Mom's Visit to Japan - Misawa

After a couple days in Tokyo, my mom and I hopped on a bullet train and traveled north to my home in Misawa. I was excited to host her in my home and show her around my stomping grounds.

Mom in front of the bullet train

When we arrived in Misawa, I immediately started introducing her to some of my closest friends. It meant a lot to see my mom interacting with my Misawa family. They were all very sweet and genuinely enjoyed talking to her. I always enjoy meeting my friends' parents because it helps me understand them a little bit better... Too bad my dad couldn't come out. Then maybe my friends would see where I got my crazy sense of humor and expressive face from. ;^) (Love you dad!)

On our first full day in Misawa, I took mom to see some of the local sights. Our first stop was out to the Pacific coast to see the ocean. Unfortunately, it was incredibly windy and cold out so we didn't stay long.

Just a little windy. Hahaha...

Replica of our Misawa icon - Miss Veedol

Next we went to a near by shinto shrine so mom could see a torii gate in person. I thought that would be interesting since so many of them appear in my photos. Also, the old and traditional architechture is beautiful and something unique to Japan.

That night mom went with me to our youth group meeting and got to meet a lot of the students and adults that I work with weekly. Everyone was so warm and welcoming to "Ms. Kim's mom". Unfortunately, I wasn't teaching that night, but I still enjoyed giving her a sense of what I do every week.

Mom was such a great sport - excited to see and experience anything - whether it was Tokyo Disney Sea or our base commissary. She was also willing to try some of my favorite Japanese restaurants. Below is a shot of her enjoying a bowl of authentic ramen noodles.

On Thursday afternoon, we had a unique opportunity to be dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos and have our portraits taken. It was quite an experience! We got to pick out our favorite kimono, which was difficult since they are all so beautiful. Then they dressed us and styled our hair before posing us for the photos. They were meticulous - paying attention to every detail and moving our limbs and faces ever so slightly to get the perfect shot. We felt a lot like elegant dolls being gently coiffed and manipulated. Very fun! Below are our two favorite shots!

That night I was obligated to go to a meeting of the college and young adult Bible Study I help lead, so mom came along with me again. I decided to keep my hair up from the pictures. They got a big kick out of my poofy do.

Friday we had an open day and so we took a drive through Oirase Gorge - one of the most beautiful places here in Northern Japan. It is so lush and green and filled with several stunning water falls. I was very upset to discover early on in our mild hiking and exploring that I forgot to put a memory card in my camera. So the shots below were captured on my iphone. But even in these low quality images, you can see how beautiful the gorge is!

fall color beginning to show!

Look how big that tree is!

On Saturday, we went on a big Japanese shopping spree. That morning, we spent a couple of hours perusing the treasures at the base Far East Bazaar. Then we drove south to Hachinohe and took a turn around the giant fish market there. We were both pretty fascinated by all of the fresh (and often live) sea creatures on display. Then we went to Shimoda Mall where I showed mom around some of my favorite stores. We also had lunch at my FAVORITE restaurant - Pepper Lunch! You order your food through a vending machine, and then it comes on a hot cast iron plate. So you stir it around and let it cook right there in front of you. So cool!

Entering the fish market

Before we knew it, the week was over. She was planning to take the train back south to Tokyo around lunch time to catch her evening flight back to the States. But that morning, she was given a special opportunity to play the offeratory in our traditional worship service at the chapel. She also played a duet with a close friend of mine during communion. Mom was on piano (obviously), and Becky Jantz played flute. It was very special for me to hear my mom play and show her off a bit to some of my friends and colleagues. I thought it was a very fitting end to her visit. I was definitely sad to see her go, but mostly felt grateful that she came all this way to visit and share my life for a week!

Mom and Becky, both passionate musicians!