May 6, 2009: Swine flu follow-up

We woke up well rested from our nights stay in the business hotel. I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad were happy to have a hot shower while they were there! We checked out and retrieved our car from the vending machine-like parking garage. Seriously; you pull your car into what appears to be a one-car garage at the bottom of a tall building adjoining the hotel. When you get out of the car and exit the garage, a parking attendant presses a button and some sort of robotic system takes your car and places it somewhere high in the building. You can retrieve it later by giving the parking attendant your ticket number so that he can punch in the appropriate code for your car. Then it is delivered to you just as a vending machine would give you a Coke. Only in Japan!

Our first destination for the day was Hiroshima Castle. It seemed obvious to me that Mom and Dad should visit a Japanese castle during their visit. Getting to the castle was surprisingly easily (we often fascinate ourselves at how we can actually find our way around in Japan!). Finding a place to park was another story. After circling the castle several times, I finally realized that we could park inside the castle walls on the grounds.

As we walked toward the actual castle within the fortress walls, I noticed someone was calling my cell-phone from a number that I didn’t recognize. I answered and was informed by the person on the other end of the line that she was a doctor with the Japanese Ministry of Health. It slowly dawned on me that Mom and Dad had listed my phone number as their method of contact while in Japan, when they had completed the customs forms upon arriving. The doctor thought that I was my dad, and I just let her think that for the rest of the conversation (for the sake of simplicity). She asked if I or my wife (meaning Mom) had any flu-like symptoms. She also asked if we were being sure to wear surgical masks at all times to prevent the possible spread of buta influenza (or swine flu) which was becoming an epidemic in America and Mexico. So far there had been no cases reported in Japan. I informed her that ‘we’ were feeling fine and that…ah hem…”We’re wearing our masks at all times.” (So I was a little dishonest…sue me!) After reassuring her that we would immediately call her at the first sign of succumbing to swine flu (which we Americans were likely to have brought with us from America) she said good bye. I told everyone what had happened and we all had a good laugh about it.

You can't tell in the picture, but Brandon kept bowing while he was on the phone (as if he was talking to the woman in-person). It was hilarious! (-Sarah)

We toured the castle and looked at all the various artifacts dating back thousands of years. At one point, I even tried the old method of carrying things around. There were samurai swords and armor, masks, scrolls, and various other historical items on display.

This hands-on exhibit is in the castle.

At the top, we had a nice view of the city below.

Afterward, we were all quite hungry. None of us had eaten thus far that day. Dad had checked out the traditional Japanese breakfast back at the hotel, but he decided to pass on it. We parked the car again and found a nice little Japanese/Italian restaurant. Lunch was pretty good, but I think Mom was having some trouble adjusting to the texture of the meat. It can sometimes seem kind of fatty or chewy. However, she said she liked most of it okay. The rest of us wolfed ours down in no time.

After lunch, Mom and Dad thought it would be nice to look for some Hiroshima souvenirs. We looked in some of the nearby shops, but we didn’t really see anything that fit what they were looking for. In most big cities such as New York, Sydney, etc, it is easy to find souvenirs specific to that city. In Japan, however, one doesn’t really see many souvenirs of this type. So we decided to go back to the train station where we had previously seen some souvenirs for the city baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp. Dad and Sarah went in and managed to find some keepsakes while Mom and I rested out in the car, so we wouldn’t have to pay to park somewhere!

Task complete, we figured it was probably about time to start making our way back home to Iizuka, where some friends were expecting to have dinner with us. On the way out of town, we stopped at the Harley Davidson store in an effort to procure some tee shirts for my Uncle Mike. Because it was a national holiday, however, they were closed. Sorry Mike!

This is proof that we really did pass the store!

The trip back to Iizuka went quickly and without a hitch. Dad and Sarah both napped most of the way. Mom stayed awake because she was a little nervous in the little car amongst the speeding traffic. We did make it home all in one piece.

Almost as soon as we arrived, we were on our way to dinner. We took my parents to our favorite local restaurant, Chikyuya. Our good friends Darryl, Ira, Caitlyn, Tim and Deji all accompanied us. I think Mom and Dad mostly enjoyed the food and they seemed to have a good time. After dinner, we went home and we all collapsed to sleep a short while later.

The restaurant's owner brought us one of their specialities, on the house!

May 5, 2009: Hiroshima, here we come!

We had a big day of traveling ahead, so we wanted to get started early. It would take about three hours to drive to Hiroshima. We had never been before and it seemed like an interesting place to show the in-laws. We kicked off the morning with Mister Donut, which is a popular franchise owned by Duncan Donuts.

If I’m not driving a car, riding in one is like taking Nyquil. I’m a horrible passenger and it doesn’t take long for me to start nodding off to sleep. So, I slept for a good part of the trip to Hiroshima and Brandon didn’t get lost once (so he told me)! He did a great job of navigating his way to the world-famous city. If you haven’t brushed up on your history, this is where the first atomic bomb was dropped.

