On December 28th, Shimon and I left Tokyo Station and headed for Shimonoseki, at the very southern tip of the Japanese main island. (If you're a history buff, there have been a few interesting historical events that have happened there.) It's a long train ride... more than 5 hours in total. I somehow made myself motion sick within the first couple of hours, so really had a lovely journey down.
Last year, I went home with Shimon, but he went and met friends while I stayed home with his family. Apparently engagement changes EVERYTHING! I got to meet a lot of people this time. One of his oldest friends and his wife have a 6-month old. What a cutie!! Very serious most of the time, but sure was a calm baby.
We also got luck with the weather and got to go to Miyajima in Hiroshima. Utsukushima-jinja [shrine] is a World Heritage Site that was built during the Heian period (I think). It was great because it's been on my list of places to visit for a very long time! And finally I got to go. The weather was chilly, but it was sunny and perfect for a day out.
We got back to Yokohama on Monday night. Eeek! How the time flew by. I sure wish that we'd had a few more days of vacation, but alas that was not in the cards this year. Maybe next year??
3 comments:
Dear Alisha,
Are you going to become a dual citizen? I don't know if I ever told you, but I've got dual citizenship with the UK, as I was born there. The US government lets people have dual citizenship depending on which country it is. They don't enjoy allowing it, but they do allow it.
Are you keeping your last name, hyphenating it, or taking his? Wow! Planning a wedding in Japan: what a big undertaking! Bon chance, ma cherie! Keep me posted! Are you going to have a reception in Alaska? Sorry for the barrage of questions! Glad you got to travel today.
Sincerely,
Julia
Actually, wedding plans are for Alaska. There's lots to figure out.
The US does allow dual citizenship with countries that also allow dual citizenship. Alas, Japan is not one of those countries. So, I'll be staying a US citizen. If Japan reconsiders (which I doubt at this point), I would consider becoming a dual citizen.
Last name... I intend to take his. My last name, Smyth (but pronounced like Smythe), has always been a bit of a pain. Not that I don't love it, but I'd like one of my names to be easy to pronounce.
There's lots of things to figure out still... but my mom needs to get back to Fairbanks to start the process! :-)
Can't believe you never went to Miyajima when you lived in Yamagata!!
Good luck with the wedding plans!
I took my husband's name, although until I change it in my country officially, it's not official here!! Not too worried about that though as we want to move away from Japan ASAP anyway!
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