John: April 2004 Archives

Going Japanese: Kyoto

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For those of you that might not have heard, my oldest son Dunnington and I recently returned from a trip to Japan. I had considered myself reasonably well traveled, having lived in Europe and otherwise growing up all over the country--I’d even been to Canada. It struck me when we landed at Yokota Air Force Base outside of Tokyo that I had not set foot on foreign soil in fifteen years (well, not counting Canada). And this was very foreign soil.

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A Big Girl Now!

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Emma turned three today, and as Dad would say, a good time was had by all--except Emma, she has been sick and had a fever during the party. I slipped her a couple of Tylenol chewables a few minutes before these pictures were taken, but not soon enough for them to have the desired effect. I was just happy to get some shots where she wasn't crying.

Zach Stands For...

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For school Zach had to write about himself using each letter of his name:

Zigs and zags
Absolutely good
Carries a wooden sword
Handy helper

I think it describes him very well! ;-)

Coming Home

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I'm writing this from an internet cafe at the terminal on Yakota Air Force Base, Japan. We have had the good fortune of once again scoring seats on a space available flight and anticipate being back in the good ol' US of A sometime today (Friday afternoon). Gotta run, it's time to board soon.

Coming Home

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It's already Friday morning here. Today we start the long journey home.

Nikko

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japan_nikko_shrine.jpg
Yesterday we got out of the megatropolis of Tokyo and visited the woodland realm of Nikko. The above picture was taken at a famous shrine there which also serves as the tomb of one of Japan's greatest Shoguns. I don't recall his name, but his relationship with a shipwrecked Portugese sailor was the basis for the book and movie "Shogun." You can see Dunnington in a white t-shirt climbing the stairs. The outstanding feature of this shrine is that it is much more ornately decorated than any building we had seen previously. This is very un-Zen, but apparently that was the Zeitgeist. The building pictured is actually just one of the gates in the complex.

Kabuki-za

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Had some time this morning before breakfast so thought I'd put up a couple more pictures...

Chopsticks

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japan_ramen.jpg
Today we made our first excursion into Tokyo. The highlight of the day was taking in a bit of traditional Japanese theater. I find myself sounding very much like my dad: "Do you know how old I was before I got to go to Kabuki theater?!"

Above is a picture I took during our lunch in a ramen shop. Dunn's been quite a trooper when it comes to trying new foods, and I must say that all of the chopstick training has paid off. I've been particularly impressed with how willing he is to try his hand at speaking Japanese. We were at a street festival in Kyoto on Saturday and Dunn was happy to run back to a stand where we'd bought some food and ask, in Japanese, for some chopsticks. At his age I remember being too shy to ask for a cheeseburger at McDonald's--in English.

Gaijin in Nippon

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Hello everyone, I`m writing this from the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Kyoto. Dunn and I are having a great time and so far Dunn has not been kidnapped or hit by a bus. We`re taking tons of pictures and I`ll post some when we get back. Dunn wants me to tell you that he`s ate some raw egg noodles. I ate a snail. More later.

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This page is a archive of recent entries written by John in April 2004.

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