Our stomachs were growling, so we spotted a Subway, as in the American-based chain restaurant, and we stopped. Like most large cities, parking is a nightmare, so we’ve tried to suck it up and pay the chunk of change it takes to do so.

Various peace memorials

We wandered over to the nearby Peace Memorial, along with other statues representing the more than 240,000 victims that were lost in the bombing. The “A-Dome” is one of the few buildings that is left standing. We read about how the bomb was dropped precisely above this and that’s why the walls are still in tact.

See, I told you the walls are still in tact. Unbelievable!

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was eye-opening, to say the least. One of the things that caught my attention was a wrist watch. The incredible thing about it is: it was found with the time stopped, at the exact time that the bomb dropped. It was an eerie thought. That wasn’t the only thing that gave me the chills. There was a replica of the town before and after the blast to show the magnitude of damage and I couldn’t bear to look at all of the pictures of victims; some were badly burned and others had body sores from disease related to radiation exposure.

The exhibit on the left displayed the awful scene after the bomb dropped. Then, on the left, the picture shows a model of what the city looked like before incident.

This is replica of the "A-Dome" inside the museum

We often forget the other side of the story, when it comes to what happened with the atomic bombs being dropped (the other one was sent to Nagasaki a few days later). We learn about the war and the bombing, at school, but we don’t realize the level of suffering that went on. This visit gave me a dose of reality.

Since we came to Hiroshima during the Japanese “Golden Week,” which is a series of four holidays in a row, they were celebrating their annual flower festival. So, while it was a somber mood inside the museum, our spirits were lifted once we stepped outside. There were several different groups of people in costume and others were on a stage dancing to loud music. We watched for a little while, but it started raining harder and we got cold.

We drove to our hotel and got cleaned up for dinner. We found a Japanese-Italian restaurant near the hotel. After dinner, Brandon & Kelly decided to do some “father-son” bonding, while Teresa & I opted for rest. They went to a couple pubs before deciding to head back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

May 4, 2009: The Big Buddha

Teresa and Kelly were early to rise (maybe around 5AM), especially since their body clock is still on American time. We had shown them the night before how to use our bath, but it’s not the easiest process, so it’s understandable that they needed extra assistance. Around 7:30, we were awoken by their confusion. Not long after, I was fired up and ready to start the day. In no time at all, fresh ground coffee was brewing and I was cutting apples and strawberries for a fruit salad. We ate breakfast and then all crammed in our car for the mountains. It’s a short 15 minute drive and we’re up in the mountains. You can get a beautiful view of our town, Iizuka, from this one lookout point.

We stopped in a neighboring town, called Sasaguri. It’s famous for having more than 88 shrines and a gigantic, reclining Buddha. It was raining, but we still had fun. We trudged through the murky puddles and smiled for the camera anyways!

The Big Buddha and a closer look at the statue's feet


Teresa & Kelly (Brandon's parents)

Kelly

I often took pictures with random kids. What a cutie!

After a couple hours, lunch was calling our name. We wanted Teresa & Kelly to experience some Japanese food, but nothing too crazy. “Don Don Tei” is a local okonomiyaki place. The menu has several dishes that you cook yourself because your table has a flat grilling surface. “Okonomiyaki” is a kind of omelet, using egg and cabbage, usually with your choice of meat and any other extras you want. They bring you a bowl with all of the raw ingredients for you to mix and cook. We ordered a couple of different omelets, along with plain meat and vegetables. I even ordered a side of cheese fries, just in case the other food wasn’t filling. It’s a weird choice, but delicious.

There’s always room for dessert! Brandon and I go to this bakery often, mostly because you get free coffee if you eat there. It’s a huge weakness and the main reason why I haven’t lost weight since I’ve lived here.

All this running around wore us out, so we went back to our apartment. Teresa and I decided to take a nap, while Brandon showed his dad a nearby lake. I made pork chops and vegetables for dinner. It was Teresa’s birthday, the day before, so we had coconut pie (her favorite) for dessert. We visited for awhile before deciding to get ready for bed.

May 3, 2009: A traditional Japanese greeting

After hours of cleaning and preparations for Brandon’s parents, their arrival day had finally come! They were coming to stay with us for a week. Teresa and Kelly got in around 10:30PM. We didn’t think their luggage would fit in our tiny car, so Brandon went the public transportation route, instead.

Brandon, Teresa & Kelly finally got home, to our place, by midnight and I pleasantly greeted them in a kimono, which is ceremonial Japanese attire. I went the extra mile and even put a little make-up on too. I saw it in a movie once, so I tried my best to mimic that style. It was fun and I think they got a kick out of it!

After a short tour of our apartment, they popped open their suitcases and showered us with American treats that we missed like: beef jerky, Crystal Lite, Velveeta, homemade cookies and a cereal trail mix. We tried not eating it all at once, like scavengers, but we had to at least have a taste-testing. Yum! Time passed quickly and it was already after one o’clock. We were off to bed!