Two Canadians on the loose

Saturday, after practice, I took the train to Shinjuku to meet my dad and brother. My dad went to have supper with his friends from ICU (International Christian University), some of whom he hasn't seen in about 30 years.

In the meanwhile, my brother and I had about 3 hours to ourselves in Shinjuku. First, we went to Kinokuniya, my favorite bookstore.

Walking in Shinjuku

Then, we did some purikura, which was a lot of fun.

Outside the purikura booth

Then, we went to eat supper, a very traditional Japanese meal... just kidding. We had some delicious pasta.

Finally, we returned to the station to meet my dad, who brought us to the restaurant to introduce us to his friends.

After saying goodbye to everybody, along with the Iwasa's (my dad's good friends and my new "family"), we took the train back to their house to stay for the night. Everyone was pretty exhausted, especially my father.

Family reunion in Japan!

I have difficulty believing it myself but I just spent the whole afternoon and evening with my dad and brother, who I haven't seen (in person at least) for more than 6 months. It feels like nothing has changed. And they just fit in so perfectly into my new life: my dad chatting with the trainers and athletes during the practice and my brother practicing hard with the Tokai girls and even throwing some of them. I almost can't believe that they're actually here.

They first arrived around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I introduced them to the dorm dean and my roommate, gave them a little tour of where I live and then it was already time to go to practice.

My brother practiced with the girls today. Next week, he'll probably practice with the boys at least once, but today, as it's his first day, we deemed it best for him to practice with the girls to get used to the level of training here. So my brother was the only boy there. But he's kind of gotten used to that after years of being the only boy in the gymnastics club in Beausejour, Manitoba.

My brother getting taped up before practice

It was a hard practice. He was pretty tired by the end of it. I'm pretty sure that the girls' practices are not as tough as the guys's but the girls are all strong here and my brother had quite a workout tonight.

At the end of practice, we gave the girls some red licorice as a souvenir from Canada along with some mini Tide-to-go's, which have become one of my dad's indispensable items he likes to have handy, especially at a judo tournament. In judo, if there's blood on a gui during a match, the wearer has to change his gui. And blood is often pretty hard to rub off. But with a little bit of water and these little tide-to-go markers, the blood comes off easily.

Then we took a group picture:

Then some girls came to talk to my brother... as I thought they would. I mean, my brother is a pretty good-looking guy, kakkoii as they say here in Japan. So by the end of their conversation, I think he made two new girlfriends... lol

Girlfriend #1: Akane

Girlfriend #2: Naori

A possible girlfriend #3: Kumiko

Then we went back to my dorm where I cooked supper for them, beef curry udon. Didn't turn out like I had imagined it (when does it ever?) but it was still good and we enjoyed the meal together, which is the most important thing. I said earlier that I have trouble believing this all happened today. But I just have to check my refrigerator to confirm that it actually did: all my three containers of juice have disappeared. And there's only one person I know who can drink that much juice in one sitting... my brother!

Dad and bro: on their way!

My dad and brother are on their way to Japan!!! We were worried for a bit because there have been some illegal strikes going on at Air Canada that could have affected their flights but last I checked, they transferred without any problems or delays in Edmonton and Vancouver and are now on their way to Tokyo, Japan. I am almost jumping up and down. I'm so excited to see my family!!! Unfortunately, my mother couldn't come because it would be extremely difficult for her to get around. There are still many places with no elevators and just the sheer amount of people would be hard to navigate through. But as she told me, she's looking forward to these 2 weeks. She'll be able to r-e-l-a-x, not have to make lunches or coffee, etc. And she'll be acting as our communication tower because we'll all be reporting to her about our activities of the day. : p

For my brother, this is his first time travelling to Japan so everything will be new and exciting. I might be even more excited than he is lol. He doesn't know what's in store for him. I was in his shoes three years ago when my father and I went to Japan. At that time, my father was the guide and I was completely dependent on him for everything. But now, since I've been here for six months already and I have a good hang of how things work, I have a lot of things I want to show my brother: kareoke, hot spring baths, etc. So many things to do... and they're only staying about 2 weeks. So we've got some cramming to do!

Just a heads up: in the next 2 weeks, I'll probably be writing a lot about my brother and father and our adventures together in Japan, so stay tuned!

Happy birthday Vincent!

Today is an important day. Like the 9.11 will be forever remembered in the United States, 3.11 will never be forgotten in Japan. That's when the tsunami and earthquake occured, leaving a whole country in ruins. It was a difficult time for the Japanese. And they are still living the aftermath.

But it's an important day also because it's my brother's birthday today. And not just any birthday, his 18th birthday. He is now considered an adult in Canada. Scary, isn't it? My little brother isn't that little anymore. Where did time fly by?

To my little bro who's reading my blog faithfully, I want to wish you a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm sorry I can't be there with you to celebrate today but I'm counting down the days till you come to Japan on my calendar.

I think sometimes distance can do wonders for a relationship. My brother and I haven't argued in almost 6 months. lol. That's partly due to the fact that we haven't been living under the same roof during that time. : p But physical distance also makes you value the little time you have with loved ones even more. I don't get to talk with my brother often because of our conflicting schedules. When he's available, I'm in class and when I'm available, he's still sleeping. And so we try to make the most out the time we have together. I love to hear what he's been up to and share my own experiences in Japan with him.

I know my brother has a bright future ahead of him. He's smart, generous, capable of playing just about any sport (although his favorites are judo, tennis and volleyball), he's a great leader and he always manages to make me laugh. Like the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami, I think he's going to rock the world... but in a good way : ) So happy birthday little bro. Miss you. XXX