I am not going to start this Holiday letter with my typical excuse for being such an appallingly poor correspondent throughout the the year, blaming information overload and the unrealistic demands of modern living, but never actually admitting guilt. Though we still have 4 more months in Japan, we are starting to feel nostalgic about this 3-year tour. We are making a bucket list of all the things we would like to do/redo before returning to San Diego. My biggest regret is that I have not not filled my house with exotic art and trophies of audacious conquests such as the heads of wild animals or foreign people. However, we mostly wonder what impact Japan and associated adventures will have had on Danny.
I expect he will he remember the big adventures: being ask to be part of every group photo on the great wall in China; climbing Mt Fuji in a gale storm; sword fighting with a Samurai in Kyoto; dancing in front of a green screen with uncle Andy at Tokyo's Sony Building; skiing and snowboarding for the first time in Niigata; bathing in a green-tea onsen (Japanese bath); rock climbing in Nagano; hanging out backstage with dad's Hawaiian band in Tokyo; riding his first real roller-coaster on his ninth birthday; helping papa retrieve mom's earring from the monkey who pulled it out of her ear in Ubud, Bali; night kayaking in Ha Long Bay Vietnam; and trying to cross the swarming streets of Hanoi. He saw the snow sculptures of Sapporo, the sacred Deer of Nara, and the forbidden palace. He visited more temples, aquariums, and museums than he would care to remember. He studied Kempo, Kendo, Karate, Aikido, and wrestling under Japanese instructors. He ate at restaurants where we couldn't read the menu, and he tasted sushi, fish eggs, and a poisonous snake. He played with Japanese neighbor children despite the language barrier, and learned enough Japanese to read the Hiragana portions of signs.
We hope this tour filled him with the desire to travel, live or study abroad, and learn new languages. But even more importantly, we hope that it will make him more tolerant of different cultures. That he will recognize that the world is not black and white, "us" versus "them." That he'll know that good and gracious social behavior transcends nationalities and socio-economic status. That he comprehends the poverty and modest living situations of so many people. If you asked him directly, he would probably tell you that he now understands that not every child has a PS3, but he still badly wants one.
This was also the first time -- other than 3 months in Hungary -- that Bobbie has lived outside of San Diego. She will remember fondly the adventure of shopping in foreign markets, participating in the Japanese organic co-op, karaoke outings with friends, exploring restaurants and cultural twists with her best Japanese friend, trying new foods and recipes, the trade-off between living in a fishbowl and feeling safer than anywhere else we've ever been, the lush vegetation and the frequent rain that enables it. As for me, I was profoundly affected by visiting Okinawa, Hiroshima, Vietnam, and such places tragically affected by wars of the not too distant past. The suffering that mankind inflicts upon itself is disturbing. I have always wanted to believe that the generation in which I lived has evolved in character to be above committing such atrocities. But I realize that I have been blessed to have been sheltered from this suffering. And when one stands back and sees a larger slice of the world, one can clearly see that we have not really changed much at all. However, every act of kindness, every good word and deed will create ripples in the pond of humankind that will continue to spread long after we have passed from this earth.
We wish you peace, prosperity, and abundant happiness. May you be at peace with yourselves and others. May your days be filled with laughter, camaraderie, a sense of accomplishment, and contentment.
With Love,
Ric, Bobbie and Danny
