Dear friends, the end of the year is fast approaching! But despite the busyness we (the FAMILY x 12 Blog Hoppers) are pausing briefly to share our monthly (almost) tradition of sharing with your our family photo(s) from the month.
My photos this month are of my Japanese "family." I have known this family for 17 years. We are about as close as two families can be who are separated by the entire Pacific Ocean! We lived in Japan for more than 2 and a half years and it was then that we met and grew very close. I taught English to their girls and many of their neighbors' children. Yukiko (the mom) and I spent hours chatting over green tea and manjyu pouring over our dictionaries both learning each others' language. We spent many meals over at their house as well as some exciting Kyoto restaurants. The most memorable was probably the Fugu restaurant which serves the poisonous puffer fish! We all survived - luckily! I am pretty sure I even cooked them as much of a Thanksgiving dinner as I could using their old small kitchen in their traditional Kyoto home.
We even took a long weekend trip together to the Southern-most Japanese island visiting traditional Japanese resorts, zoos & amusement parks. It was their treat. The girls were only 7 & 9. Kotono (the younger one) & I were partners on all the roller coasters. Ayane, at the time, didn't like roller coasters so she watched from the ground.
When my husband and I were married, the girls were our flower girls at our wedding in California!
Yuji & Yukiko visited us every time after we had a new baby. They brought us a very large traditional gift that is given to families (by the grandparents) every time a couple has a boy after I had my first son. I'm sure they would have brought us the traditional girls gift if I had ever had a girl!
Late this past summer, the girls, now young women, came to California for the first time on their own to visit us. It was a wedding present to the oldest "girl" from their father, Yuji. It was so wonderful to reconnect with them as young women. I don't think they really remembered us all that well. They knew us, but not like we remember them. After their week with us, we became close with them as well. I feel like I have two new friends just like their mother. They are so like their mother in different ways.
Last month one of my sons and I made the trek to attend the oldest daughter's wedding. It took a 12 hour flight, a ten hour layover in Beijing, a three hour flight to Osaka, a 45 minute limosine bus to Kobe, an overnight bus to the island of Kyushu, a 45 minte train ride to Saga, a ten minute walk to the hotel and then a 45 minute ride (with bride, mother & sister) in a van to make it to the traditional Buddhist ceremony at a small temple in the mountains. My ankles were swollen for three days from all that travel, but it was worth every moment! The night of that ceremony, we rode the bullet train back to Kyoto and the next day we had the privelege to attend the wedding reception in Kyoto. Amazing! It was so special being there.
A full cirlce moment for me. Even when the girls were just 6 & 8 I always wanted to return to Japan to attend their weddings. Their mom & I used to talk about it. I can't believe it actually happened. I treasure this family's friendship so very much.
So even though it isn't my family by blood, my photos this month are of my family nonetheless. My son and I represent our side of the American part of the family.
Now on to the rest of the blog hop participants this month... RUTH is next.
December FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop Participants
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Ruth http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com
Patricia http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/
Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
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