Japan is known for its gardens and we have not been disappointed with their beauty.

Along the paths, there are places to rest and reflect. Under this trellis of wisteria, you became "heady" with their fragrance.

I was hoping to capture how it looked as if it were "raining" purple droplets.

To me, this bridge captures the essence of Japan. Spaning the past with the future.


Martin has even become a fan of the gardens. I'm not really surprised since he enjoys his quiet places.

We still marvel at how in the middle of the bustling city, there are these pockets of quiet retreats.

Yesterday we traveled by train to Nagoya, 220 miles southwest of Tokyo, to spend the day with our friend Yumiko and her daughter Mariko. On the way we were treated to a view of Mt. Fuji, the tallest and most beautiful mountian in Japan. On most days the summit is obstructed by clouds, but for about five minutes on this day, we were able to enjoy the view; and then it was hidden again.

Yumiko treated us with a tour of the Toyota Kaikan. Outside of the Toyota headquarters there is a rock wall where all the countries, with manufacturing ties to Toyota, are represented by a rock from that country.

It was exciting to see the rock that represented the manufacturing plant located in Georgetown. This rock was taken from the Kentucky Horse Park.

Inside we witnessed an amazing demonstration of Toyota's "i-car" of the future; remarkable! We were ready to put in our order!

Yumiko had also arranged for us a personal tour "for two" of the plant in Tahara, the sister city to Georgetown. It was definitely the "red carpet" treatment that made for a very special day that we will always remember.

You can imagine our surprise to have our names written on the marquee; it is written in Japanese Katakana.

Lastly we went to the Tahara Matsuri Kaikan (kite festival museum). Georgetown recently had their kite festival and a contingency from Tahara was just there. The guide at the museum was excited when he learned that we were from Georgetown. There were so many Georgetown connections all day! It was such a special time; Thank you,Yumiko!

Our daughter, Andi, and her family were here last week. We tried to go somewhere each day that the boys would enjoy. Here we are at Tokyo Disney Sea enjoying the carousel .There's something about the uniqueness of the carousel music that draws you back however old you are.

After a long day at Disney, how does a boy with a healing broken ankle get home? (Hitch a ride on Pop's back. )
Liam did much better than expected with all the walking that you do here in Japan.



Everywhere you go in Tokyo, it involves train travel. Andi came prepared to help pass the time. The boys had handheld electronic entertainment devices, and they were great, but there's nothing like having a good book read to you.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and on this day we were at Mt. Takao, just west of where we live.

We rode to the first summit on the cable car and enjoyed the view of the city and a monkey farm located on the mountian.

One on the last things we did, was attend a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome. The home team, the Giants, had just scored three runs before we left. It was fun to be there and be a part of the crowd excited for their team. This is the team that Hideki Matsui, the 2010 World Series MVP, played for before he began his major league career in the United States.

Sakura is the season that Japan is known for: the time of the blooming of the cherry trees. Everyone looks forward to it and are in better spirits because of it. This is the street leading to one of the universities in Kunitachi; a city near us.


The trees are of a nearly white or pink variety with either a single or double petals.
There is also a children's song about Sakura. Following are the words to the first verse.

Sakura, Sakura
Have you seen the old cherry tree?
Blossoming so breathtakingly?
It's a very glorious thing
Fragrant flowers seem to sing
Come and see, come and see
See what joy they bring.

A volunteer team of 14 from the Oxford, Mississippi area joined us for 10 days this month. That's the best part of our job, having opportunities to work with Christian men and women, young and old, from all walks of life. It was a great time for us, and for them.


Two of the volunteers were cancer survivors and had much to say about their experience. I posed with Jean for this picture because I too am a cancer survivor. We were discussing our appreciation for all those that support the American Cancer Society, and the Relay for Life activities in particular. Jean organizes the Relay for Life in her area and gave me this t-shirt.



One of the volunteers was in the process of purchasing a Harley Davidson motorcycle when he returned to Oxford. Since Martin is a Harley owner, they had lots to talk about. (I think they were discussing a future road trip.)


This week we were able to connect with Yumiko (r) who lived in Georgetown for four years prior to moving back to Japan last October. It was such a treat to see her again; and to meet her daughter, Yukako. Yumiko worked with Friendship International and Feeding the Hungry at Irishtown with our church. Yukako graduated from Sayre and is an avid horse enthusaist. She plans to go to the World Equestrian event in Lexington this fall.