Saturday, December 31, 2011

Japan Trip October 2011

This year is almost over, but the biggest events took place in Japan in October. DH1, Goerge, and DS1, Rudy, and I spent 2 weeks in various parts of Japan to bury my mother May's ashes in her family grave sites at Hakusanji in Yamagata and Sojiji in Chiba. May's Kikuchi family members are all buried in Yamagata, but her husband Gen Asano was buried in Sojiji near Tokyo. We did not know where May wished to be so we decided to bury her at both sites. During the visit we met our old friends and relatives, attended buddhist ceremonies called "Hoji", feasted on beautifully presented food, visited memories lanes of my late mother. All in all it gave me a sense of closure to carry out my mother's wishes. DD1, Hanako, was able to join us from England, courtesy of her brother Rudy. Her visit was short (5 days), but this was the first time in 20+ years that my immediate family of four got to travel together. It took my mother's death to do this. Thank you, Mother May!