Today was mostly a travel day. We arrived in Tokyo in the late afternoon and met up with our friends Brian and Yoko. Brian is from Ventura, but he’s lived in Japan for most of his adult life. His mom attends our church, and over the years we’ve visited each other on both sides of the globe. Two of Brian’s friends also joined us—one from the UK and another from Rwanda—making our evening feel wonderfully international. I loved being with these good friends; having friendships scattered all over the world is one of life’s greatest gifts. They treated us to dinner, and it was such a joy to go out with people who truly know their way around a Japanese menu. Yoko kept saying, “Have you tried ___?” And whenever I admitted I had no idea what it was, she ordered it—eager for me to taste everything. It was all delicious.
The genesis of this trip was Matt—my son-in-law—finishing his master’s degree in marriage and family counseling and wanting to celebrate with a special trip. Originally, the whole family considered going together, but my daughter Kelly has a new foster baby, and my other daughter, Molly, didn’t want to leave Kelly on her own over Thanksgiving. So Jim and I planned to meet up with Matt, Brenna, and their two children, ages nine and eleven, in Tokyo. They arrived late this evening, and it’s wonderful to be together in our fun AirBnb in Shinjuku.
Marsh Travels 
There are certain countries where eating can seem like an adventure. Japan is one of those. So glad you got to hook up with the kids and friends. ________________________________
LikeLike