Going up to Diamond Head

While in Hawaii this Golden Week, we did something I never did when my family lived in Hawaii: we went to the top of Diamond Head. Here I am near the start of the trail leading to the summit.

The trail starts to take you uphill, turning sharply at hairpins as you make your way up. The more altitude the trail takes, the more uneven the path becomes, so make sure you have sturdy shoes when you go. Also, be sure to take a lot of water, as you will get hot and sweaty.

Just when you think the trail's coming to an end, you lay eyes upon this beauty: a long, steep staircase. I didn't count exactly, but there must be over 100 stairs in this stretch along. After this, you go through a tunnel, up a narrow, spiral staircase, then you arrive at a park worker at a desk inside a foxhole stamping certificates. They cost $2 and say that you made the trip up to Diamond Head. Past that, you go up through a narrow opening to the top, and you are presented with this view:

Lovely, isn't it? Definitely worth the trip. It does get windy up there, though; my sister-in-law almost lost her precious brand-name hat. Be careful.

A View To Kill For

While in Waikiki at the end of April, we had dinner at a restaurant called Hanohano, located at the top of the Sheraton Waikiki. These pictures were taken from up there. The night view of Diamond Head below is amazing!!!

Do You Take...

During Golden Week my wife and I took another trip to Hawaii, this time with her sister as well as with her mother. Among the things we did was have a small wedding ceremony at a beach in Honolulu - an opportunity to take some lovely pictures. This is my wife and I with the minister during our vows (which my wife did completely in English - what a trooper!).

M-I-C-K-E-Y...

When you stay at Disney's Pop Century Resort (one of many hotels on site at Disney World), you never forget where you are, as evidenced by the imagery on the bars of soap, shampoo and signage in our room.

Seeing so many Mickey Mouse faces had me a little too excited.

If you aren't tired of seeing Mickey in your room, just look at the front of your building. There he is, making a phone call.

On The Road... How Does That Song Go?

Enjoying a car trip around the Tampa Bay area. The bottom picture shows Tropicana Field in the background.

Hot And Now

When traveling back in America, no morning is complete without a trip to the nearest Krispy Kreme. There is no doughnut like their original, "Hot and Now", just-baked glazed variety. If you ever take a trip to the U.S., do your best to go to Krispy Kreme, if there is one near your locale. This one is in Brandon, Florida, outside of Tampa.

Birds! Birds!!!

A flock of birds taking flight early in the morning behind my parents' house in Tampa Bay. Wow, I usually don't see flocks of birds (other than pigeons)... or trees... from behind my house in Osaka.

Mom-san

Here is my mother, enjoying the yukata that we brought her from Japan. She was definitely happy with that.

Stormy Times in the Sunshine State

(A view of the Tampa skyline.)

In late February/early March, I took a trip to Florida with my wife and my mother-in-law to visit my parents, who have lived in the state for about three years. Before the trip, I was worried about how things would go. I heard stories about in-laws not getting along with each other, so I was hoping things would go well in Florida. I never expected that I would have to deal with a different kind of battle.

(Me and my mother at a Tampa Bay park.)

The trip started out well.　Even though there were obvious language barriers, my parents and my wife's mother were very nice to each other. My mother-in-law really loved my parents' house in the Tampa Bay area. One thing my mother likes to do is decorate the house, and my mother-in-law was amazed by it, saying to me, "Why did you ever come to Japan?" (It seems to me that during my time here in Japan, none of the houses I've seen have been decorated - no pictures in frames on the wall, no paintings, no sculptures. etc.) My mother-in-law, my wife and I spent time in the large backyard, something that doesn't really exist in the Osaka area. We spent a lot of time in Tampa just relaxing and taking it slow, which suited my mother-in-law just fine.

(Entrance to Walt Disney World, Orlando.)

Things changed, though, once we drove up I-4 to Walt Disney World. One thing you have to know about my wife is that when we travel, she keeps busy, trying to do as much as possible in the time we have. That was the case at Walt Disney World, where she was almost running from attraction to attraction. That didn't go well with my mother-in-law, who wanted to take it slow and easy. It came to the point where we would separate for hours at a time, and it eventually came to the point where my mother-in-law decided to just stay in the hotel while my wife and I enjoyed the parks.

Tension developed between my wife and her mother, and I was caught in between, serving as a "messenger" between the two during the times they wouldn't talk to each other. It was bad.

Well... at least Pooh and I had a good time together. Still... I must say that it was good to get back to Japan and leave Orlando behind.