Sorakuen garden

Later in the week I decided to see if I could find the Sorakuen Garden that I had heard was nice and right in Sannomiya. Could not convince either kid to accompany me, so went alone. It was hot and I forgot my little sweat towel. As I had a cold at the time, I did have a pack of tissues with me that I hoped to use to blot the worst of the sweat drips off my face and neck. I'm sure you can imagine what a massively, sweaty face would look like after blotting with some cheap, white tissue! Yes, there were bits of tissue sticking all around my face & neck! As luck would have it, only one other person was visiting the garden at the hottest part of the day, so my indignity was only viewed by one. (Well she did have a camera. I hope she didn't take my photo)

Anyway, the garden was lovely and I hope to take the family back there on a cooler day. Or at least make sure everyone is supplied with a towel!

Mino Waterfall

After we got back to Japan and got fairly well rested up, I decided to take the kids exploring to see if we could find the Mino Waterfall.    

The train ride was about an hour. We were on 3 different trains. But in the end we got to Mino and there was a tourist information office right out the exit of the station. The ladies inside spoke english and provided us with a map and directions as to how to get to the waterfall. It was cooler here as were mostly in the shade and climbing higher up the mountain side. It took about 50 min to get to the falls, where we ate a snack with the mist of the water blowing onto us. It was a very nice day out.

The 2nd Week

Our second week was filled with a whirlwind of activities. The first night found us at the races, to watch my cousin. The next day was a lively bbq and pool party with my mom's side of the family. That evening was my first trip to Jerry's! Mmmm. We also went to Old Man's Cave and Adena Mansion. We toured OU and OSU. We spent a day at King's Island. We splashed in the pool nearly everyday, played golf and mowed. Went to Jerry's 4 times total. Saw a movie. Went to the fireworks. And squeezed in some shopping.The grand Finale was the family reunion. We won "farthest travelled" again! Sorry Rob! It was a great trip, but I was glad to finally get home. Now if I could just get rid of the jet lag....!

The First Part of the Journey

Well the photos are backwards. We took a taxi and three airplanes to get to Indianapolis. Unfortunately for us, the same screaming baby was on each of the 3 flights! Once in Indy we visited friends, went to doctors, visited a college and shopped. Then my aunt stopped by to pick us up on her way to Ohio. It was a great week. The dog (above) is the new dog of our best friends. The girl stands in front of a one lane, covered bridge in Manchester, Indiana.Long John Silver's......you can't get that in Japan.

Preparing to leave

As we prepared to leave for the US, Gil got nervous and had to check our suitcases and carry-ons. We left on a rainy day and returned to rain as well. I guess that's why they call it rainy season!

Back in Japan

Have arrived safely back in Japan after a whirlwind two weeks in Indy and Ohio. Glad to see all our friends and family and relieved to see my dad looking so good after his recent surgery! Have loads of photos to go through and will post them ASAP.