Almost time to go home

It's been months since I've written - which I credit to really hitting my stride with research and with family visits and with many great outings with friends here, new and old.  A few highlights that I want to remember, should have written about along the way, and would love to share as I have a chance to talk to people who might have looked at this little blog - no particular order at all:

• old friends understood anew, some who live here, and some who passed through
• Gokokuji, in winter and spring
• Evan and Lia getting good enough at Japanese that my phone conversations were no longer private
• the school play
• the joy of my research interviews - especially each really passionate professor that I met
• Tokyo cafes
• every moment of our trip to Korea
• acupuncture!
• What is architecture?
• bunraku
• miso shop
• flowers-of-the month - kiku (chrysanthemums), tsubaki (camellia), sakura (cherries), fuji (wisteria), tsutsuji (azalea), ayame (iris), ajisai (hydrangea)
• The Japan Sea coast
• the rise and fall of the Hatoyama government
• my addiction to The West Wing - and all the musicals, Ghibli, and other movies the kids and I watched
• the absolute wisdom of sabbaticals, and my promises to myself to remember to rest regularly

Maybe I'll add a few more thoughts before we leave.  I know I'll try to have the kids do so, once they're through with school this week.  We've had a tremendous time, and grown stronger and richer in many different ways.