March 27th

It’s been 19 years since our last visit to Japan. We have traveled a great deal since then but not back to our Japanese family.

Today we went out to pick up a cheesecake and some pastries for her parents. We then got on the subway with our Japanese sister. The cheese cakes here are different than at home. They are more like an egg souffle. It is not as dense or sweet. It jiggles like…. Never mind.

Our Japanese sister has found the hotel for us that we are staying in. We are staying at Oskar’s Hotel, in Osaka. It is a fine hotel in a great location. We could yell from our hotel room to her condo if we needed to. We are off to her parents house just a few stops away. She doesn’t own a car. She takes the subway to work and most other places she needs to go.

Her parents are now 89 and 90 years of age. The have visited my in laws in America and my mother in law has come to Japan a few times. This is now one family living in two countries.

We all feel time passing and the loss of our family members on both sides that are no longer with us. We will suffer that pain together now. We will enjoy the time we have left the best we can.

Our hotel is above a multi level shopping mall. You can get a kitchen remodel ordered here or buy a pair of shoes in this building and most everything else. We are on the 17th floor. The view is over the city and some mountains to the north.

There is a screened on driving range across the street with balls that have lights inside so you can see how well you’ve hit them at night.

The train runs above ground below us. The subway station and train station is one block away. There is a market just outside to buy anything we want to eat. We are set.