29/11/2014

Ayamekai Aikido BBQ

Aikido very quickly became a very big part of my life here in Japan. I started almost as soon as I moved here and was training 2 or 3 times a week most weeks, 4 times if my work schedule allowed it. So I was very glad I had the opportunity to introduce my sister to my Aikido family.

It's strange to look back at these sunny photos now the sun's setting at 4:30pm and I'm not leaving the house without a scarf (it's not quite cold enough for hats and gloves yet).








22/11/2014

Hanabi

Mia's visit was timed perfectly for Hanabi here in Japan so I took her to a local display which was big by Japanese standards but HUGE compared to anything we'd seen in the UK.

If I had been more prepared it would have been nice to maybe get Yukatas for the both of us to dress up for the occasion. We still had a good time seeing everyone else's and admiring all the patterns.

One of my housemates was super organised and reserved a big spot for guesthouse residents and their friends, he used this flag to mark the location so everyone could find it.










The fireworks were launched from the opposite side of the river which made for some beautiful reflections in the water.




It was a great atmosphere. Everyone was cheering for the particularly big explosions and the display itself was fantastic. I went to another display in Tokyo last year so I sort of knew what to expect but it was fun to see the amazement on Mia's face seeing it for the first time.

That's one of the best parts of having visitors out here, I can relive all those "wow!" feelings that I had when I first got here. It's pretty full-on playing Tour Guide for someone, especially when they're staying with you, I need a couple of days to recover but I'm starting to look forward to the next visitor now.

16/11/2014

Mia in Tokyo

So, this was months ago now, but the weather is starting to get cooler here, the days shorter, and the homesickness a little more sharp in my mind so now feels like a good time to remember the summer and my little-but-taller sister Mia visiting.


Mia arrived intact but her suitcase didn't so our first stop was Tokyo to buy her some clothes and show her Shibuya and the very famous Hachiko.

What follows is a random collection of shots from around Tokyo but they weren't all taken on the same day...















Some of these are already up on my website and have been for some time, but others I've only shared with friends and family. I took a huge number of pictures when Mia was here so it's nice to share a few more now.