Happy New Year everyone! New year, new semester, new adventures! And boy have I had adventures already this year!
Most of you know, I rang in the new year with my family in Hawaii! This time it wasn’t just my Mom and or just my Dad. Nope!!! It was everyone plus my brother’s girlfriend! I was a little bummed didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with them so new years to me felt extra special. Good weather, good company, and good food! But no. Freaking. Chipotle!!!!!!!! ? We started out I Kauai to visit where my Grandma grew up and then made our way to Honolulu to see the rest of the family. Fun fact: Jurassic Park was filmed in Kauai… and it’s really obvious too. The scenery was beautiful! The side of the island we were staying on was so green (and windy). The other side was just as pretty but not as green. Our first day we went zip lining. We got to see the beautiful scenery of Kauai with wind blowing through our helmets. It only poured twice but it made it way more fun! Plus, with the sun out, you dry in no time. If anyone is thinking, “what happens if you don’t make it to the other side?” Well, the guide has to make its way out to you and pull you to the end. So if you don’t weigh a lot, I suggest not wearing a windbreaker while zip lining… Or eat a big meal right before you go.
Seeing where my Grandma grew up was really cool! She remembered everything and it was exciting to see her back in her old stomping grounds. Some of the people she grew up with still stayed in Waiamea. We had lunch at a supermarket and the owner remembered my jichan! We went to the house my great Grandparents lived in and saw my Grandma’s high school, and downtown. The town looked like an old western movie except there were pick up trucks instead of horses and cement roads instead of dirt roads.
Honolulu was all family time. We spent time with my great Uncle and celebrated New Years with him and cousins. It was a typical Japanese American New Years feast (eating Japanese food was kind of a pattern on this trip)! We visited the cemetery where my Papa’s relatives are buried and met with family I’ve never met before. I never realized how big of a family I came from until I met 30 new relatives in one day! Even though I didn’t spend time at the beach as I had hoped, I met really great people and learned a lot about my Family. I guess that’s a good trade off…. ?
After Hawaii, I had one day of work and then a three-day weekend… Makes sense right? In Japan, they have Coming of Age Day. It’s a day celebrate kids becoming an adult… I’m 99.9% sure it’s when you turn 20. I guess it’s a big deal, people dress up in kimonos and everything! They looked so pretty!! I, dressed up in jeans and went to Tokyo. I ate TexMex (I needed something to tied me over until I’m reunited with Chipotle) and went to Odaiba, a man made island. Surprisingly, we didn’t do any shopping. But I saw the Statue of Liberty and a huge Gundam sculpture. This also ranks as one of the best trips to Tokyo I’ve taken. I would say number 2 behind my Yokohama adventure.
Now, it’s back to reality. School is now (consistently) in session and the events of New Year’s and Coming of Age Day are now just a fond memory. Almost feels like a dream.. My next adventure is next week! Where am I going? Who will I see? Will I ever get my Chipotle? I guess you’ll have to wait and see ?
