So, we are heading into our 9th month here in Tokyo. This coincides with the migration of the foreigners home for the summer, the rainy season and the heat...lots to look forward to here as you can see. We had a taste of the heat today and while I did indeed grow up near Houston and it is hotter than anything there with humidity mixed in I still don't think I'm properly prepared for the coming months. The main difference being that we have no car, so there is no avoiding the sweating.
A highlight for us a few weeks ago was the visit of my parents. I was so so excited to see them and to show them all that Japan has to offer. They were here with us for 11 days and I was in major site seeing overdrive the whole time lest I leave something important out. The day after they arrived we hiked over to Tokyo Tower which is fairly close to our apartment so they could get the aerial view of the city. My mom was more interested in the Japanese school children that were all wearing masks along with the strange hair accessories they were sporting to care too much about the view. Then after that she wanted to take a peak at the Imperial Palace Gardens, which I had never been to. She assures me that they are good to go with the walking, so we head out. I think we walked maybe 5 miles that day and needless to say they were worn out and calling me a ruthless guide.
The next day we went to the fish market, which was really cool. It required waking up at 4:30 am or so to make the auction, which was definitely a highlight. Then my parents were good sports and tried out sushi, which they weren't all that excited about and suki-yaki which they really enjoyed. We headed out to Hiroshima the next day and went to the Peace Park and Museum, which were so very sad then headed to Kyoto. Kyoto is this amazing city in Japan. It is full of temples and shrines and unique pieces of Japanese history. I loved it there and my parents did too.
I loved having them here. Their time here was way too short, but I think I gave them a good picture of Japan along with what it's like for us to live here. Here are a few of the millions of pictures that we took during their visit.
Until next time...Jenn
Okay, so maybe John and I haven't had that much interesting going on lately. Cosmo, however, has had some noteworthy interactions as of late. My friend Andrea was dog sitting her friend's Yorkie and they stopped by briefly one day. Despite her proclamation that Ellie never likes any dogs and barks incessantly, she made not a sound, but rather let Cosmo chase her around the house. It was really entertaining to watch. 
Although the highlight was when she pounced on him from her perch on the couch and landed on his back! 
