Monday, September 5, 2016

Japan Trip 2016 Part II


 





The very first outing out of Osaka was a visit to my cousin's house who just had a baby in Mie.  My aunt Kyoko took us in her car and it took about two hours to get there.  We stopped at a rest area to take a break and the girls were impressed with the size and the amenities.  I am not talking about the toilets, but the shops and restaurants with many travelers happily roaming around, eating ice cream or choosing what to buy.  It's like a mini shopping mall on the highway.  The girls were given about $20 each from my aunt so they each picked up an item for a keepsake.  All of us agreed that Japan is so much fun!

My cousin, Aya, has a 3-year-old son, Shoma, and the new daughter, Wako.  She was a soft-spoken and sweetest girl cousin when growing up and she is a very gentle Mom to her young children.  My uncle Hideo and aunt Misao were there, too, and the girls were happy to see them.  The girls and I spent 3 days with them last summer so the girls and Shoma were good playmates.  This time though, Shoma was a little cleverer than last year and he didn't give the girls unconditional love compared to last year :-)  It didn't help that Saya is acting like a teenager these days with smug comments and standoffish attitude.  Can't we go back to simpler days?! 

The baby, Wako, was small and pure!  I love holding and watching a newborn baby - I get reminded, that the most important thing on this earth is to nurture and protect the tiny humans.  That is our animal instinct anyway and how far away sometimes we feel from our own natural instinct?  Watching Wako squirm and make little noises was very soothing to me.  Welcome to our family, Wako! 

I will write about the family trip we took to Fukui with my Mom and Dad in the next post!

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