Japan trip - Day 2

If you can't tell, I wrote these posts in advance of our trip.  So, I'll have actual information from our trip upon our return to the USA.

The last time I was in Japan was after I graduated from college.  It was May-June 2002, and I stayed for about three weeks with my grandparents (my grandfather was still living).  It was great being able to help them around the house, see family, and have a solid block of uninterrupted time to make my way through Lord of the Rings (first time I read it).  The traveling by myself was fine - I can't remember if it was going or coming back, but I sat by a Chinese lady who didn't speak English or Japanese.  The only thing I knew in Chinese was hello (nihou), and so I said that to her.  She launched into this long speech in Chinese (she must have been a gossiper!), to which I had to just shrug and say "I'm sorry, I don't speak Chinese."  Poor lady.  She kept talking to me occasionally throughout the flight but to no avail.  In any case, I also spent some time in Yokohama with one of my mom's cousins and her family.  It was so fun!  I'm hoping that I'll get to see them again this week.  I had a great time visiting, but at the end of the time, I remember almost being in tears as I left because I was afraid that I'd never see my grandparents alive again.  They were 87 and 81 at the time.  I was half right - my grandfather passed away in August 2011, but I'm so grateful that I'll get to see my grandmother again.

I'm most looking forward to seeing family, visiting my aunt and uncle's restaurant (new since the last time I was there), visiting my mom's cousin's son's ramen shop (yum!), seeing my grandfather's rice paddy with the girls (many happy memories of catching tadpoles there in the summers), and being back in a place that holds so many good memories for me.  It will probably be the last time I get to go there, so I plan to make the most of my time there!