Sayonara Japan
The summer of 2004 in Tokyo was longer than usual, which meant more time for the beach, picnics, fireworks, patio dining, and lazing about in our air-conditioned room.

After June's typhoons, the sweltering humidity sets into Tokyo in July. We headed to Hayama beach, and its Blue Moon cafe that we grew to love last year, with it's annual beach party featuring music, fire dancers, and cocktails on the sand. This year, we also ventured out to other popular beaches that we hadn't explored. Shichirigama Beach in Kamakura was the perfect place for Brad to have a surf before we had an amazing seaside patio lunch and beer at J.J. Monks. Further away from Tokyo, on the Izu Peninsula, Ohama Beach in Shimoda was surrounded by lush hills and rural neighborhoods. The long, clean beach was steps away from our friends' beach house, where we BBQ 'd and stayed the night.

August in Japan brings Obon and Hanabi. Obon, the festival of the dead, is a holiday time when Tokyoites return to their hometowns to visit their families and graves of their ancestors. Tokyo becomes quieter for a few weeks, business slows down a bit, and Brad and I used the free time to take Japanese lessons at a school. We also enjoyed three of the many annual Hanabi, or fireworks shows. Picnicking and drinking under the night sky as it explodes into color is something I will always think of when August comes around. However, our highlight this year was the Fuji Rock Festival. With five friends in a camper van, we drove to Niseko Ski Resort for three days of music in the mountains. Heaven!

In October, typhoons and earthquakes ravaged Japan, but since Tokyo is in a pretty safe position, we just had a some tremors and downpours. Brad went to his 10-year high school reunion in Sydney for two weeks, and my high school friend, Andrea, came to Tokyo to see Japan and have a reunion with me. At the end of the month, we took a highway bus to Ibaragi prefecture (a coastal state) to stay with our friend at her temple home in the countryside. Her father is the buddhist priest, and her family runs the attached preschool. Her front yard is full of statues and shrines, and we woke up to the chants of Sunday morning prayers. If that wasn't enough excitement in October already, we had celebrations for Halloween and both our birthdays! Thanks to Catherine at 76.1 InterFM for the free tickets to Glitterball, Tokyo's annual Halloween extravaganza.

This November is unseasonably warm. The leaves are just barely starting to turn yellow and flutter down to the street, and everyone is talking about the nice weather. We're living it up in Tokyo while we can, as we soon will be...

Leaving Japan

With only two weeks left in Japan, we are getting excited to travel, but very sad to leave this country that we have grown to love so much...

To completely immerse yourself in another country's culture and way of life is something that truly opens your eyes and heart, and changes you forever. These two years in Japan were huge for us: career-wise, socially, emotionally, culturally, and as a life together. We know that in the future, we will be back for the people and all the little things about this country that we will miss so much...great service, tatami mat floors, amazing food, the love of seasons, the drinking culture, true blue friends, the lack of crime, karaoke, scooters and bikes, crazy fashion...

We've been blessed with amazing people, opportunities and experiences here. It's rare for the Japanese to show a lot of emotion, so when you see older Japanese people cry and get emotional about you leaving, it surely breaks you up a bit! We have four Sayonara parties next week, so it will be an emotional but fun farewell.