Tsukuba-Dooba-Doo

Only six days after their arrival, we said 'sayonara' to mom and Joe.  Jonce and I took them to the airport and enjoyed a helping of pork cutlet curry before they went through security.  On the drive back, Jonce and I discussed plans for the rest of their stay with us.  We had about a day and a half together before they met up with Katie Jean's cousin on the other side of Tokyo.  Jonce and I enthusiastically decided that we MUST stay in a sleep pod hotel.  The girls found and reserved a really cheap one in Asakasa (East Tokyo). 

I must come clean...before I go on any more I need to catch up on a small adventure us young bucks experienced on Thanksgiving night.  Since we weren't able to visit Asakasa on the day we went to Tokyo, we decided to go check it out.   






Okay, now that I got that off my chest I can continue...where was I...? SLEEP PODS IN TOKYO! That's right, now I remember.  We all got packed up and was just about ready to go when the girls mentioned one thing they wanted to do before we left Tsukuba.  Kate looked at me with deer-like eyes, batted her eyelashes and said "Bambi-na!"




Satisfied with our photo shoot, we boarded the train bound for Asakasa.  This time there was no rain, which made our exploration of the area much easier.  I lead everyone in the direction of the main canal that cuts through the area.  We found our sleep pod hotel, dropped off our bags, and dilly-dallied around for a while. 






A couple of things are givens when it comes to Japanese karaoke.  Beer will always be involved, the re-verb is turned up way too high, and everyone will spend 90% of the time standing on the seats.


The men's pod room housed 8-12 pods.  Apparently there were some other men in our room, but Jonce and I never heard a peep.  The women's pod room was separate and had about the same number of pods.  Between us was a community sink.  Bathrooms and showers were located on different levels because the hotel was in a tall, slender building.      

Thanksgiving Day was upon us.  Out of everything that we had planned for the week, this proved to be the most ambitious endeavor.  Coincidentally, Chelsae's parents were also visiting Japan during this week AND our friend Akira and his wife wanted to experience an American Thanksgiving.  This brought our attendance up to a whopping 13 people for the meal.  It doesn't seem very impressive by normal American standards, but it's quite impressive considering our situation here.

We rented a large room with a full kitchen to accommodate our celebration.  Four ovens and stove tops were working simultaneously in three separate rooms to cook all of the turkeys, pies, and casseroles.  I was constantly on the phone, sending runners, or dashing from room-to-room myself.  I felt like an army general coordinating a strike on three war fronts.  Aside from difficulties with the gas ovens in the rental room, we functioned as a well oiled Thanksgiving-preparation machine.   




Here we are carving up one of the birds.  We purchased two 7-lb turkeys for dinner, mere babies compared to their American counterparts.  Would you like to guess what the total was for both turkeys...?  I will give you some options for your guess:



As with all holiday gatherings, there are two potential outcomes.  In one scenario the turkey is moist, smiles are on everybody's face, and joyous chatter fills the room.  It is the picture perfect holiday feast. 





However, there is an alternative outcome.  One where the smallest mis-speak could result in a full on fistfight, babies crying everywhere, drinks get knocked over...oh, and the turkey is as dry as the Sahara. 





Lucky for us, and babies everywhere, Thanksgiving dinner was absolutely amazing.  Before we dug into the food, we went around the table and everyone said what they were thankful for.  Of course, it got emotional as many of us ended up crying, myself included.  There was just so much to be thankful for: visiting family, delicious food, amazing friends, wonderful jobs, loving family and friends back in the States, ect., ect., ect. The list of blessings is endless.

Next we headed to the central campus of AIST to the science museum called AIST Science Square. 





Following the science museum we went to the AIST Geological Museum which houses an impressive collection of rocks and minerals.  This is where you really separate the nerds from the norms.  It is always difficult to keep people from yawning their way though the whole thing.  I can't help but think of my grandfather, the geologist, every time I go in there.  I know he would find it all very fascinating. 



We had a reprieve from walking as we were able to catch a bus from AIST East to Tsukuba Center.  Once there we took care of some serious business; eating, shopping, banking.  Later that night we made some tako yaki (fried octopus balls) on the 9th floor, which is becoming quite the tradition for visitors. 

I know all too well that my mom and Joe are early risers.  In fact, there was one particular incident that will forever live in infamy.  While visiting Farmington during my freshman year in college I pulled into the driveway late one night (or early depending on perspective).  I saw Joe making coffee through the front window..."NOOOOO!"  I had narrowly escaped this confrontation on the previous two nights, but I finally pushed it too far...my luck had run out.

I sat in my car for a second to come up with a strategy for my next move.  The way I saw it, I had two options.  1)  I could walk in, admit defeat, apologize for being so late, and walk to my room with my tail between my legs OR  2)  I could walk in, casually say hello, and walk back to my room before anything further could be discussed.  Admitting defeat seemed far less appealing so I opted for the casual/quick approach. 

