The Visitation of Sister Katherine Marie

Just a few short days after Dax’s visit, my sister, Katherine, stopped by for a week on her way to Ecuador. (Don’t worry. You are not THAT bad at geography. There is nothing about Tokyo that is on the way to Ecuador. That’s just the way we liked to refer to the extravagant but completely worth-it trip.) My sister is planning on spending the summer in Ecuador teaching English for 6 weeks and then moving on to help injured animals at an animal sanctuary on the coast. Yes, it’s a do-gooder summer for her. And amongst the many charitable events on her summer calendar, she planned on spending a week keeping me company in Tokyo. That’s how she justified the rather expensive plane ticket at least. That and the fact that she is already racking up quite a bill volunteering her services for the summer, what’s another $$$$ to travel to the other side of the world to play around with her big sister for a week? I made sure to show her a fabulous time.

It is likely that when you meet my sister she will instantly become one of your favorite people, if not, you will certainly become intrigued by her. Her laid back demeanor is almost as refreshing as the complete feeling of comfort she has in herself. Nothing seems to ruffle her feathers. Nothing and no one is going to make her stray from who she is and what she is about. Although she is laid back, she definitely has her share of quirky interests and attitudes that surprise and delight those who get to know her well. I admire my little sister.

Katie has never travelled outside of the United States. Well, that’s not exactly true, there was that cruise and then the high school band trip to Canada, but for all intents and purposes she has never travelled. This fact has haunted her in a very real way during the last few years. She’s felt almost incomplete not knowing any other part of the world. This summer is the remedy for those empty feelings. This is the summer that she proves her independence to everyone around her, but mostly importantly to herself. So, to help her get started on the right foot, I didn’t pick her up from the airport, but rather gave her directions to a meeting place in Roppongi. I was so worried about her, I made Jonathan come with me to the Hotel lobby (the meeting place) one and a half hours early so we wouldn’t miss her. Her bus arrived perfectly on schedule, and she stepped out in to the Tokyo night drunk with exhaustion and glee.

The next week was one wonderful escapade after another. We did so much there is no way to tell you everything, but I’ll touch on the highlights. Enjoy!

The arrival.