The Morimuras

This is our former boss Fumi (center) with her son Kenjiro and her husband Shigeyoshi (a.k.a. Shibucho-san, which means branch president.)

We told them to make silly faces, and surprisingly they did. Even Shibucho-san humored us.


Fumiyo-san and her mother


Shigeyoshi-san and his mother

Hiroshima

Our boss Fumi and her husband took us to Hiroshima and Miyajima for a day trip. Besides the peace park, we also visited the peace museum and learned a lot more about WWII and the nuclear bomb from the Japanese's point of view.

A picture of a peace monument. There were also origami cranes EVERYWHERE around the park representing peace.

Mike and I are about to ring the peace bell.

Japanese students walking down the streets in Hiroshima. I dig the school uniform look and the way girls giggle and cover their mouths because it's kawaii.

Me next to a HUGE plant at the peace park.

Me, Mike, Shigeyoshi, and Fumi.

This dome building was one of the few buildings left standing after the nuclear bomb hit the city. The Japanese people never tore it down and it has remained in this state since the bombing as a reminder of the devastation of war.

Miyajima

Pagoda near the shrine.

The Miyajima shrine is very famous for the bright red gate that stands in the middle of the ocean.

Us with the Morimuras.

Miyajima is also famous for all the domesticated deer that you see walking around as you get off the ferry. This is Mike feeding them "deer food" sold by vendors in the street.

As I look back on this experience, I think it might have been stupid for us to feed these deer from our mouths, eh? It could've decided to bite our faces off at any given second. Hmmmm, you never know.

Maybe this way is safer. :)

Karaoke

Karaoke is a big thing in Japan. There are karaoke bars just about everywhere. We always had a fabulous time singing our hearts out with friends or the Morimuras. I think it was a little weird for our boss and her husband to listen to me sing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. I did my best at jumping and yelling like Kurt would. But yah, they don't "get" American grunge rock music.

Mike and I sing a duet.

Matt and his wife Twila loved singing to each other.

Mike sings a song by the Carpenters.

Mike and I sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Another song the Morimuras didn't understand, but I don't understand it either, to be honest.

Fumi liked to sing Japanese pop music and her husband loved singing traditional Japanese Enka music.