Kelly Anderson

It's always hard to say goodbye. We are sad to be leaving, but we were able to make the most of our final hours in Japan. I went on one last run in Mitaka, and after breakfast, I was off to Yotsuya Station, where we went to tour guide's offices and wrote an essay reflecting on the trip. I am going to wait until after I get back home to publish the essay, along with some other thoughts on my experience, because I want to spend some more time thinking about it on the plane ride tomorrow.  We finished writing around noon and were given free time for the rest of the day. Jamie and I decided to go to the Sumo Wrestling Museum. This was an easy choice, because one of my only regrets about this trip is that we were not in Tokyo while the annual sumo wrestling tournament was in town. It rotates around the country throughout the year and won't be back in Tokyo until September. This was in the train station adjacent to the arena We were determined to get a d...

Nothing happening in Japan could compete with a much bigger, more important moment: my mother's birthday. Happy birthday, mom! I feel terrible that I can't give you a big hug in person, but I hope it was a good one! I think my mom would be glad to know that we spent the day at the beach, because she loves going to the beach more than just about anything else in the world. Our visit to Endoshima Beach, unlike many of the days on this trip, was laid-back and relaxing. This post will be a photo journal for the most part, because the pictures tell the story at least as well as any description I could write. The train ride from Tokyo to Endoshima Beach took an hour and a half Arriving at Endoshima The Olympic sailing events will be held at Endoshima in 2020 We spent some time lounging on the beach, throwing around a football and swimming After lunch the skies turned gray. The rain begins We found shelter from the downpour. At one p...

Today was a booming success, especially on the culinary front. It was Marine Day in Japan, a national holiday, so my host family did not have to go to school or work, and we spent the day together at home. Japanese culture's emphasis on food affects all facets of life. Junior high school students are taught how to make common traditional dishes in home economics, and in my host family, making food is a process that involves the whole family. In the morning, Ruki gave me a cooking lesson, teaching me how to make tamagoyaki (sweet scrambled eggs), miso soup, and onigiri  (rice balls wrapped in seaweed with a pickled plumb in the middle). All three were quite good and easy to make. Ruki and I work on rolling the rice balls Ruki chops seaweed for the miso soup Ruki shows off the tamagoyaki Father-son cooking time Breakfast (the rice was later wrapped in seaweed) After breakfast, we went to an indoor rock climbing gym where my host dad has a membersh...