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| Ewan: "Say, Daddy, why don't we take a closer look at the Land of the Rising Sun? The place where Mommy is from. You know, right? The place that makes me at least half of what I am." Me: "Absolutely, son. Let's go now." |
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| "Here we are at the jumping-off point, Sac Metro Airport. Can you hear the distant sound of the shamisen out past the ukulele?" |
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| "Aloha! I'm with Mommy in Hawaii at the airport in Hololulu." |
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| "Now where are we? Is this Japan, Daddy? What are some of these things behind me?" |
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| A genuine elephant's tusk ivory carving! In Japan? |
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| A tiny detailed boat in a bottle! But is it Japanese? |
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| A katana? No way! |
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| Yes. |
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| Yes! |
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| YESSS! |
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| I am a samurai-Jedi! |
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| I am Leonardo! |
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| I am Duncan MacLeod! |
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| Ooohh baby! |
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| Me: "I am a huge geek." Ewan: "DADDY! You okay? Anything else?" |
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| Ahem. Hmm. Well, let's see … an intricate doll in samurai costume. |
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| A shimenawa kept in the kamidana room of a traditional Shinto household. It serves to enshrine a god. |
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| And a baseball team … complete with Japanese high schoolers and my wife's brother, Makoto (pictured center in the second row). Yup! No doubt. This is Japan! |
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| "Cool! I wonder what else is out there? And who's that coming up the way?" |
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| "Cousin Asahi! What fun we'll have!" |
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| Most of the time… |
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| Obaachan to the rescue! For love that stretches across an ocean, coming close together is something special. |
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| "But it's fun also to get out and cut loose!" |
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| "Like this play area; crossing up my wires in the best way possible!" |
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| "Or eating sakuranbo (Japanese cherry) ice cream!" |
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| "And visiting a local petting zoo!" |
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| "Or biking to the park for a picnic…" |
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| "…home-made bento style!" |
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| "Mmm, yum!" |
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| "While Daddy viewed a Japanese angel…!" |
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| Hmm? New York City? |
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| Nope! It's Icho Kouen (Liberty Park) in Oirase-cho, Aomori! |
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| "Enough of nature, Ewan? How about some art?" |
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| "Here we are in Aomori City, home of the famous Nebuta Festival and the Aomori Bijutsukan (Art Museum)." |
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| Ahh, Japan! How I love thee! |
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| MacArthur? |
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| "Kali ma … Kali ma … Kali ma, shakthi deh!" |
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| "Arigatou Aomori-ken!" |
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