Time in the Mother Land

The truth is, whenever I am back in Japan, I don't really do anything. I there to visit family and maybe, just maybe, do something interesting. The past few years, my grandma has booked bus trips for the two of us to go somewhere, which is nice. My dad rarely ever has time for me, usually only time for dinner. The one positive that comes out of dinner with my dad is that we usually go to a nicer sushi restaurant, meaning good sushi. This time, yet again, he only had time for dinner, but we went some place else, having a traditional Japanese dinner. The food was good, and the place is known for having good food, but to be honest, I couldn't really compare it to anything else to say that it was the best food ever.

Unlike other times, my mom bought my ticket 2 weeks before I left LA, which meant that there weren't any bus trips open for my grandma to book. The community she lives in had a day trip planned to Kyoto, so she booked us for that trip. We went to a temple in Kyoto, Byodoin, which was in the process of being re-furbished, and had a chance to see a bit of the neighborhood nearby. I am guessing they are known for their tea, because all the shops sold tea, with green tea ice cream being the flavor of choice. 

 Traditional Japanese bento lunch. It also came with green tea soba. 

This store had green tea ice cream, on which they put some green tea powder on top, and while the powder some times made me cough a bit, it was so so good. 

Since I didn't get to eat sushi with my dad, my grandma planned on taking me to eat some sushi. Because my cousin is busy with her part-time job, I had yet to see her, therefore my uncle proposed that we all go eat sushi so that I could see my cousins. While it was only for an hour or so, it was so nice to see both of my cousins and catch up. It's crazy to know that one of my cousins is now in college and the other is studying for high school. The great thing about Japan and its endless supply of fresh fish is the conveyer belt sushi restaurants that are $1 per plate.

Being as this is my last real summer break, I'm not exactly sure when I will be back in Japan again. I know I always say I don't like going back to Japan, but it's sad to think about not knowing when I will be back next. This winter, next summer, in a few years who knows. Hopefully my family can make a trip out to LA again in the near future.

Thanks for a good 1.5 weeks, Japan. 

xx