The Family Visits (Pt. 2)

Noriko helped me show the family around Kure a bit, including a visit to the Ondo Bridge, which is where the above picture was taken. We stopped at 1930's crane and paused for a bit while Dad tinkered around inside trying to determine who was responsible for the manifold safety violations. We tried to drive to the top of Mt. Haigamine, the tallest mountain/hill in the ridge surrounding Kure. However, there was still some residule snow and ice on the shady parts of the road and Noriko's car couldn't make it up. We also explored Niko Gorge and it's lovely dual waterfalls, which Greg and I climbed to the top of. We finished the day with a trip to Hiroshima Castle and then a marvelous yakiniku feast at Noriko's.

Around New Year's, we met up with our former Kure exchange student, Natsuki. She has recently graduated from college and is working in Tokyo as a systems analyst. Her English is much improved and she still has the same winning smile and charm. We went to the temple-island of Miyajima (my 8th such trip) and took in the sights there. She had also joined us for karaoke earlier in the week.

For the last four days, we made our way back up toward Osaka, and on the way stopped at Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto was the capital of Japan until the Tokugawa (Edo) period, when it was moved to Tokyo (then called Edo). Kyoto remeined the home of the emperor until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. It was also the largest city left unbombed during WWII and so has many ancient temples and other artifacts that can't be found in other cities. There were too many sites to see in such a short trip, but we did take in the Golden and Silver Pavillions, Nanzenji Temple, and the National Art Museum.

Our final stop was the ancient city of Nara, which was the first capital of a unified Japan, toward the end of the 8th century. The highlight of this rather short side-trip was the Daibutsu (literally Big Buddha), a 70ft statue of Buddha housed in a cavernous wooden temple called Todaiji. I at first expected something of a tourist trap, similar to the famed Giant Ball of String. However, upon entering the temple I was immediately blown away by the size of the statue. It was built in the early 9th century using the most advanced technologies of the time and it is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, pictures don't do it real justice.

So, with that, we made our way to Osaka for the family's final night. Dad, Greg, and I went out that night in search of a famous chankonabe (sumo soup) restaurant run by a former yokozuna, but were unsuccesful. Still, we did end up finding a place that served the delicious concoction. Overall, we all enjoyed our time together and the family enjoyed their trip to Japan. I, of course, stayed behind and am continuing my interesting if somewhat mundane life here. I'm so happy that Dad, Mom, and Greg came and brought some color and vibrance to my life for two weeks.