As I strolled through the front door I saw Joe kicking back on a cup of joe in the kitchen.  I stole a quick glance his way and noticed a smirk on his face.  I think he was enjoying this.  Still smiling he said "Good morning!" in an almost sing song tone.  The set up was too perfect, I had to respond in kind.  I turned in the direction of my room and responded "Good night!" and went straight to bed.  Now every time we discuss staying up late, Joe cheerfully reminds me of that incident.  Well played, sir.   :)   

For day three of the Walker & Grenawalt's Japanese experience we hit up Tokyo early.  We caught the 7:50 rapid train to Tokyo, which just so happens to be one of the busiest trains of the day.  I was pleased to let everyone experience the sardine-like feeling as an endless flow of commuters packed the train.  Once we were in Tokyo, we energized with Starbucks and went to our first destination: Shibuya.





Our next stop was the Tokyo Tower.  A huge bonus to visiting the Tower is taking a gander at the Zojoji Temple on the way. 

We happened to pop our heads in the temple just as a Buddhist ceremony was starting.  I didn't think anybody had witnessed any eastern religious worshiping so we sat and watched for a little bit. 


The visibility was astounding!  The endless sea of urban development made the group speechless.  We could even see Mt. Fuji in the distance.


Ginza is considered one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world.  After eating lunch at a Korean restaurant the men instinctively gave the women their respective spending allowances, set a meeting time, and hung out in the 4-story Apple store.  


The girls had a great time shopping.  I know Katie Jean especially enjoyed some fashion inspiration for her dress making business, KT Jean Designs.  People were starting to get tired so we hopped on the Tsukuba Express and headed back to the Ninomiya House.

Our "more experienced" party members went to bed fairly early; Tokyo has a way of taking it out of you.  However, us young-folk (Haines family included) decided to cut lose and go to karaoke.  I won't go into detail about the events that may or may not have transpired.  I will simply provide a single photo that sums it up pretty well...


Well, I can't tell you exactly what time we finally made it to bed, but I'm 57% sure it was before Joe woke up for his morning coffee.

The next day was a good 'ol fashioned Thanksgiving.  More to come! Whooohooo!

-Seth

Christmas came early this year.  Really early.  Like...'before Thanksgiving' early.  On the first morning of the Walkers & Grenawalts stay in Japan we celebrated Christmas with a small gift exchange.  Joe was fresh from a recent business trip to The Hague.  For the geographically challenged, like myself, it's located in The Netherlands.  I always think that The Hague = 'The Plague' = the 'Black Death', = the 'bubonic plague'.  So in my mind, The Hague is a terrible place with sick people and rats everywhere, like Somalia or Snooki's House.  (Note: if you don't know who 'Snooki" is, then click here.)   Anyway, Joe had purchased some big, furry, bubonic plague-free winter hats for the Katies.  Jonce and I also received winter hats.    


Following our mini-Christmas was a drive to the big Buddha.  Everyone is always completely awestruck at the magnitude of this statue. 





The first full day went off without a hitch and the next day was going to be a big one.  As always, we had very ambitious plans for Tokyo so we were going to get an early start. 

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

-Seth

I had lasted the drought.  It had been a month without my wife and over half a year since I had less than 6,000 miles between my family and me.  However, there was a storm brewing to the east.  Kate's arrival from her trip to the U.S. came just one day following my conference in South Korea.  Our reunion served as the perfect primer for the week.  Jonce, Katie Jean, Joe, and my mom were scheduled to land in Japan just three days after Kate.  Over the course of one week I planned on giving them a Japanese-culture crash course.  Yes....rain was coming....I looked up at the sky and I welcomed the downpour with open arms.

Kate and I were running to the International Arrivals area of Terminal 1 when I hear "Seth!" come from my left.  To my surprise I looked over to see an unkept, possibly homeless man sitting down against the wall.  How did this man know my name and how did he get in the airport?!  Well, upon further inspection it was Jonce...with one of the gnarliest beards I had ever seen.   Shortly after seeing Jonce, we noticed Katie Jean emerged from the crowd looking cheerful as always. 


Shortly thereafter we cruised over to Terminal 2 for my mom's flight arrival.  After a short while I watched Joe and my mother's face completely light up as they entered the arrival area.  Truly a hallmark moment.  When I asked my mother about her most memorable moment in Japan she said "Seeing you at the airport when we arrived and hugging you neck!"  There is a reason why countless movies capture this moment of arrival, it's magical...  So, after a brief reunion we made our way to the Japanese utility vehicle I rented for the big pickup. 


Everyone was in good spirits, which made it much easier to deal with my stupidity as I drove onto the toll road (wrong road) on the way to Tokyo (wrong direction).  800 yen and 30 minutes later we were back on the right route as it started to rain.  Here at the Hosting Enterprise of Rubberneckers Organized by Walkers in Japan (HEROW-Japan ...possibly the worst acronym ever) we slowly ease you into eastern cuisine.  So for their first meal I decided to introduce everyone to Japanese curry at Cocos.