Before the trip. I had a nice dinner with Matt, Lori and Karen. We met up at Lori's place and headed out to the Outback near their home. We ended up sitting at the bar while waiting for our table. The lady told us that it would take half and hour. So we headed to the bar. However, the only open seats were lower than the bar height. So we ended up sitting at a special area of the bar that was about half as tall as the normal bar. It was strange. We then wait and wait… an hour or so later, they finally call our names. We then talked about wedding plans and headed back to Lori and Matt's where Lori showed us her wedding folder with all her plans. Lori is pretty much set for her wedding and it is still a whole year away! Richard then called as Karen and I drove home and asked if I wanted to go eat. I said ok, just because I wanted to hang out with Richard a bit.

I dropped Karen off at her parent's home because her sister and nephews were due to arrival from the east coast that night. They were gathering for Jacky's (Karen's youngest sister) High School Graduation. After I dropped her off , I headed over to Richard's mom's house and picked up Richard and Tim. We then headed to the only place open at the time (Denny's). I was still full from dinner so I ended up just having a rootbeer float, yum. From there Richard and I decide to visit Karen's family and then go get our business cards done. Richard forgot to bring his and my business cards were completely outdated. At Karen's house I played chess with Josh. Josh is about 3 or 4 and is currently in a chess club. It is frightening to hear chess terminology coming out of one so young.

We then hang out and talk about things for a while with Karen and her family and then Richard and I head out to Kinkos to get our business cards done. I then realized I need to get gifts for the Japanese people, so we detour to Albertsons and I by a lot of wine and other alcohol. When we reached the Kinkos in Milpitas we were disturbed to find that it was closed. I had remembered it being 24 hours but that obviously changed. I then called the Kinkos hotline and it gave me my nearest Kinkos. It was sorta cool because you call into the center and it automatically finds the closest Kinkos by your phone number.

We end up heading to the Kinkos near the Mercado Theaters. When we got there, we asked for business cards, but the women there were not quite trained for that and told us that it would be 24 hours to get. So we decided to photocopy Richard's only card and make our own. I bought microperferaction cards and made my own later that night. After many hours copying and manually cutting business cards, we end up with 16 moderately decent bootleg business cards for Richard. I then drive us home. I'm sure Richard went to sleep. I, however, was not that lucky. I had not packed yet. So I stayed up and made business cards and packed my things. Then I hear a knock on the door.

It was Richard, 7:00 am had come and we needed to get to the airport. So we load up the car and head up the 101.

The flight ended up being delayed, but we finally got on. They were going to put us in seats that did not recline, but we complained nicely and they found us better seats toward the front of the plane. The movies on the plane were "Beautiful Mind" and "Monsters, Inc". I tried to do as much sleeping as I could, but I was too tired to fall asleep and it was very uncomfortable.

We arrive at the airport and stand in the longest Japanese immigration line we had ever been through. But customs was a nice breeze, especially since we had brought homemade beef jerky and I had about twenty more bottles of alcohol than allowable.

We then bus to Kukizaki and go the welcoming ceremony. It was pretty much like the other time we went. Tim wrote a speech and spoke in front of the association, which was very impressive. Afterward, we were off to the cabins. It was very dark. Richard and I wanted the "Maple" cabin that we stayed at the first time, but Echo and Debra got it instead. We were given the "Oak" cabin.

The cabin is very nice however I had a suitcase full of alcohol and we took a route to the cabin through the mud with also included a few steep flights of stairs. Did I mention it was completely black out?

The next morning we head to Disney Sea. Disney Sea is equivalent to California Adventures in that it is a new park in the Tokyo Disney Resort.

However, we found it a billion times superior to California Adventures. Disney Sea had a definite nautical theme with areas devoted to Indiana Jones (Mayan Style), Little Mermaid (Underground) as well as an above ground Mermaid Castle. An area devoted to Aladdin (Persian) and the entrance was a beautiful recreation of Venice over looking a giant Volcano.

Inside the Volcano was an area themed after 20000 leagues under the sea and Journey to the Center of the World. All in all, Richard and I have voted that this park is the best Disney park EVER.

The also had this awesome Little Mermaid show that was designed behind the puppetry of the Lion King Musical. Quite spectacular.

