My bags are packed. Leaving for Osaka. I'm coming home.

2 months. neglect.

Sorry y'all. I am very aware that It has been two months since I last posted something and it was a bit of a serious topic... I have been neglectful. sorry.

In the last few months I experienced the long anticipated and hyped season of spring. I must say, It truly was a sight to behold. Literally everywhere you look there are cherry trees in this country. When they all bloomed it was like the whole earth was dusted pink. There were falling petals all over the ground, floating through the breeze, and some still on their trees. In Japan, sakura, or cherry blossoms, are treasured and much appreciated and admired. "Hanami" events are everywhere. Hanami literally means flower (hana) viewing (mi). At hanami events you sit under the sakura with friends and have a picnic to appreciate the season of spring while it lasts. Sakura season is very short. Only about 2 weeks if your lucky and there aren't any rain storms. Maybe thats why the Japanese treat it with such reverence and appreciation...

Usually in the Kansai/Hokuriku region, where I am, sakura are in bloom around mid april. Sadly, my parents were scheduled to come for about a week at the end of March beginning of April. They would be leaving the country right before the most beautiful time in Japan and they weren't going to experience sakura at the height of their beauty. They would probably see lots of buds and a few flowers in bloom at most.

As the weeks grew closer to my parents arrival and the weather grew warmer, almost too warm. Many of my teachers began to talk about how quickly the summer was arriving and how that would affect the blooming of the cherry trees. When one teacher told me that the sakura would be in bloom a few weeks early, I tried not to get my hopes up. But once it was officially all over the internet and I saw my first buds a week and a half before my parents were due to touch down... I knew we had gotten very very very lucky.

My parents landed in Osaka and when I went to pick them up there was laughter and tears. We jetted off to Kyoto by train. As we rode on the train and the sun was setting we were all glued to the windows watching the countless seas of pink trees with amazement. We were lucky. For a few days in Kyoto we marveled at the sight of the old temples and shrines during spring... Then we travelled down to Hiroshima via shinkansen where we reflected on the atomic bomb domb and memorial park. Miyajima was next, where we enjoyed the beautiful ocean and ran away from the aggressive and frightening looking deer. Finally, we arrived in Fukui where my parents got to enjoy the prefecture that has been my home for the last 9 months. Taking them to school and having them meet my teachers and students was the most special experience that I had with my parents in Japan. I am so happy to be living and working here in such a unique country but its truly the people who make it extraordinary.

Enjoy some of the photos.

Maruoka Castle, Fukui Japan

Miyajima Island Sakura, Hiroshima Japan

Fushimi Inari Tori, Kyoto Japan

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kyoto Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Japan

Miyajima Tori, Hiroshima Japan

Katsuyama Dinosaur Museum, Fukui Japan

Maruoka Castle, Fukui Japan

Okonomiyaki and Dad, Hiroshima Japan

Maruyama Park, Kyoto Japan

Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Japan

Airport Tears and Smiles at Arrival Gate, Osaka KIX airport Japan

Shinkansen (bullet train), Osaka to Hiroshima

Sakura from a hill on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Japan

Echizen Coast on a stormy day, Fukui Japan

As I look back on my parents visit I realize how much has changed since I came here. The ability to speak the basics of a new language, eating strange and unusual foods, navigating a foreign culture's etiquette etc... It has all become so normal that I had forgotten what it was like to be new. Teaching my parents the train/bus system, the money, and other everyday things has made me realize how much I've learned and grown. As I look forward to my trip home in 3 weeks I wonder what else I will learn has changed about myself and about Texas.