Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Father's Day Visit

John's dad has been out here visiting for the past week, conveniently falling over Father's Day. I can't believe how quickly his visit has come and gone (I think I say this every time) but it really was wonderful.

We've visited lots of temples and shrines where we were even able to see two weddings, and about a million blooming iris and hydrangeas. We also went to an afternoon baseball game, had dinner with Shiori, their exchange student from years past, got in some World War II history, and ate tons of delicious Japanese food.

In less than three weeks we'll have more visitors, and my sister just bought a ticket to come out too, so the fun is just going to continue all summer.

I love the red and white bowls at this ramen shop
The Imperial Palace is full of iris in June
The perfect Father's Day
Every time they get a run, the Yakult Swallows fans do a dance with umbrellas

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Early June

Rainy season officially begins today, though the weather is actually looking nicer than yesterday. I can't believe it's already June and already rainy season. I've done a terrible job of blogging for the past month, but I'm still here - and intending to do better.

It's finally starting to feel like summer, and this one's going to be a busy one. My father-in-law is coming to visit next week, and next month my brother-in-law and his wife are coming out. I absolutely love having visitors and getting the chance to show off the Tokyo I love. I guess that's a lot of the reason I'm still blogging too.

A couple weeks ago the G7 Summit was in Japan and the security was intense. Even though the meeting wasn't in Tokyo the train stations were flooded with police, the streets filled with local security, and even vending machines and trash cans closed up for the duration.

But now, I'll let some pictures do the rest of my talking.

Hokkaido ramen - toppings include corn and butter
Braided headband
Vending machines closed for the G7 summit
The hydrangeas are out
Hanging out with my littlest friend
Loving the summer produce that's finally available