An Unfortunate Good-bye

Yesterday was a little surreal. I’m sorry to say that Bonney was not feeling well, and she needed to go home to New Hampshire early from Japan. We were disappointed that she couldn’t make it through the rest of the trip, but when you’re feeling bad and in a foreign country, the only thing you want is to go home.

So Bonney went home, and she was happy to do so. There are a lot of things in Japan that I’m sad she’ll have missed (like craft stores!), but I’m certain she has lots of memories even from her short time here that will last her a lifetime.

We ended up leaving Kyoto a day early, and heading to Nagoya today (where there is an international airport). Nagoya is usually skipped by tourists, but John and I lived in this city for a year after college, so it’s a little like home to us. It’s actually a pretty nice city—not as intimidating as Tokyo, but still a relatively happening place.

We took it easy for most of the day after going to the airport, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a Sega center next door to our hotel, and we went out for some crane game fun after dinner. With much success!

Rirakkuma is a popular prize in “UFO catchers,” as they’re called. We already have tons of these little bears at home, but you can never have too many pancake-eating stuffed bears, I say.

John won a Rirakkuma with a chef’s hat and utensils and a Rirakkuma wearing a scarf. He also won me a white one who’s holding a sandwich. Too cute!

(He wants me to mention that he didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before, and that’s why he’s a little less than photogenic in these pics.)

And remember these guys?

We now have more little plastic tofu blocks than we know what to do with, so enter the photo contest this summer and you might win some.

Bonney, if you’re reading this, we miss you and we hope you’re feeling better once you get home. We will be trying our best to have lots of fun for you in Japan!