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So about a week and a half of seeing our old friends, eating the delicious foods, spending time with family, and enjoying the life in Japan finally came to a close today.

Departure is always a moment of life where sadness and a chunk of disbelief become evident. It’s an uneasy feeling and just to be separated from Emi’s parents who took so much care for us was very undesirable. But, I was glad to have gotten closer to the family and the Fukushima trip which I thought was the most memorable part of the trip. The hot, green teas and manjyus were something I enjoyed a lot (getting older I think). It was best to think more of the fun things we did and return to Hawaii in a sleeping mode. That made it easier I guess.

Prior to our departure, we were able to meet my mom who was on her way back to Guam from the Seoul trip with her brothers. We were very lucky to have met and spent time only about 1 hour before boarding the plane. As the plane took off, it was time to say a sad farewell - Sayonara Japan…

We met Steve at Yokohama Chinatown today. He traveled from Gunma prefecture just to see us. The rain continued to fall this morning but eventually tapered off by the afternoon hours. We had lunch together and checked the famous Chinatown where it was flooded with visitors as it was the Golden Week. We also went to Motomachi to buy gifts and observe the retail establishments. It was nice to spend time with him who has been a good and old friend from Hawaii. We both became friends from surfing at Pops in Waikiki and continue to keep our friendship. Steve loves Japan and looks forward living there. However, he misses the Kona coffee, ahi pokes with ogo and the Hawaiian Host chocolates. I agree… It was fun meeting with you today.

At the Kitakurihama train station, as we waited to board the train to Yokohama Chinatown.

We got off at this station where those lamps signified you were in Chinatown.

Welcome to Yokohama Chinatown! Luckily, the rain stopped in the afternoon so everyone was able to walk freely.

Everything was nicely decorated and cleaner here.

The Chinese food was quite expensive compared to Chinese restaurants in U.S. Portion, smaller too.

Sweet and sour deep-fried wonton crisps with peas. This was good!

Stir fried noodles with sliced bamboos and green peppers.

Fried rice.

Sweet and sour shrimp.

Panda manapuas. There were lots of panda decorations throughout Chinatown.

Steve, Emiko and “Panda” Hello Kitty.

Me and Steve.

Steve and his favorite Hawaiian Host chocolates. The store was selling it. How much you ask? Let’s just say you can get it cheaper in Hawaii.

This was a very nostalgic moment when I saw a rickshaw in Japan’s Chinatown. You would never expect to see this but here it was. When I was living in Bangladesh, there were lots of rickshaws available and I used to always ride on them. I admit this was in a much better condition, mint condition perhaps. The guy was even well dressed and had pamphlets ready.

Motomachi area. There were lots of variation in terms of retail establishments. The last time I was here was about 4 years ago and shops have trended more to high end.

Hawaiian shop? Yup, there was one. The space between buildings were so tight as in this picture.

Daytime in Chinatown.

Nighttime in Chinatown. Always busy.

• See Yokohama Chinatown 2008 photos.

Chie drove all the way from Tokyo to see us today. We then drove together to the town of Misaki, famous for their maguro (tuna).

At first, we had a hard time finding this restaurant but managed to discover it after many tries.

Sushi chef preparing the colorful sushi platter.

The portions were generous and we also had a platter of fresh maguro nigiri later. The hot green tea was also a nice combination.

After eating a big sushi meal, we went to a strawberry farm where we paid about 1,000 yen for all-u-can eat strawberries with 30 minute time limit.

Basically, you would walk between the rows, pick the strawberries and eat together with sweetened condensed milk. You don’t even have to wash the strawberries. They were edible as is.

Depending on which row you are in, you could be very lucky!

These 2 ladies loved the strawberry picking and probably ate more here than at the sushi restaurant.

They were still eating as the 30 minute time limit was up. The strawberry farm was an unique experience as I have never done this before. The smell when you get inside the tent was admiring and the fresh strawberries were delicious as ever and fun!

The next day, we met Emiko’s friends (Chinen & Kumi) in Yokohama. They have known each other since their elementary years. The train trip from Kitakurihama to Yokohama took about 45 minutes. Upon getting off the train in Yokohama, I was surprised to see so many people rushing to board their train and the various JR lines which I still have no clue as to where to board or even get off at the correct train stations. Yokohama station has been a long memory of mine as this was the place where I first stayed at a business hotel in Japan and also the time when I visited Emi’s parents for the first time. Not to mention the next day was the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack. Almost 7 years have passed and surely everything around here changed quite a bit. I was saddened not to find the same business hotel. The whole block was changed to a commercial environment. It’s amazing how landscapes in Japan can drastically change to support today’s demand by the society.

