Back home in Japan but Michigan pictures!!!

A two week absence!  Sorry about that!  Tetsu and I got back to Nikko last night at around 11:00 after a short flight from Detroit to Dulles, a three hour layover, a fourteen hour flight and then a three hour drive home.  We are rather bushed!

BUT...  Our trip to Michigan, Leiya and Tony's wedding, a side trip to Indiana, a jaunt into Canada and another trip to visit friends was a complete success!!!  I am so hyped to tell someone about it all but my pictures are all in a mess everywhere.  I took pictures.  Tetsu took pictures.  We both took pictures on our iPhones... and of course wedding pictures came in from the photographer...

Tetsu took about ten times as many photos as I did on this trip... I was afraid my computer was going to overload!  As I blog I'm going to have to do some photo weeding (like he took 600 pictures in one day!  He might as well have been taking a video!)

So...  We continue where we left off two weeks ago.  We took John to the vets (we will pick him up this afternoon) and Tuesday, the fourteenth, we drove to Narita Airport, left the car, checked in and started on our travels.  Flying United this time.

We changed planes in Ohare Airport but that was a complete circus!  Immigration took forever, getting to the right terminal and correct gate was a wild run through crowds of people, getting on and off buses, getting misdirections etc.  We made it onto the plane with 5 minutes to spare (and we had thought a two hour layover was going to be leisurely!)  But the skis were friendly and the flight to Detroit was a quick and easy one.

We waited a bit for Leiya who went to pick us up at the wrong terminal... 

A short trip home to Leiya's apartment!  I visited in November so it feels like home.  This was the first visit for Tetsu.  And so our stay begins!

Wednesday in Detroit was a beautiful day!

We started the day with bagel sandwiches.  I'll try not to say too often how much we overate during our two weeks.  But everything was SO good and we wanted to try everything! 

I think this was Tetsu's sandwich...  He found it hard to believe that he was going to get his mouth around this!

And I had lox and bagels...  a longtime favorite of mine but one I can't get in Japan.

And what did Leiya have planned for us this day?  Would you believe a pedicure...  FOR ALL OF US!!!  Tetsu about died!

"I am not going in there."

"Come on, Tetsu-san.  Live a little!  Tony's going to do it!"

With much persuading and cajolling and Tetsu trying not to be a spoilsport on his first day in America we all had pedicures.  (Men minus the nail polish.)  Tony loved the foot massage and aroma oils.  Tetsu not so much...  But he did it and I have a picture to prove it!

La-di-da!  The girls have got pretty toes!

I think we did some shopping in the afternoon, Leiya and me looking for some earrings for her to wear at her wedding...  We actually had the two men in our lives go off together in the mall and let us have mother-daughter time.  This was a fun challenge for the two guys because... they can't talk to each other!  Somehow Tetsu and Tony managed and Tetsu even figured out how to tell Tony that he wanted to buy a Detroit cap.  Two hours later we all met up and Leiya had her earrings and Tetsu had his cap!

Time to eat again.  Tetsu in his new hat.

This is called Poutine.  (I think.)  It seems to be a Canadian dish of french fries with gravy and cheese curds on it.  Delicious but filling.

No mind because here come the sandwiches!

I can't even explain all the laughter we had.  Tony joking about things, Tetsu mistaking a very pretty waitress for a wax figure (he took her picture as she sat at a desk and about had a heart attack when she smiled at him!)

Tomorrow pictures of Tony's family and grandparents home!