Being here instead of there

Being here is so Amazing, and strangely enough it feels as if I havent been away for that long. Ta-kun, my little monkey brother is all grown up, but in his stead Elena has been awarded the honorary title of monkey chan ;-)
Honjo has changed a bit, it seems more full of contrasts, many of the old houses have been torn down to make way for bigger roads and fancier buildings but it still seems run down and forlorn in some ways.
Weve been amazingly busy since arriving here, the wedding (my sisters Asukas) was last weekend, so we all tottered up to Akita city and stayed at a hotel there the night before. Both brothers showed up at the same time, to be instantly taken in by Elenas charms never to be released ;-P vixen at age 6, dear me what will she be like at 13? ..
Being a part of a Japanese wedding was an experience in itself, so grand, so thoroughly calculated with every minute planned. Speeches from their bosses to bore everyone to tears and speaches from the friends to put them in a foolish light ;-) I was coerced into making a speech, an unprepaired one might I add, luckily for me the coordinator panicked over the change in schedule and hence I was under stricht orders to keep it under 2 minutes... suited me fine, got in thanks, a joke at which everyone laughed and congratulations, what else does a speech need ;-) And I did it in Japanese ! note!
Anyways, as things stand were here for two more days, then were off on a two day trip heading towards Tokyo, including a mazuri, a hot spring, Legoland, an historical village and a fairground. One night to be sent at a western style hotel and one night at a Japanese ryokan. Our last day here will then be spent visiting an Icelandic Japnese classmate (click on the link for a photo ;-)and hopefully galavanting around both the Ghibli museum as well as Akihabara ;-)