this month, Tony traveled to Japan for a ten-day work trip that included four speaking engagements, a little sightseeing and time with some of oldest, dearest friends. It was the first time that either of us had been back since we returned to the U.S. in late 2006, but Tony said it felt like he'd never left.

Tony gave talks at four different institutes, including at his former workplace--Japan's National Institute of Genetics! Here he is with his former boss...

Dining with professors in Tsukuba...

Outside the gates of Tokyo University...

With his colleagues on a lunch cruise on Tokyo Bay...

And enjoying a meal with his host Gen in Wakayama. 

It was Gen who officially invited Tony to Japan, and his lab (below) helped make the arrangements and made Tony feel very at home.

As always, Japan had beautiful destinations in abundance...

Tony also made the most of his in-between-destinations travel, so that he could reconnect with old friends. Here he is with Tajima Sensei. He was a Japanese and calligraphy teacher (and martial arts instructor) at the school I taught at in Shimizu in 2000-2001. He and his wife were very kind to me when I was a young 22-year-old in my first job right out of college...getting my bearings in a new land. They have hosted me (and Tony) many times over the years. Tony and Tajima Sensei very much enjoyed catching up in person.

Narumi-san and her son Kunimasa were our neighbors when we lived in Mishima in 2005-2006. We would see her almost daily when walking to and from work. She often invited us over for dinner and even left delicious food on our doorstep from time to time. We've written many letters to one another over the past eight years. Tony said she made quite a meal for him on this visit!

Here's Tony with Fumiyoshi and his daughter Kanan in Tokyo. We knew them in Baltimore when Fumiyoshi was a visiting professor at Hopkins. Kanan was in elementary school then, but she's in high school now!

Tony met up Satoko and her husband Mike for dinner and catching up. Satoko and I have been friends since 2000 when I was a teacher in Shimizu (her dad worked at my school and introduced us). She even flew to Virginia Beach for our wedding in 2002!! When Tony and I lived in Mishima, she often visited, so we could go out for lunch, go shopping, or cheer on Shimizu's professional soccer team!

Tony also spent some quality time with our friend Miki, her husband Kenji, her mom and her two boys Riku (5) and Hiro (3). We met Miki over a decade ago when she was a student at the university where I worked in Baltimore. We were paired together as a "Friendship Family" (similar to a Host Family, but she lived on campus), even though we're the same age. We've been friends ever since and have shared many fun times together both in America and Japan. Her mom has hosted me and Tony in her home on more than one occasion, too. It's been wonderful for Miki and me to become moms together around the same time and share the excitement, challenges and wonder that come with parenting via e-mail and letters. 

Tony was recruited to help make dinner...Temarizushi (ball-shaped sushi that you roll by hand)! Yum!

Tony brought many souvenirs to give our friends, including fun things for the boys. Sammy and Brie helped me pick out items that are very "American," including these light-up toothbrushes.

Riku and Hiro are sweet and outgoing...and they enjoyed having Tony as a guest. This photo reminded me of how when Sammy was very little, he would see photos of Riku and ask, "Which cousin is this?" or say, "This is my cousin in Japan."

There were countless other highlights of Tony's trip...too many to list, but I'll try! Tony traveled everywhere by train and bus and, as always, they were right on time. This made his schedule very easy to keep.

Tony took the time to stop by our old Mishima apartment...it hadn't changed at all. It's still a lovely place to live...right by the river and with a perfect view of Mt. Fuji. He did inquire about our kind landlord from when we lived there, and learned that he passed away about 7 years ago. :-( That was shortly after we left...we even sent him our holiday card for a few years after we moved. Presumably, his wife read them (she's still alive). 

Tony ate A LOT of great meals when he was in Japan...who wouldn't?? I loved receiving his e-mails and messages detailing all of the yummy things he ate and drank each day. He brought home a lot of tasty treats, too, which the kids and I dived right into. Did I mention that Tony popped into our old grocery store and bought my favorite Japanese salad dressing for me? I'm saving it for a night when we make a bunch of Japanese dishes...sure to be flavorful and nostalgia-inducing!

He also witnessed the kindness of the Japanese people with his "Only in Japan" moment: when he accidentally dropped about $17 worth of Japanese yen in a 7-11 and went back for it, the shopkeeper said, "Oh, yes, someone turned in your money. Here you go. Please be careful with it."

Tony's ten days in Japan went by very quickly, and he already can't wait to go back. Obviously, any amount of time there is never enough for us; our friends in Japan are like family and the country is a second home to us. Needless to say, this made me miss Japan even more...I look forward to returning with out whole family one day!! 日本へ！