Today was the first day of 2007, and it was quite an enjoyable day.
As you can see, Reiko wore a kimono for the new year and we enjoyed breakfast with her family as well as made a trip to a shrine in Inuyama. We didn’t do any of the Shinto prayers (since neither of us are Shintoist), but it was enjoyable to visit the temple and see all the people. I can see that this is one of the few times of year that temples make the largest amount of money. Everything cost some amount of money. The only things that were free was the air and the pictures we could take.
After all was said and done, Reiko was happy to exchange the kimono for some regular clothes. While women look great wearing the robes, they’re really very tight. I was able to see this first hand, and unfortunately, Reiko had to cut her breakfast short. I think we made it up with dinner, though.
I’ll be posting the pictures from today in the gallery (New Year 2007), so feel free to look.
There are only a few days left until I must return to Canada. So I’ll be enjoying the rest of this time as much as possible. Tomorrow I get to meet Reiko’s eldest sister as well as the rest of her family. It should be fun 
I wonder if I should change the name of my categories….
For the moment, “at Home” means in Vancouver, while “in Japan” is just that. However, as more time passes, I find that Japan feels just like home. So many things here are familiar to me, and I’ve even been accepted into Reiko’s family. How could I think of the place I stay in Vancouver as a home when I’m the only one that lives there?
Well, perhaps this is just another sign that I’ll really enjoy all the time I’ll spend in Japan over the next few years. This is, after all, where I plan on spending most of my adult life.
Today (being New Year’s Eve in Japan) Reiko and I spent some time at her home preparing some foods for the family dinner we’ll be having January 1. Reiko and I baked a great cake with lots of cream and some fruit. It looks soooo good, and hopefully the rest of the family will think so as well. There’s quite a bit of cream on that cake, so it’s almost like it was made in Canada 
Afterwards we looked at some of Reiko’s photobooks. It’s pretty amazing how little I know about her past, considering how we’ve spoken so much about so many different things. This is, of course, a positive thing as it means that there will be many things that we can learn about each other over the next few years. She was very attractive from a young age … I don’t know how I was lucky enough to find her.
Of course, I’m not complaining in the least.
I should go. We’re right now watching some New Year’s shows and afterwards we’ll do the countdown. This is one of the first times I’ve ever stayed awake to midnight on New Year’s, and I’m sure it will always be one of the best.
See you next year!
December 29th, 200611 Months
Today marks the 11th month since Reiko and I started talking.
This relationship has moved pretty quickly at some points, and a few times I was even wondering whether I was getting in over my head. As with all relationships, I’ve made my share of mistakes. The thing I try for the most is to ensure the same mistakes are never repeated.
Reiko and I knew that this long-distance relationship would not be an easy thing to deal with sometimes. The time differences means that we might not always be able to talk to each other, and the costs to visit from one country to another makes regular visits quite cost prohibitive. Through all this, she and I have perservered. Because of our will, we are now planning a marriage.
I feel really lucky to have met someone like Reiko. I know that sometimes we’ll have different opinions about certain subjects and matters, and this will (hopefully) allow us to find a balance and build a common ground. One of the things I’m going to work really hard to prevent is a lack of communication because of differing opinions on matters.
Today has been pretty good, for the most part. For the last several hours, Reiko and I have been at her parents home preparing foods for the New Year celebrations. Some of the foods remind me of things that I used to eat at family gatherings, and others are quite new to me. I know it’s been said many times before, but I really enjoy the food in Japan. It’s even been said that I’ve lost weight in the last few days (w00t!)
Since I currently have some down-time, I think I’ll upload some more pictures to the gallery. Be sure to check out the “New Years 2006″ album.
Today was the day that I offically asked Reiko’s parents permission to marry her. We had a great conversation, and after it was all said and done, my request to marry was okayed!
I knew that I would be meeting Reiko’s parents this trip, as it’s been planned for months. For the most part I was pretty cool and collected, until we started talking about it here. I don’t think I’ve been that nervous about anything before.
Afterwards I tried to help Reiko and her mom with the cooking, though I think I made matters worse. So, after everything, it’s been a great day. I’ll be posting lots of pictures where Reiko’s making some California rolls, as well as some from around the area.
Once again, my mind is wandering and this entry is likely not going to make any sense whatsoever. So on that note, I’ll head off. Right now I’m at Reiko’s parent’s place and dinner is almost ready. Can’t be too late for this first dinner
December 27th, 2006Snow!!!
It’s almost January, so I guess that means it’s time to get some winter weather.
This morning the sun was shining and the wind was strong as Reiko and I enjoyed our breakfast. The thing I really like about the weather in Japan is that there’s not wishy-washy attitude from Mother Nature. If it’s raining, there’s no mistake. If there’s wind, there’s lots of it. Today’s weather was mostly wind, but as Reiko made her way home she sent an email saying that it had started to snow. So I guess her father was right this morning, as usual.
This afternoon, Reiko and I travelled to Nagoya to look at another possible location for our wedding. This was located in the suburbs of Nagoya and the area was incredibly clean. As we travelled from the subway to the Marriyell building it was hard to spot litter or even normal weather marks on some of the buildings. We also managed to spot a few houses that had a very Canadian look and feel to them, as they were huge in comparison to their neighbours.
I’m really going to miss this country when I go back to Canada in a week. I know that one of the reasons I enjoy things so much here is the different atmosphere, but more than that, I’ll miss many of the little things that make Japan so enjoyable. From the friendly greetings when you enter a store to the stares Reiko and I get sometimes out in public, I’ve become really attached to many aspects of this country. Of course I’ll still need to find my place in this society when Reiko and I make a home here, but for the most part I couldn’t imagine a better place to live.
Tomorrow I’ll be spending some time at Reiko’s home with her family. We’ll have a great dinner and maybe even watch one of the Harry Potter movies. Of course, there are other reasons for this dinner, but I’ll talk about those later.
I’m still uploading pictures to the galleries when I have an hour or two to spare, and I’ll be sure to post more tomorrow. Right now I need to get some sleep.
Oyasumi nasai.
