Well, lots of things have happened since my last update. I am now 23 years old, and this fact slightly depresses me. For many reasons, I was in a melancholic mood on my birthday. I’m over it now and there are more important things going on in this world that deserve your attention; I have also resolved to never let this blog turn into a live journal-esque ranting spot for my angst. I have the internet now, and should be able to update more often.
We are now staying in Okayama with the Bridgman family, who are missionaries here. We have been with them since Sunday evening and will be with them until next Monday morning (I think). Last week, we traveled to the mountains of Karuizawa (no wiki link for some reason, nevermind, I found it), I took some pictures there and got to see some pretty awesome sights. We stayed in Nagaoka for an evening with a family that just about killed us with kindness. The lady prepared so much food that we ran out of room on the table to place it; we also had some grapes that we had seen in a market in Tokyo that are the size of golf balls; maybe they aren’t quite that big, but they are pretty close.
Speaking of fruit, I forgot to mention the cantaloupes that we saw in Tokyo that were being sold in a gift box for $250.00! I also forgot to get a picture of them, and I really am not sure why– but yes, two cantaloupes in a fancy gift-box, with fancy ribbons and other packaging, for $250.00, or make that approximately 30,000 yen.
Since Okayama is a good distance away, we rode the Shinkansen train to get here. I thought that we were going to be riding on one of the mag-lev trains, but I was misinformed. But, these trains are still quite fast, and expensive! Also, it is a good thing that I brought my American Express card along because none of our visa cards worked–even though they accept them. We even called our credit card companies to make sure that they would work over here! So now I have a bill for 88,908 yen on my Amex card, or $758.18. Yes, that is how much three round-trip tickets from Nagaoka to Okayama cost.
I played ground golf today with some senior citizens, and I would link you to a page if I could find any in English. I think I had the worst score in our group, and my Dad two consecutive hole-in-ones. I took pictures of this event, and as usual, I will get them uploaded at some point in the near future.
Tomorrow we are going to Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. I of course, will be taking as many pictures as possible.
I’ve taken close to 300 pictures so far, and will start uploading them here.
Japan has been great so far and the people have all been very kind and generous. I tried to buy a beer glass last night from a restaurant we were in (we were drinking water of course) and the owner insisted that I take it for free. He also tried to give me a larger glass, or several of the smaller ones that I wanted, but I wouldn’t have had enough room to take them all home with me in my carry-on bag.
Last week, I heard “Jesus Christ” by Brand New on the radio while we were eating Yakiniku. The Lord has been a significant topic during this trip (as I am staying with missionaries and whatnot) and my spiritual life (or lack thereof) has been a source of frustration for myself for the past few years. If you are inclined to pray, I would appreciate a few for myself, that I might receive some answers to the questions that I have been asking for some time now.