Month: November 2011

That Goodbye to Grandpa in Okinawa

My sweet handsome grandpa.
I can still hear his voice saying
“Ah Kaori-chan?”
every time I would call.
We knew he wasn’t doing well
but it still came as a surprise to me.
I flew to Okinawa
to say goodbye to my grandpa.
Grandpa’s family grave had a beautiful view from above the hill.
My grandma said that he’ll rest peacefully here.
I agree.

The yard that grandpa always took good care of
was lush with green leaves.
As if he were still there.

Grandma looked so lonely.
And strong at the same time.
She told us over and over again
“thank you for coming.”
That night
we all gathered around the table for dinner.
Grandma sat there quietly eating,
listening to everyone still reminiscing about grandpa.
So many stories.
So much love.
My eyes went to my grandma.
Still quietly eating, still listening.
But every once in awhile
her face would relax into a soft smile.

That Wedding in Kagoshima in Other Photos

I know, I know.
I already posted photos of my BFF’s wedding.
But I had these too and I love them so
on the grounds that this is in fact my blog,
I am going to post away!

Someone is excited to be married!
Weddings really are a sort of reunion.
Loved seeing old friends, too!
The guys did great.
And I love how the stage looks so 50s.

Smiles at the table after I finished my speech!

The bouquet toss was done out on the terrace.
N caught it with just one hand!

How classy is this rose-shaped sugar?
After the after party
some of us went to eat ramen!
Kagoshima ramen is especially delicious around midnight.
We had a great time celebrating the whole day!

That Day Exploring Kagoshima

The day after the wedding, after our morning coffee,
we all met at the hotel’s breakfast buffet.

Yum!

We also had a great view of Sakurajima,
Kagoshima’s famous active volcano.
You can see it was quite active this day, too.
Then we were off on our way to Ibusuki.
This place is famous for Ibusuki onsen,
where they bury you in the sand!
It’s a must in Kagoshima!
We all changed into yukatas and got these adorable umbrellas
before heading out to the shore to be buried.
They bury you in a place with a tent above you
so you don’t get burned from the sun.
But we had a great view of the sky
while in the sand.

Here we are after sweating it out in the sand!
Of course, after that we went inside and
got to wash off and relax in the onsen.
Next we went to eat Nagashi Somen (flowing noodles) for lunch,
which is apparently a Kagoshima standard.
They said that 9/10 families have a
nagashi somen kit at home.
How crazy is that?

Tosenkyo (唐船峡)

鹿児島県指宿市開聞十町5967番地
5967 Kaimon-juccho, Ibusuki-shi, Kagoshima JAPAN

TEL: 0993-32-2143
OPEN: 10:00am-5:00pm

I know, it’s just regular somen
being flung round and around by the water.
But you have to admit
it’s a lot of fun to eat together like this!

We also stopped by Lake Ikeda,
the largest lake in Kyushu.

We then drove back to the city
and all too soon headed back to the airport.
I was holding the little bouquet of flowers I received
and little R decided she wanted to do the same.
Too stinkin’ cute!

So sad to have this weekend over.
Including getting to eat this purple yam soft serve.

I’ll be back! x