When I travel, I tend to keep detailed journals about my trips, often a running commentary written on trains and planes and automobiles. ;) My Japan journals tended to be quickly-scribbled-down memory-catchers written in the near-black darkness of my room at the end of a long day...

Week 1+

• 6-22-04 - The plane flight, the first night in Japan (training)
• 6-24-04 - Training in Narita, meeting new people, onsen fun!
• 6-25-04 - Final day of training, making friends with the Texas team, the shinkansen ride
• 6-26-04 - recap of the end of yesterday, meeting the church, sightseeing!
• 6-27-04 - awesome church service, cherry pickin!
• 6-28-04 - free day - frogs!! karaoke! Japanese TV!
• 6-29-04 - quick sum-up of pottery fun, river walking, and storminess.
• 6-30-04 - tea ceremony, lavendar crafts, foot onsens, dinner with Noriko2!
• 7-1-04 - our cooking class and coffeehouse, much fun!
• 7-2-04 - games with the kids, bike ridin, calm before the storm
• 7-3-04 - first english class, Noriko's BBQ, games, whee

Week 2

• 7-4-04 - quick sum-up of church, rotating sushi place, fireworks!
• 7-5-04 - Moe's bday! yukatas around town! cake! whee!
• 7-6-04 - we teach many English classes and discuss what we could do better..
• 7-7-04 - hot sweaty classes! silly bible skits! much teaching of english!
• 7-8-04 - more silly skits, some deep talk about Jesus with the locals, more Eigo classes!
• 7-9-04 - swimming, teaching, some thoughtful introspection...
• 7-10-04 - a big oops!, dreams, close encounter with lightning, crazy Japanese TV

Week 3

• 7-11-04 - testimonies in church! cool conversations, soba, goin down the slide :)
• 7-12-04 - fun times with Noriko-mama at a huge mall
• 7-13-04 - calligraphy! more stuff!
• 7-14-04 - classes, we meet Yumi, and more classes!
• 7-15-04 - fun cookin with the ladies, skits, good classes and connections!
• 7-16-04 - meeting the salon girlies, making sweetbean treats
• 7-17-04 - craft class! karaoke redux!

Week 4

• 7-18-04 - American Lunch, Denise visits and we have korean BBQ and fun games, story swappin!
• 7-19-04 - foggy Mt Zao, onsens, vanning!, kittens!
• 7-20-04 - feelin' queasy, a run in with the law, English classes!
• 7-21-04 - fun with the daycare kids, store adventures, more classes
• 7-22-04 - mexican cooking woohoo! mini-vannings! more classes!
• 7-23-04 - final day at the daycare :(, fun crafts, the yukata festival where we get tricked into a beauty contest!
• 7-24-04 - Yuuri's bday party, Noriko takes Jeri and I sightseeing in Yamagata, Uta-san's BBQ (where we met Kazu-kun)

Week 5

• 7-25-04 - Mos Burger! The Colonel! Arcadey fun! karaoke! Actionary at a makeout spot!
• 7-26-04 - Mt Zao redux, bowling madness, judo slammin!
• 7-27-04 - quick sumup of Aoki's classes, driving around with Noriko, dreading the looming final day, talkin bout end times!