Day 14 - Last Day, Homeward Bound

Our practice papers

Amy's Happy Cat - My Christmas Gift to her

Miss Trixie watching me pack

Amy's collection of kimonos

One kimono in paper wrapping

Some of our Japanese calligraphy

My home with it's Christmas lighting

Today I leave Japan.  My flight time is 6:50 PM out of Osaka, then back to Seattle and Minneapolis and then a very, very late arrival in Boston. I'm almost all packed and ready to go with only a few items to pop in right before we load the car.

Amy's Japanese teacher, Yoshiyama-San Sensei, will arrive at noon and stay until 1 PM to teach us Japanese brush calligraphy.  Above are two photos of our Japanese brushwork.  They look okay but I feel we need more practice.  It was fun to give it a try and use the Japanese brushes with the thick black ink.  We wrote simple words like "cat" and "love" and then longer phrases "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" and our names.  With more practice, I think I could do better.

One of my favorite photos

I said goodbye to Amy at the ferry terminal on Port Island and took the half hour ferry across to Kansai International Airport in Osaka.  I stopped at Starbucks before boarding the tram to the North Wing and met my flight crew for Seattle.  It was funny to see them at the coffee shop and then be greeted by them when I boarded the plane.  Very friendly Americans. The approx. 9 hour flight was great for me since it wasn't crowded and I had room to stretch out and sleep. Customs was easy.  The man asked "What is a lady from Massachusetts doing in Japan?" and then "Welcome Home".  The most difficult part was staying awake at the airport and boarding and reboarding.  The second and third legs were super crowded and I had a short delay in Minneapolis so I arrived late into Boston. Great feeling of relief when we landed finally in Boston since I knew I would soon be sleeping in my own bed.  Grabbed my bag and met the limo in record time.  Of course it was near midnight by then and I had been basically up for two days (I repeated December 1).  I wish my husband wasn't in Norway and could have met the plane but at least Beth was awake to greet me.  The last photo is my house with Christmas lights to welcome me home at last! ( and the very last is my favorite - Me with Rocket Man at the recycle shop!)
Many thanks to my husband Mike and dear sister Amy for making this fantastic trip possible!