June 17, 2003

As I alluded in my last entry my mother and grandmother are now here in Japan on a two-week long vacation. They're with a tour group from Honolulu and their tour will take them to some of the hottest spots here in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Because of my classes I was only able to meet them this past weekend. Saturday afternoon in Beppu I met mom and Little Grandma. I call her that since she stands a mere 4'9". I had hoped to travel with group to the famous boiling ponds, but due to the timing of the trains, I was unable to do so. That night I met the tour group at the hotel over a huge feast at the hotel’s extravagant buffet. This time there were no time limits, and no extra charges for leftovers. Since I am now a seasoned veteran when it comes to Japanese cuisine, I helped my mother pick out her food. She tried several new kinds of sushi and enjoyed them, and agreed with me that it actually does taste less like fish than cooked fish. After gorging myself, I took advantage of the free time to catch up with my family. This was the first time I had seen Little Grandma since Christmas of my freshman year, and thus we had lots to talk about. I really loved seeing my family.

We woke up bright and early the next morning for a day chocked full of sightseeing. Our first stop was in Iwakuni,

located in Yamaguchi Prefecture. In Iwakuni we saw the Kintai Kyo Bridge. The bridge is a testament to the skill of the Japanese in architecture, since it is an entirely wooden bridge that was constructed without the use of a single nail. Its rippled shape is also very intriguing. From Iwakuni we traveled to nearby Miyajima Island to see one of the most three beautiful places in all of Japan: Itsuku Shima Jinja. What's so special about this shrine, when there are thousands of shrines in Japan you might ask? Well the