I’m in JAPAN!

I made it! But the trip wasn’t without a few hiccups. After a mad dash to my departure gate at LAX (apparently TBT stands for “Tom Bradley Terminal,” and not a California version of “To Be deTermined” – whoops!), I found myself doing some serious sign language in effort to find my gate in Taiwan, and then even more panicked pleading to get through customs in Okinawa. But eventually they let me through!

I was excited about flying on a 747 airplane, but apparently they are commonplace in Asia – the runway in Taiwan was full of jumbo jets!

Mary and her husband Charlie were waiting for me at the airport and we wasted no time taking in the sights!

First stop was Shuri Castle – the one-time home of the Emperor of Okinawa. The original structure was destroyed in WWII, but the rebuilt version is still pretty spectacular!

After that we headed to the shops on Kokusai Street. Mary and I treated ourselves to some pineapple on a stick,

And then I sampled some fresh sugar cane juice!

It tasted like sweet wheatgrass – earthy deliciousness!

We continued our stroll through the fish market,

Which inspired us to get sushi! I was adventurous, but Mary stuck to the fish-free variety.

And then I went home and took a shower, because judging from that last picture I really needed it! Can’t wait to see what’s on tap for the rest of the week! Sayonara!