Weekly Update

T Smooth, nice pics. I was just hoping we could get some before and after photos of that dog you ate. Just an idea.

Meg and I had a wild week. On Thursday, we went to Disney Sea (not to be confused with Disneyland) after work. It's located right next to Tokyo Disneyland but it's target audience is teenagers and adults. We bought an "After 6 Passport" so we had 4 hours to check things out. Disney Sea is more focused on shows, so there are only 12 or so rides in the whole park. Notwithstanding, we were able to get on 5 or 6 including "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and everyone's favorite "Indiana Jones." We also ate some Mexican food that was overpriced and undersized, but hey, what can you expect at Disneyland in Japan? On Saturday, we went to a shrine by our house called Jindaiji. One of the big draws to Jindaiji is the soba shops. There are probably around a dozen soba shops lining the streets and each one has the soba-making room brought to the front of the restaurant and surrounded by glass so that people can watch how the noodles are made. We also took a stroll through a Botanical Garden near Jindaiji. Later that day we both felt a fairly strong earthquake. It was the first earthquake Meghan's ever felt. I didn't think it was super strong, but we found out later that the impact in the heart of Tokyo was somewhat significant. All trains stopped and when they started releasing them an hour or so later, they only sent out one at a time. At night, Meg and I went and watched the annual Koganei city "Awa Odori." The "Awa Odori" is a dance that takes place in the middle of August in a place called Kagoshima. Apparently a bunch of people got drunk one time and then went out in the city and started to dance through the streets. From those humble beginnings it is now a famous dance nationwide and millions of people go to Kagoshima each year to watch this spectacle. For some reason unknown to me, the community we live in also holds an annual 'Awa odori' and that's what Meg and I watched. Don't worry, I've got some footage.

Hope all is well with everyone. I'm excited to see and hear from Clint, Michelle, Amy, Mom, and Dad in the near future. Take care.