Series: 13 - July 2022

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

It’s funny, there always seems to be something going on in my life.  One thing resolves and the next thing comes up.  It’s almost like it’s story arcs, but this isn’t a story!  I’m a real girl!  At least I think so.  I think I’m real, anyway! But with my life, who knows!

Anyway, I leave for Japan Friday!!!  I fly from Houston to LA, then LA to Tokyo Narita!!!  I’m nervous but excited too!!!  Emiko is excited!!!  I’ll probably be staying overnight at Emiko’s house, then we’ll be leaving at what Dave calls stupid o’clock.  I’m only working today and tomorrow, and the rest of the week preparing!!!

Liz booked the same flights, so we’ll all be on together!!! Yay!!!

Sabby’s going nuts!!!  She’s making lists, checking them twice, going shopping and buying stuff I might need…  She’s never been to Japan!  She wishes she could go.  But I’ll send her lots of pictures!

I looked at my stats today – my diary is about 190,000 words!!!  Can you believe it?  That’s as many words as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!!!  And my story isn’t even told yet!!!  And I’ll probably write a lot of words from Japan!  There’ll be so much to see and do!!!!

Anyway, short entry tonight.  Marie needs walking, and I’ve still got stuff to do.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

Today was my last day of work before I go to Japan!!! And the owner was so nice!  He told me to have fun and my job would be here when I get back!  Yay!!!

So the next couple of days are going to be busy busy!  Isogashii!!!  Sabby’s already got plans to take me shopping!!!  And Liz is bouncing around, she’s so happy!!!  Maybe she’ll meet a nice Japanese boy!  Or maybe not.  Liz isn’t very lucky with boys so far.  But if not, at least we’ll have lots of stuff to do!

Beth is being a little jealous but I promised her I’d bring her back some gadget.  That cheered her up.  She likes gadgets, and Japan has lots of gadgets, especially in akihabara.

So there’s not a lot to talk about tonight.  It’s hot as usual, everyone’s good, and I’m going to take Marie for a walk.  I wonder if she’ll miss me.

Oh I was thinking I haven’t said how Grace is doing lately!  She’s doing good!  I’m not sure if she’s had her fifth birthday but she’s really close!  She’s also learning how to talk better.  Aww.  Her lisp was so cute.  She misses her auntie Lily but she’ll get to see me in August!!!  Maybe Marie will meet Lily (her dog) and they’ll get along and run around and chase each other, like dogs do!

Ok going now!!!  Marie walk time and Beth brush time!!!

Oh I almost forgot.  Last night I fixed a bug that’s been on my site for a long time!  You can search now!  Yaaaaayyyyy!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

SO MUCH SHOPPING!!!

Sabby took Liz and I shopping.  We got stuff for our carry-ons, snacks, clothing, books, all sorts of things we might need for such a long trip!  OMG!  Then we came home and packed our backpacks and our luggage and all that stuff!!!  Tomorrow we’re going to Houston to stay at Emiko’s!  Then we’ll go to the airport at stupid o’clock Friday morning!

I’m a little nervous and scared and excited!!!  I’ve barely been out of Texas! (Though I did go to Ohio to see Jack that one time.)  Beth seems to have gotten over her jealousy, especially because I promised to bring her back something.  I’ll miss her!  I’ll miss everyone!  But I’m glad to be going with Liz.

Oh, we had to get our PCR tests too.  Negative!  Yay!!!

Anyway, I’m too excited to write!  I have to walk Marie!  I’ll miss her too!

Love you all!!! ❤

HI! It’s me! Lily!

I’m in HOUSTON!!!

So this morning I gave Dave and Beth and even David a big hug!  I’m going to miss them!  Liz said goodbye to her parents too.  I gave Marie lots of pets!  But then Sabby, Liz, and I piled into the car and we made the trek to Houston!  I’m on my tablet at Emiko’s house now!  I’m excited!  Aika and Mika have made this trip before, so they’re not as excited, but everyone’s still pretty excited!  But I have to go to bed soon, because we’re getting up at stupid o’clock to catch the plane!  We’re going to LA, and then we’ll be taking the plane to Japan!

I’ve never been to LA before!!!

But I’ve never been to Japan either!!!

Emiko made us a nice dinner, and Bill’s being pretty friendly.  I think he’s accepted that I’m here to stay now, even if the way I was introduced wasn’t… ideal.  He wanted to come, but he had work.  I’m sure he’ll find a way to keep himself busy.  I know Dave never turns down an opportunity to be by himself for a while.

