The Adventures of V and C - Japan Edition

The Adventures of V and C began as a Facebook photo album in 2009.  And goodness knows we have had so many adventures since.  We've hopped from California, to Turkey, to Italy, to Greece, to New York, to Turkey a few more times, and now to Japan.  (All the while keeping up with the times and creating our own hashtag.)  Life from a distance is always so daunting, but we have lots of practice by now.

Victoria's visit to Japan was everything we could have hoped for.  We laughed and we cried.  We went on roller coasters and bullet trains.  We saw modern Tokyo and traditional Kyoto.  We ate more sushi  and experienced more of Japan than I have in the past four months of living in Tokyo.

Fushimi Inari-taisha

Every time Victoria and I finally see each other again after however many months apart, it seems it has begun to get easier each time.  I don't know if it is from practice or if it is from maturity, but we expect less of each other.  Not in the sense of expecting disappointment, but more in the sense of enjoying our time together regardless of how the day turns out.  And not surprisingly, the days always end up better that way.

Everything matcha!

Having my sister in the audience to see me perform was so much fun and also a little surreal.  The first show (of three) seemed to go in slow motion.  It is amazing sometimes to stop and think about how many unrelated thoughts can be going through your head while flying over an audience, lip syncing Japanese, and interacting with giant puppets and an audience of 700.

After finishing at work, I joined Victoria in Disney Sea for the first time.  The park is absolutely exquisite.  I was so thankful to be able to experience it for the first time with her and actually have her be the one to show me around after a full day of walking the park on her own.

Our vacation within her visit was a two night stay in Kyoto, a 4 hour train ride south on the Shinkansen.  This was the first time I had left Tokyo (overnight) since moving here in January, and the getaway was so rejuvenating.  Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan.  It is the opposite to Tokyo in that it has kept its traditional feel amidst also being a modern city.

Kinkaku-ji

Arashiyama was our favorite part of our trip to Kyoto.  The bamboo forest was breathtaking and so peaceful, as was our perfect little resting spot where we watched the boats go by. (above photo)

The goodbye is never easy, but the time together still makes it worth it.  I am praying that we will be together again sooner than we realize.  But for now, we will just have to look forward to more of The Adventures of V and C.