Matt Japanese, My Adventures, Travel

MY KUKI FRIENDS: PART TWO


IMG_59301-1024x682

Knowing what happened after the last time I met my friends, the pressure was on. Aya’s parents had moved away from Kuki since then, and what made this visit a little more stressful is that I couldn’t walk home after going to the bar. I had to take the train back home an hour away. So the trick would be to not miss the last train for the night. If I missed the last train for the night, well, let’s just say that wouldn’t be a good thing. Aya’s mom gave me a curfew of 12:30am and said if I missed it, she wouldn’t let me in, and Aya wouldn’t be allowed to let me in either. She was joking of course… I think.

Continue reading “MY KUKI FRIENDS: PART TWO” →

Matt Japanese, My Adventures, Travel

MY KUKI FRIENDS: PART ONE

Every trip to Japan we take, I always try to give Aya some time with just her parents where she doesn’t have to worry about translating things to me.  Where they can all speak openly and freely without me dragging the conversation down to a third grade level.  “What is that? How do you spell that? Where does that come from? What’s your favorite Japanese fruit?” So after a few trips to Japan I felt confident to go out to dinner by myself to give them some space. Each trip, I try to push the boundaries of my comfort level and that’s how I met my friends. My friends from Kuki, Japan.

Continue reading “MY KUKI FRIENDS: PART ONE” →

Matt Family, Food, Japanese, Travel

A HOT SPRINGS JAPANESE BATH

Every time we go visit Aya’s parents, we always do an overnight trip to the hot springs. This is a very popular activity in Japan. What are the hot springs? Well, the Japanese love their baths, and they love fancy food, and scenic views. A hot springs hotel is a place where you can take a bath, eat a fancy meal, and take in a scenic view while you’re at it too. These places pipe in the natural hot springs water (they have some sort of medicinal effect) for you to soak in a big public bath… nude… with strangers. When this was explained to me on my first trip to Japan, I started to worry what I got myself into.

Continue reading “A HOT SPRINGS JAPANESE BATH” →

Matt Japanese, Travel

AN AFTERNOON IN SHIBUYA!

We managed to get another half day out on the town by ourselves and decided to go to Shibuya.  Shibuya is like Japan’s time square.  There are tons and tons and tons of people, flashy lights, TVs as big as buildings, shopping shopping shopping, weirdos and tourists.  There’s an energy in the air in Shibuya that’s very exciting.  There is so much to look at it makes you feel like you have ADD.  We saw TVs show being filmed and magazine shoots taking place on the streets.  Aya was there to shop, and I was there, well, just to look around.  While she shopped, I roamed the streets and then listened to music at a CD store.  And when Aya was over 20 minutes late in meeting me, I made her buy me a dessert crepe.

Continue reading “AN AFTERNOON IN SHIBUYA!” →

Matt Japanese, Outings, Travel

JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE PARK

Our morning routine can be a bit challenging for Ellie.  She normally just has to wait for me to get ready which doesn’t take long, especially if I don’t shower, which may or may not be frequent.  But now she has to wait for four adults to get ready making her feel antsy.  She’s not used to being confined to one room with the same three toys, so I’ve decided to take her to the local park after breakfast so she could shake her sillies out.  Plus, getting out for some fresh air would do me good too.

Continue reading “JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE PARK” →