Many people and bright lights highlight the Yokohama station.

I, somehow, was in the “not so packed” area but if you look ahead, bunch of people are heading this way. Seeing so many people at once made me dizzy. I wanted to get out of here quickly…

This is the view outside of Yokohama train station. Takashimaya logo and the Sheraton Hotel to the right. If you ever get lost, look up to the highest tower and surely you’ll find your orientation.

Another landmark is the More’s Tower.

Although the crowd can be enormous, there are many fun things to do in Yokohama.

Another view outside of the Yokohama station.

L-R: Chinen, Emiko, Kumi and myself. Chinen (pregnant now) had her wedding last year in Hawaii and Kumi visited Hawaii some years ago. We had lunch together at an Italian restaurant.

This was a crab spaghetti entree.

This was a clam and spinach pasta. If you are ever visiting Japan, you need to try the Italian food as it’s different than in the U.S. I think it tastes so much better in Japan.

Today, we all departed to Fukushima where Emiko’s grandparents currently reside. Fukushima was a very beautiful place with lots of mori (forests) and mountains. There were lots of hatake (farm fields) and very much reminded me of inaka and my dad’s hometown of Otaru. This place is well known for its rice hatake and manjyu. I really enjoyed the whole trip seeing the diverseness of Japan and meeting the grandparents for the first time. They kindly offered the hot green teas, nimono, manjyu and the fresh tsukemonos including takuwan and seating inside a kotatsu (my 1st time). It was a nostalgic experience to be offered stuff like this. I was so glad to also spend time with Emi’s parents as we drove almost 6 hours to Fukushima. The 3-4 stops at the “SA” (service area), eating ramen, buying gifts and observing the contrast from city to a suburban atmosphere was incredible. I never had this kind of experience as I grew up mostly in the islands. Weather was colder than expected. Temperature ranged in the high 50’s to the low 40’s. Wasn’t used to this temperature as Honolulu is usually in the mid 80’s.

Many tulips bloomed this time of the year. This was at the service area where they had a small tulip garden and a koi pond. Recently, there were bandits who would intentionally cut them and just leave the stem. Quite disturbing to hear something like this in Japan…

Emi and her parents. Too bad her brother, Shin, couldn’t join us. He is currently in his 3rd year at a university.

At one of the “SA” stops, this person was flavoring the dango. Dango is popular and something I enjoyed this time.

This oba-chan was grilling “beef” yakitori at “SA”. Beef is still expensive in Japan. See the price - 450 yen per stick.

Now this is a massive electrical line. While driving to Fukushima, I noticed so much of these dotting along the landscapes. I wonder how much voltage it holds and how far they line across Japan.

This is a typical view of the residential area. Lots of hatake and very spacious rice fields. In Fukushima, most of the 20-30 year old generation moved to city and only the older generation remain. This is quite disturbing because what would happen to all the plantation fields once they expire. Even the old houses remained abandoned…

Photo of Emi’s grandmother (mother side), Naomi, Naomi’s mother, and Seiya-kun. We were lucky to see the cherry blossoms although it was already past the blooming season.

The kind of treat a grandparent offers - manjyu, nimono, cucumber and cabbage tsukemono, osenbei and green tea. Everything was delicious and so fresh from the hatake.

We stayed overnight at Kikori Cottage where it is famous for its onsen and the mori environment.

This was a nice cottage. Right behind this was a lake. Emi and I stayed in the left part while her parents stayed in the right part.

There were 3 beds and the room was in brand new condition.

A view outside the lanai. It was so beautiful to see nature so close.

Dinner was nice. Everything was so fresh and nicely prepared.

Breakfast was nice too. To the far left is a half cooked egg where you would mix together with the rice and add some shoyu. The yolk was very orange, not yellow like in the U.S.

The lake was very beautiful. It was so still and the forest full of tall trees.

Next day, we visited the hometown of Emi’s grandparents (father side). They also lived in Fukushima so it was convenient to travel nearby.

The grandparents were happy to see us, and they were also very healthy. We all had a great time, and it was an awesome trip!! Fukushima is a very beautiful town and hopefully we can visit them again with our yet to be born children.

• Fukushima Photos - Series 1 of 3
• Fukushima Photos - Series 2 of 3
• Fukushima Photos - Series 3 of 3