Pension C Cabin Minamiboso

... days. Fast-forward nine years and now anybody can join www.CouchSurfing.com to "surf" the world's couches, or to "host" a couch for surfers. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couch_surf ing)

Beyond the economy of couchsurfing (generally, it's FREE!), the real appeal for many is the chance to meet other kindred traveling spirits and to enjoy a cultural exchange. My experience was all that and more!:)

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"Kyoko ...

I like supermarkets no matter where I am. Back home in Vancouver, the "ethnic" aisle has exploded with Asian and Indian choices.
When travelling, one of the first places I visit in a foreign country is the local market. Whether it be a fully stocked gourmet store in Tokyo or a roadside farmers market in Laos, markets are fun, colourful, interesting places to visit.
I always try to buy something which I'm not ...

This final day of "on my own" outings would take me to another notable town close to Tokyo known as Kamakura. This town is right on the ocean and has many notable temples and shrines. Unlike my other previous day trips up to this point, Kamakura was a relatively short distance from Tokyo - less than 1 hr from Shinjuku station.

Kamakura was a little overwhelming in figuring out which temples to visit and how to get to certain places. I basically just wandered around ...

Alex sailed today, so it is probably a good time to do another blog. Photos might not be as plentiful from now on with only one person able to take the photos - I'll try and snap pictures when I can though.

In the last couple of days she has started to smile - very rare occassions though. Hopefully smiles will come more frequently from now on.....

... so we definately know she is growing.

For the first few weeks all she seemed to do was sleep, which was a nice 'ease in' for her parents! Now she is a lot more active and has quite a bit of awake time, particularly in the mornings. It is amazing to watch her develop into a real little person.

... downgraded to Transient Tachypnea of the newborn - essentially fluid on the lungs. She just needed additional oxygen for a while until her lungs were strong enough. On Day 10 she was finally able to come home, which was such a wonderful day. A rough start, which was probably ********* us than on her, but now she is completely healthy and loved all the more!

... born in Japan. Umiko means 'child of the sea', which we thought was fitting given that the reason we are here in Japan is because Alex is in the Navy, and also given that she was born by the sea.

We were extremely delighted to welcome Olivia Umiko Gillett, and we know that we are biased, but we think she is the most beautiful and incredible thing in the whole world!!

... a charm.

I grew up in a suburban Tokyo area where people always hurry and look for more things to do in a second. Coming to this place was just a relief, listening to the wind, trees, streams. Haruzo said, "Things are getting more convenient nowadays. Competitions are crazy, but we got smarter. We could make things that way... but at the same time, people seem to lose their ability to communicate with the nature ...

... walked along the "komachi" street. We spotted a japanese teppan stake restaurant and had lunch there. (p.s. While working on this blog, I just learned that we had a rare "hayama beef", only 200 cows were raised each year in hayama, miura pennensula).

Mothers of Kamakura
Teppan Stake House 2-2-17 Komachi, Naito ...

... waar ik even moest poseren. We zijn ook nog even binnen geweest, best een rare ervaring! 's Avonds weer terug richting Landmark tower, een rondje in het reuzenrad (toendertijd het grootste ter wereld - ja, ja) en lekker een fish&chips gegeten! Weer lekker, maar toch een beetje anders... Sinds ik er in 1989 woonde is er aan de ene kant veel verandert, aan de andere kant weinig... De ...