2019 – 07: Visitors

Spring time is cherry blossom season in Japan.  The crowds are huge…

…the colors are bright…

… and rain or shine, people come out for hanami and to picnic under the blossoms.  But more about blossoms later.

We always enjoy visitors to Tokyo, and we were happy to see Gurpreet and his family visiting from Dubai.

Vaishali and Dhiraj have just moved to Tokyo from China.  Welcome.

Our college friend Nina joined us in April for peak cherry blossom season.

Rich and Sharon followed a week later.  Here we enjoyed a traditional Teppanyaki dinner (nothing like Benihana).

They marveled at the crowded-but-orderly mass transit.

We experienced wisteria in full bloom.  Some of these trees are 150 years old….

… and are especially impressive under the lights at night.

Our friend and Yankees fan, Janet, enjoyed a Tokyo Swallows game with us, along with Swallows expert Tomomi.

Greg introduced me to the world of J-Pop.  This is eYe’s, who sing very “poppy” songs to pre-recorded tracks, and have all the right bops and moves for each song.

And of course, you need the proper shoes for a J-Pop concert.  Elton John would be jealous.

Lynda and her friend Rebecca volunteer each Tuesday making Onigiri for the homeless.  These triangular rice delights contain a plum inside.

Someone in this photo just turned 60 (hint: she’s standing in the middle).

And as custom holds in Japan, the proper gift is red underwear.

Back to the topic of cherry blossoms, one of the most popular locations in Tokyo is the Imperial Palace moat.

The queue is massive…

… with instructions in four languages.

After a 2-hour wait, it’s time to get aboard.

But most of the rowers are complete novices, turning the moat into bumper-boats.

However, once in position, the experience is wonderful…

…creating memorable views for all.

There was big news in Japan this spring.  Everyone in the office was huddled around lap tops to see a live stream of this… the naming of our new era.

After 30 years on the throne, Emperor Akihito abdicated on April 30, thus bringing an end to the Heisei era.  He officially transitioned responsibilities to his eldest son, who is now Emperor Naruhito, and thus, the start of the Reiwa era (beautiful harmony).   [internet photos]

Emperor transition typically happens upon demise and abdication is very rare (the last instance was 200 years ago).

This change in Emperor brought visitors from the U.S.

We were happy to have Kayla and Dan join us in June.

We visited teamLab Borderless for an amazing, interactive experience using light, sound and projection.

The photos don’t do it justice…

… you just have to see this highly imaginative experience for yourself.

But the biggest news of all belongs to Greg.

Yes, it’s official, he is now a high school graduate.  He will take a gap year before entering college.

Greg attended five different schools across three continents to earn his diploma.  His big sister could not miss this moment.

We are very proud of him.  Enjoy!  ts