May 8 - Ishinomaki, Sendai

After getting up at 9:30 I had to pack, eat breakfast and then Yuki drove me to the bus station. It was the day when I had recovered completely from my cold, no coughing and no running nose anymore:-) I took the bus to Sendai (11:30 to 12:45) because I wanted to spend the next 2 days with Kazu and Toru and their daughter May. (Unfortunately Yuki couldn't join us the whole time because she had to work. But she would met us in 2 days and spent at least one afternoon with us).

Kazu and Toru

I met Kazu and Toru in Vancouver too, Kazu and I attended the same language school and so I got to know her husband Toru as well and we spent a wonderful time together. Kazu had already visited me last year in Bonn and Cologne, when she was on a business trip with her professor. When I was in Japan in 2006 I was also invited by them and Toru was a great guide who drove Yuki and me from one sightseeing point to the other one. I also met his family and was invited for dinner and stayed at Toru's aunt house for a couple of days. So I was really looking forward to seeing the whole family again.
Kazu was advanced in pregnancy, her due date was only 2 weeks ahaed.

Toru and Kazu picked me up from the bus station and first thing we did was eating noodles together. Then we walked a little bit through the shopping street of Sendai (I was still looking for a sword for Christoph, but we couldn't find one). Then we drove to their place (last year they had built their own house) and at 15:00 Kazu and I picked May up from the bus stop. May is 4 years old, very cute and only a little bit shy at the beginning of our meeting. Then the 4 of us drove to the nearest playground and while Toru was playing with May, Kazu and I talked a little bit. At 18:00 we were invited for dinner at the house of Toru's parents (Toru's house and his parent's house are in a walking distance of 5 minutes). I really enjoyed the reunion with: Toru's mum and father, his aunt and uncle (his is american but lives in Japan) and his grandmather. Toru's mum had a special present for me: Fugu (=swallen fish), that "famous japanese fish" that needs special cooking skills if you don't wanna commit suicide:-)
Actually the Fugu-Season is in winter, but they had ordered a frozen one, that was already prepared and cut into small pieces. THANK YOU for that special present again!

Fugu already sliced

Me, eating Fugu (= swallen fish)

Toru's family



We talked a lot, it was interesting to hear every single story about the earthquake and tsunami last year, and after drinking one japanese beer and one Sake I was almost drunk:-)
We went back home at around 23:00, but I was wide awake and still exciting about the evening, so I read in my book til 00:15 before I finally managed to fall asleep.