Also, It was very amusing to see Indiana Jones warn us not to look into the "Crystal Skull" in Japanese.

Outside of the Mayan themed area were these neat monkeys (Well men in Monkey suits) They went around and made little children cry and did various other acrobats.

Please keep in mind that these guys were wearing very heavy, enclosed, and hairy costumes it what must have been 90 degree heat with just about 80 percent humidity. Very impressive. After that we head back to Kukizaki and have dinner somewhere that I do not remember. It may have been Coco's. I dunno.

The next day we go take a cable car up to Mount Tsukuba. Richard feared the cable car so he stayed behind. It was a fun hike with lots of neat plants and bugs.

We hiked through the scenic country side

And there was a temple at the end.

After that we go eat a buffet which was proclaimed a "Viking Restaurant" It had Japanese and Chinese food. After that we head to NASDA. It was sorta boring for Richard and I since we had already been there.

But it was ok. That night was the Welcome and Friendship party. There we were, clothed in Japanese traditional summer suits and were fed an unhindered bounty of beer. There was also Bingo. I won a sticker with my name on it…. After the party, we were taken to Karaoke. Richard got plastered. We sang every song. When we got back we were getting ready for our baths when there was a knock on our door. It was Debra and Yuri. It seems Echo had gone drinking and took the key to the cabin so the two woman had no way to get in. So we sat and reminisced about things until Atsushi came with the keys. Then sleep…. Very drunk….. uggg.

On Tuesday I prepared the melons we were given as gifts for breakfast. Richard decided to play with his melons.

But he was still sick so he couldn't finish his melons.

So, I finished it instead. I would have thrown them away, but they were gifts and they were $50 dollar melons.

We head out to the Oarai Aquarium. It was a very nice aquarium, we then spent most of the day in a bus. I don't like buses.

At the aquarium we watched Dolphins play soccer. I guess it was a worlsd cup thing.

Yuri then found some hats at the gift stand.

We also visited a shrine with giant ropes on its gate and a Buddhist temple dedicated to fertility. That night we eat at some other random restaurant. There I had a weird rice and crab concoction. We were also exposed to salty squid innards, barbeque squid innards and a host of other strange foods. But, we of course survive.

And now is where things get fuzzy because I neglected to write notes our trip from this point on. But here is what I think happened.

That night we went out to karaoke with Atsushi and Hiro and the gang.

Here is Atsushi and Richard singing some Bon Jovi song.

Here is Hiro getting plastered.

Here is us posing with Hiro and his fiancee outside the karaoke bar.

Hmm.. what did we do next?

I know for sure we went to a cave. Cause I have pictures! see....

The cave was really neat because they made it user friendly. Though Richard was too big for some of the nooks and crannies.

I do remember that it had a lot of bats though.. and that is was cold.

We also went to a Samurai House and a Castle. In one of those places we took a group photo in costume

Then I know we went to the Imperial Palace

Here is Richard visiting the restroom at the imperial palace.

This is an Imperial firetruck

This is me standing in front of the sculture representing a pine cone in front of the imperial family display case. I call it this because it a a long building with many windows so you can see the imperial family on important occasions.

We also went shopping one day at this long street. Richard and I decided to wonder off. We found a Pepper Lunch restaurant.. just like the one in Milpitas!

There market also had a temple. Behind the temple, we say the pigeon people.

During our wondering we ended up in a department store. I went shopping while Richard sat in a massage chair.

Oh yeah.. then we went to a spa. The spa was very classy. It had a lady performing some japanese instrument in the foyer as we walked in. The spa was on the side of a cliff overlooking a river. When you looked out of our room window, you could see a wall of trees from the distance.

There aren't any more pictures of the spa due to the fact that it was a nude place and I don't think people would have appreciated us taking pictures. But I do remember doing a lot of drinking and bathing in boiling water.

Oh and we got to make Mochi.

And most importantly, I got to eat a watermelon on the trip.

Then it was time for the group to say goodbye to our friends from Kukizaki.

We got to meet Atsushis wife and children.

I'm sure there was plenty more we did. I just don't remember anymore. I think it's cause I'm getting too old. But, that ends our second Japanese Odyssey.