This month, the biggest business was Mama and Papa’s visit! They arrived on a rainy night after a long journey from the airport to my remote apartment. The next day, they met Ippei who drove us around the next few weeks. We went to a temple that was famous for hydrangea flowers.
The next day, we went to church and then headed to Ojiichan and Obaachan’s house. We had takoyaki with Nobuyoshi-ojisan and family, Toko-obachan, the grandparents, and the dogs.
The next weekend, Ippei and I went to Ichinomiya to pick Mama and Papa up and take them back to Kyoto. We went to church then sightseeing at Myoushinnji (妙心寺) before taking Papa to the airport the next morning.
The next weekend, Mama came back to Kyoto on Sunday and headed home on the following Tuesday. She left a whole refrigerator full of food, so I didn’t have to cook for the next week+!
Finally, we met Iwata-san for sukiyaki dinner and pancake dessert one Sunday after church. It’s the last time I get to see Iwata-san before I leave Japan.