Anyway, I don’t know how I’m going to sleep, but I have to try!

Love you all!!!  See you in LA!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

We made it to LAX!!!

So this morning we got up at like 2 AM and all of us were sooo tired…  We got to the airport and checked in, and I think Aika and Mika were going to fall over.  I didn’t really get to run but I guess I’ll do that when I get to Japan… or something.  My body clock is going to be soooo messed up.  Anyway, I’m sitting at the gate waiting for the plane to show up!  We leave at 11AM and get there at 2PM the next day!  How does that work??? I’m going to be sooooo tired.  Maybe I can sleep on the plane.

But Japan here ! come!!!

There are so many Japanese people sitting next to me!  I can understand some of what they’re saying!  Mostly silly stuff, like “Get off that railing, kid!” or “I’m tired” or “I can’t wait to get home”.  You know, you never think about that – one person’s vacation is another person’s going home!

Liz is so excited, she’s chittering and chattering like a hyperactive squirrel!!!  She’s travelled internationally before but not to Japan!!!

Anyway, I’m going to try to nap before the plane arrives and we start boarding!  It’s one of those 777 planes!  So big!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!

I’m in Japan!!!

And I’m TIRED!!! OMG AM I TIRED!!!

But I have news!!!

So after I wrote my post… yesterday?  I lost track.  Yesterday I guess…  I got on the plane…  it’s a big plane!!!  Liz and I sat next to each other…  Emiko sat behind us with her kids.  So we got in the air…  and it was ten hours of boring!!!  Just lots of water to see!!!  Water and snow!!!  But I had a book, and they brought us a couple of pretty good meals.  Even though it was light most of the way, I did get a little sleep.

And when I got there, I was soo happy just to get off the plane!!!  It was so strange to hear the announcements in Japanese as well as English though!

But when we went through customs, they wanted to see my passport, and then took me into a little room.  I didn’t know what was going on!  Someone who spoke English (my Japanese isn’t that good) came in and asked me a bunch of questions.  I didn’t know what it was about!  They asked my name and what I was doing… and finally I just asked what was going on, I was getting a little scared.  They told me that they had my fingerprints on record… but under another name!!!

OMG I’ve been to Japan before!  And I don’t remember!

So I told them all about how I was found on the side of the road, and lost my memory, and was adopted by Dave and Sabby.

They told me that checks out, but for an irregular situation like that, they have to ask me a few questions.  I asked them if they could tell me what my previous name was.  They said they didn’t have that information, but maybe if I went to the Japanese immigration offices, they could tell me.

I was floored.  Someone might have a name.

Someone might have a name.

But…  if the Japanese immigration offices know…  why doesn’t the passport agency of my own country?

They gave me back my paperwork, bowed, and wished me a good day.  I bowed back and ran to meet up with everyone.  They were waiting patiently.

“What happened?”, Emiko said.

“They…  I’ve been to Japan before.  They wanted to know why my fingerprints were already registered under a different name.”

Liz squealed and hugged me.  Some Japanese people looked at us funny.  I didn’t care.

“We can figure that out some other time,” I yawned.  “Let’s get to Saitama.  I really, really need a nap.”

Emiko laughed.  So we got on the train and, after a couple of hours, we ended up at my…  my grandparents’ place.

OMG were they happy to see me!  Japanese people don’t usually hug, but obaasan gave me a big big hug, and ojiisan bowed deeply.  They were a little reserved to Emiko, but Aika and Mika got presents!!!  And they were polite to Liz, after all, they didn’t really know her.  But eventually we all sat around the small table and they served us snacks, which was very nice of them.  I even remembered to say “itadakimasu!”

And then I took a much, much needed nap.  They showed me to a bed roll on a tatami.  It was surprisingly comfortable.  But honestly, I didn’t care about comfort, I just needed sleep.  I share the room with the other girls, but I don’t mind.  It’s like a separated girl-pile!

After a couple of hours, we got up, and we had a traditional Japanese dinner.  It was delicious!  Obaasan can COOK!!!  And then we talked for a while.  Their English isn’t great, and neither is my Japanese, but they were interested in my life, and told me a little about Emiko too.  They told some stories!!! Emiko was a wild child!!!  She was so embarrassed, she kept hiding her face behind her hand and turning red!  It was so cute!  But you could tell that they still loved her, even if they seemed a bit ashamed.  They doted so much on Aika and Mika though!

