Coffee in a can
It is so great to finally visit Sean and Makiko and Julian in Japan and to experience this fascinating culture. They have lived in Osaka for six years but our time in Africa kept us from visiting. Now we get to enjoy connecting with them on their turf.
Osaka, like most of Japan, is a densely populated area with narrow streets, many buildings, and not a lot of green space. Fortunately, people drive small cars. Last Friday Julian stayed home from day care and spent the day with us while Sean and Makiko went to work. He is such an affectionate little guy who is a bundle of energy.
In the park with Grampa
Makiko is a professor at Wakayama University and Sean teaches English at a high school. They have a nice three bedroom home in a fairly quiet residential neighbourhood. Julian and I spent some time in a nearby park playing baseball. On Friday night we headed to Hiroshima on a high-speed train. The network of rail transport is incredibly efficient in Japan and we actually covered a lot of territory in a short period of time.
Bicycle Rack
There are also a lot of bicycles traveling on the streets. Many compete with people walking on the sidewalks. Bicycle racks are located all over the place so people can park and lock their bicycles while they travel on the trains or subways or go to work or shopping.
No smoking while walking
This sign above is a reminder that you cannot smoke and walk on the streets. Donut shops, some restaurants, and even the trains still have smoking rooms. At the Tokyo airport there is actually a room constructed outside the airport…..so you go outside the terminal building and then into a small very smoky cubicle to have a cigarette. 
On Friday after Sean and Makiko got home from work, we boarded a train to Hiroshima to see the site where the first Atom Bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. After a day and touring the museum and the city we went to Fukuoka where Sean was playing in a hockey game.
A-bomb dome
The A-bomb dome is a building destroyed by the bomb but one of only a few that remained standing. It is preserved as a message about the horrors of war.
After the bomb
There are numerous sites around the world to remind human beings how destructive and/or evil we can be. The museum at Hiroshima is also a call for peace and the banning of nuclear weapons but the many stories and horrors brought on by the war and the dropping of the bomb are heart-wrenching. The intense heat melted the skin off bodies while buildings collapsed all around. Later, the radiation killed many more people.
Wax figures depicting the human tragedy
Replica (to scale) of the actual A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Hiroshima has risen from the ashes and now is a bustling city. It has six rivers running through it and is quite beautiful
At the peace fountain
Hiroshima City
A 'Market Street' in Hiroshima
Fish being readied for sale in the market
There is a lot of technology evident in Japan (hey I guess you knew that already). We had our finger prints scanned at the airport in Tokyo and we see lots of interesting gadgets etc. in cars and homes. One of my favourites, however, is the Japanes toilet which serves several functions. 
Multi-purpose toilets
One also notices the many people wearing surgical masks. At first (as a foreigner) there was a tendency for me to think how Michael Jackson was ridiculed when he wore a surgical mask. Apparently most people use the masks when they have a cold or don’t feel well so they don’t pass on their germs to others. What a ‘courteous’ thing to do.
Wearing a surgical mask for the better health of others
In Fukuoka, Sean’s hockey team beat the Fukuoka Bruins by a score of 6 to 1. It is a ‘fun’ hockey league and the players on both teams are friends from previous tournament games. Afterwards, they all have a big party together.
Sean is even taller on skates
We ate out in restaurants a few times over the weekend. One of our favourites was a dish Makiko likes which is loosely called a ‘cabbage’ pancake. It was delicious.
Eating a tasty lunch
We did some touring around Hakata, which is the city in Fukuoka Prefecture. We saw our first Shrines and learned a bit about the history of Japan.
Kushido Shrine
Sumiyoshi Shrine
Cemetery behind the Kushida Shrine
In case any of you were wondering, Kyokutenho took down Tochiozan in a playoff to win the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
