Summer break 2025

So a few weeks ago, my mother came to visit Japan again. This had been an ongoing thing since I moved to Japan where she either came to visit me once a year, or I went back home to visit her and Dad. Last year I went to the Philippines to catch up with mum, so this was the first time in two years for her to visit Japan. Though she has met my wife many times already, it's the first time meet her as her new daughter in law.

While mum's trip was mostly to spend time with us, it was a chance for her to do things that she has not yet done in Japan. One of the main highlights is for mum to meet my new Mother-in-law for the very first time. There was a lot of stress on me and my wife's end, but fortunately mum was looking forward to meeting her, and it went without a hitch. Again, my wife gave her seal of approval for my performance, though in reality mum really took a liking to my mother in law, including the exchanging of gifts. 
Other things we did included going to Nikko for one night. While I had heard a lot from my students about their school trip experiences to Nikko, this was the very first time going there. We went to Toshogu Shrine, and it was bigger than I expected. What I was not expecting was the shrine was selling a very specific Gundam model kit:

The Master Grade Musha Gundam Mk. II Tokugawa Ieyasu Nanban Dogusoku ver. on display and sale at Toshogu Shrine

I had heard about this kit, but did not realise this a local specialty of Nikko. Though mum offered to buy the kit for me, I decided against the purchase. I have my heart set on a very, very specific mobile suit that I am waiting for a Master Grade, even if it's going to be a Premium Bandai kit:

I'll wait for as long as it takes for a Master Grade Jegan ECOAS type

Together with my wife, we took mum to Kinugawa Onsen. We stayed in the same hotel as last time, but what was different this time was we had dinner and breakfast included. Bloody hell, given what we paid to stay overnight, we definitely got our money's worth. Two things I really enjoyed was the sweet corn rice - I want to actually learn how to cook this at home, and the sashimi. I normally not a fan of sashimi, but the quality of it here was very nice and tender. Furthermore, because we were staying in a ryokan-style hotel, we had our room for dining, including my wife's name written calligraphy style on the door of our dining room. As it was a set course menu, they included a menu of all the dishes that were being served, along who the head chef was for the evening.

Also, I took mum to Tokyo Disney Sea, as it was one place she wanted to go to. The last Disney theme park she went to was in Paris over 20 years ago. As it was a weekday, it was not as busy as usual. However, it was certainly hot as hell, despite bringing umbrellas, though we made sure to take frequent breaks in between. Mum was more interested in the sights rather than the rides themselves, though we were able to go on a few of what she wanted. There were some areas of the park I wanted to check out, along with some rides I wanted to go on, but going out to Tokyo Disney Sea was more for mum than for me and I didn't want mum just waiting around in the heat while I lined up. I was content to put aside what I wanted to do for that day. 

Though it was fun to see mum again, I won't lie when it came to some frustrations. As mum does not understand Japanese, I do not hold that against her. However, there are many signs and instructions that do have English translations for tourists to make it easier for them to understand. In my mum's case, she will ask me first saying she doesn't understand - without checking if there is an English translation or not. A minor gripe, but as she was only in Japan for two weeks, I could grin and bear it. 

So that was how I spent my two weeks of break. Mum's visit also gave my wife and I a chance to dine out among the various restaurants that are near our apartment. Most of them are pretty good, and we would definitely check them out again in the future. 

義母会いに行く

Soon we will be visiting my future mother-in-law. This will actually be the very first time that I have ever met my fiance's mother in all the years that we have been together. This is despite her having met my mother a few times already, and she was able to meet my father when she visited me in Australia shortly before moved to Japan to work.

I won't go into the details, but distance and schedule were two of the reasons that I have not met her until now. She seemed shy about the idea of video calling in the past, so I have never had a video call with her either. However, I did have the chance to speak with her briefly on the phone, and she gave off a good first impression. Also due to her background, she has given advice for medical related matters, especially with my brief period in the hospital earlier this year.

Furthermore, while my work has taken me across many parts of Japan, this will be the first time to travel to Kagawa. From what my fiance has told me, her hometown is pretty rural, and while there are buses and trains, a car is recommended to get around quickly. I have also been told that udon is a local specialty, and compared to other areas in the Japan, udon in Kagawa is pretty damn cheap. I am still having a look in to Kagawa prefecture and what there is to do there, so I would like to a do little bit of sightseeing as well if there is time for it.

A Quick Trip back Home

Yesterday I returned from my week long trip back home. It was a very last minute thing, as just recently, my dad was in hospital due to an apparently rare strain of pneumonia that required him to be hospitalised for about a week. Fortunately, by the time I arrived, he was already out of hospital, and was looking a lot better compared to when I video chatted with him a few times previously.

The thing about this trip, was not just was it a last minute decision, but this was strictly to spend time with the family, so no catching up with friends this time (though I will be doing that when I go back for Christmas/New Year). I was glad to be able to spend more time with Dad and Mum, and I think because I'm no longer at home, I had more patience with my parents. With Dad's health, and just naturally slowing down due his age, I wasn't really bothered by it. We also took Dad out for an early birthday celebration where I gave him a card and small box of rum & raisin chocolates I bought back in Chikusei.

I was also able to sort out some of my other errands, including filing my taxes, sorting out my accounts, getting some pokemon event cards for my 3DS pokemon games, and buying souvenirs/gifts for my girlfriend, and the obligatory omiyage/souvenirs for the teachers at my school.
Oh, and I was able to scan a bunch of my drawings I had drawn last year and this year, so I am hoping to finish the update for my site before the summer break ends. I have been working on an update for the site since a few months ago, but other things tend to get in the way these days. However, I have not forgotten about my baby... well the site is nearly 20 years old now, so I can't really call it my baby anymore - maybe my teenage kid? (laughs)