They asked Liz about her parents, and actually they had a lot in common.  Maybe Liz is Chinese and they’re Japanese, but they’re still Asian, so there’s a little commonality there.  They warmed to each other, I guess sometimes it just takes a while.

Anyway, we’ve got a busy couple of weeks.  Tomorrow I’ll meet Emiko’s sister and her kids!  My cousins!  That should be fun!!!  But tonight..  I’m going to catch up on sleep.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

Konnichiwa!  Lily desu!!!

And I’m soooo lagged!!!

Today we didn’t do a whole lot, we were just catching up on sleep for the most part.  But Emiko’s sister and my cousins came over.  There’s a girl about my age, her name is Ai.  It’s kind of like Aika, but not.  She’s very polite but has a mischievous streak.  And there’s a younger boy, maybe David’s age.  His name is Hiroshi.  He’s much better mannered than David, but who isn’t?  Hah!  But they came over early afternoon.  Introductions were made, and while Emiko and her sister caught up, Ai, Aika, Mika, me and Liz took a walk.  Hiroshi stayed back, I guess five girls is a lot.  Japan is so different!  All of the houses are so smushed together, the streets are narrow, and the sidewalks aren’t very wide.  Emiko’s parents live close to a rail station, which is nice, but we didn’t take the train today.  Ai took us to a konbini!  A convenience store!  I’ve heard a lot about Japanese convenience stores, and this one was neat!  It’s a Lawson’s!!!  They had snacks, and snacks, and… snacks!!! But different snacks!  Onigiri, kit-kats, lots of stuff!!!  Liz went nuts!!!  She got a whole bag of stuff, but then one of us had to translate for her and help her pay.  I think Liz is a little uncomfortable with not knowing the language, but she likes the snacks!!!

Oh, and they have different kinds of chocolate!  I got a bag full of that!!!  I had to ask the cashier to “yukkuri kudasai” but I understood her.  Yay!!!

They had a Purikura too!!!  Liz and I took a photo!!!  I’ll post it sometime!!!

Ai told us a little about her life.  She’s fourth year secondary (kind of like a sophomore in our terms) and she attends high school in Saitama.  She asked me about American high school, and I said that I don’t know anything about it, I don’t have any memories of before, and I started school during the pandemic.  But Liz knows more!  Thankfully Ai can speak some English, but there’s definitely going to be some language issues.  That’s alright, we can teach each other.  Ai wants to take me to her house before I leave.  That sounds like fun!

Otherwise we just stayed in and chatted and got to know each other.  Normally we’d play games, but they didn’t have any.  So we just chatted and ate our snacks and it was fun.  Hiroshi seems like a cool kid too, but since Aika and Mika and Hiroshi are cousins, no kid crushes here!!!

Tomorrow we go sightseeing!!!  I’m not sure where we’re going but I’m pretty sure it’ll be somewhere in Tokyo!

Minasan daisuki! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

Today is Marine Day!!!

It’s a day where the Japanese people are grateful to the ocean!  I guess I can see that.  It has… lots of fish.  And Japanese like fish.

So this morning all of us hopped on a train to Enoshima!  It’s an island south of Tokyo, and it only took two hours to get there by train.  And it’s BEAUTIFUL!!!  The weather was so nice too!!!

Anyway, we got off the train, and visited the enoshima shrine.  All the Japanese folks worshipped there.  I didn’t, but I was respectful, and did do the cleansing ritual.  It is so peaceful in the Shinto shrines, the kami are very strong there.  And, of course, there’s a coffee shop too!!!  And then we walked around the island for a bit and got some lunch, it was delicious!  After that, we went to an onsen!!!

I was so embarrassed!!!  ojiisan and Hiroshi went to the man side, and the rest of us went to the woman side, and we all completely stripped!  Liz and I were pretty embarrassed, but we got over it.  I mean, I lost my top at the waterpark, this wasn’t too much different, right?  But we got in the springs, and it was so nice!!!  They don’t really care if you’re naked there, it’s so different than the US!!!  I can see how my body type is a little bit like the other Japanese women, though.  I’m a bit taller and a little fuller in some places, but I… have their hips.

After we got our clothes back on, we went to the beach for a bit and paid our respects to the ocean, and got some souvenirs, then took the train back home!  That was so much fun!!!  Japan is such a beautiful country!!!  After we got back, obaasan made dinner, and we talked for a while and went to bed.  Liz is having such a good time!!!  And so am I!!!

Tomorrow we’re going to Tokyo!  And at some point I think we’re planning on taking a couple of days and going to south or west Japan!!!  But we’ll see.  I don’t know what our hosts have planned.

I really like Emiko’s family!!! It took a bit for them to get used to us, but they’re very nice and treat us well!!!

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!

It’s cool, humid, and rainy in Saitama and Tokyo today!  Sabby tells me it’s still like 103 degrees back in Austin!!!  It’s nice here!!!

Anyway, today we all went to Tokyo!  Well, not all of us.  Ai, Liz, me, Hiroshi, Aika, and Mika!!!  The adults stayed back to do their own thing.  I think they wanted us out of the house for a while – I mean, yeah, five girls and a boy is a lot.  Hiroshi seems a bit uncomfortable around all the girls, but he wanted to go with us!!!

We were going to go to Tokyo Tower and the Sky Tree, but it’s cloudy today, so we decided to just go shopping.  First we went to Akihabara.  Liz went nuts!!!  Absolutely nuts!!!  She went to the manga store and the anime store and the gadget store and got some gacha and she just went crazy!  At one point she just grabbed my hand and yoinked me into a store!  But it was fun!  I picked up some kawaii stuff too!!!  And then for lunch we went to a maid cafe!  They said “irasshaimase goshujinsama!” and everything!!!  I thought Hiroshi’s eyes were going to bug out!  But all the girls were really sweet and they doted on him.  They kinda doted on Liz too, which was hilarious.  Me, I just wanted to eat my ramen.

At the end all the girls gave Hiroshi a kiss on the cheek!  I thought he was going to explode from redness!  But it was cute!  Liz even got a kiss on the cheek!!!

Liz is straight but she turned beet red too!!!

I didn’t really want the kiss on the cheek, so I just bowed.  They bowed back, and gave my cheek kiss to Hiroshi.  Poor kid!!

Then we walked around a bit more…  We couldn’t see an AKB48 concert but Liz wanted to at least see the theater.  It was closed but at least she was able to visit the Don Quijote.  She thought she saw one of the idols but wasn’t sure!!!

After all that, we took the train to Harajuku and watched all the crazily dressed people!!!  And bought some more kawaii stuff!!!  Tokyo has so many big buildings!  It’s amazing!!!

Then we went to Shibuya station, and saw the world famous Shibuya Scramble!!!  So many people going in so many different directions!  It was amazing!!!  And we saw the famous dog statue too!!!  Look up “Shibuya dog statue” on Google if you want to see a photo!!!  We got some ice cream and took the train back home!  We were already carrying so much stuff!!!  I mean Liz really did go nuts, but she was so happy to see all the stuff she’d just heard about!!!

Tomorrow we’re all taking the Shinkansen to Hiroshima for a day or so!  And we’ll visit rabbit island (ookunoshima) too!  Where there are thousands of rabbits!!!  I hear there’s a cat island but we might not be able to see it.  Oh well.

Love you all!!! ❤

Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!

Today we took the shinkansen down to Hiroshima!!!

It was so cool!!!

We left in the morning and took the local to the eifukuchou station, and then hopped on the shinkansen – and it’s FAST.  200 mph.  It took us only four hours to get to Hiroshima, and it was comfortable too!  We got a bento box on the train for lunch, and arrived there at around 2 or so.  Then we went to get a hotel room (we’re staying the night).  It’s a nice hotel!!!  It’s not quite like the one we stayed at in Houston, but it’s nice!  It has a view overlooking the bay!

But after we settled in, we…  had a not very nice thing to do. We went and visited the atomic bomb site.  I hear there’s one in Nagasaki too, but we’re not going to visit there this time.

It’s very sad.  So many people died.  And with all the stuff going on in the world right now, it really feels…  timely.

When we left there, we didn’t really feel a lot like doing anything else for that evening.  It’s kind of like I’d imagine Dachau to feel…  sad and sobering.  We can sure be mean to each other sometimes.  And it’s really easy to fling bombs at people when you don’t have to look them in the eyes, isn’t it?

So we just went to a nice sushi place, ate some dinner, went to the private onsen at the hotel for a little while, and went to bed.

Maybe tomorrow will be more fun.  We’re going to visit rabbit island!  And feed the bunnies!!!

Love you all!!! ❤