USJ 25th Anniversary – Part 5 - Lunch With Our “Kids”

March 29, 2026

After breakfast, I prepared the gifts we were to take with us today and caught up on some email and other correspondence.

Yuko is the Japanese daughter we share with the Larsons. We had her for the first two weeks of her stay, and then she moved in with them. At the time, their daughters were close to her age, and we felt she would have a better time in a household with other young people. We were working full-time, so we only saw her in the mornings and evenings. However, we didn’t count on falling in love with her.

We became close quickly and have remained so ever since. When we lived in Japan, she visited us several times. Once she brought a couple of the other students who had been in her group in California with her. They usually spent a night with us.

She worked for Dolby for a time and came to California a few times for business. We picked her up each time and brought her home for a day or two.

She has always come to see us on each of our trips back to Osaka, even though she lives in Tokyo. And we always enjoy spending time with her.

Tomohito lived with our friends, Bob and Bernie Schweck, while he was in California. We saw him when we lived in Japan, and he lives near Yuko. She said she would come to Osaka to visit and bring him with her for this trip.

She suggested we meet at Umeda Station. We knew this would be a nightmare. When we lived in Japan, it was an enormous maze of several stories, both above and below ground. Trying to meet someone there would have been all but impossible. Fortunately, she talked to a friend of hers who suggested Taking a cab. So, we took their advice.

She selected Grigliato CUÓCA, an Italian restaurant in the Hankyu Hotel, right across the street from the station. I checked their lunch menu, and it sounded delicious,The cab was a great decision. The driver dropped us off at the hotel entrance. We went up to the 9^th floor, entered the restaurant lobby, and found Yuko and Tomohito right away. Why they never change, I have no idea, but we were glad to have recognized them instantly.

We were seated and made our luncheon selections. (You can see the lunch menu on their website.)

First, we were served an assortment of small portions five appetizers. Larry was in heaven! I ate a couple of mine, and then he finished my plate.

Then, we selected our pasta or risotto dish: Penne carbonara, Spaghetti with mackerel, Tagliolini with shrimp, or Saffron risotto with foie gras. I picked the carbonara, and it was delicious! Larry picked the risotto, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally, we had our choice of seven desserts: Strawberry mousse, Tiramisù, Panna cotta with sweetened condensed milk, Tea jelly, The day's ice cream, Fruits Pie [sic] Cherry-blossom flavored Mont blanc! We could select from a dessert bar, and we could go back if we chose to! (Yuka knows her dad very well!)

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and catching up with both of them.

Larry, me, Tomohito, and Yuko
Note the dessert selections!

We gave them our gifts, and they liked them. They had also brought gifts. Yuko had hot facial masks for Bob, Anne and Paul, and for us. She suggested we use one of ours before boarding the plane. (These must be popular in Japan right now because we had them in our room at the hotel along with the other toiletries.)

Tomohito brought fans and a beautiful firoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth).

Anne and Paul had sent a note for Yuko, and Bob had done the same for Tomohito.

We lingered as long as we could, but we figured they would need the table, so we left. We said our good-byes in the lobby before we selected a taxi from the taxi rank just outside.

Our driver thought he was Super Mario. He gunned the motor and shouted, “Go! Go! Go!,” every time there was a straight section of road in front of him. Then he laughed. He spoke little Japanese, but he knew we were connected to Universal Studios Japan. Through broken English, we discovered he actually saw himself as Luigi, not Mario.

We made it back in one piece. The taxi rides cost us very little more than the train would have, and they saved us a great deal of time and frustration! (Note to self: when in doubt, take the easiest route!)

We rested a bit and then went out to walk around CityWalk for a while. We went into the USJ Studio Store and checked out the merchandise, but we didn’t buy anything―yet.

Returned to our room, watched a little TV (not much choice, though), and went to bed.

Another great day with people we love!

USJ 25th Anniversary – Part 3 - Japanese Breakfast

 

March 28, 2026

For the last ten years or so, Larry has requested we only stay in hotels that serve breakfast. (We became spoiled when we started staying at Hampton Inns with their breakfast buffet included. Domestically, they became our hotels of choice.)

We have stayed at the Hotel Universal Port each time we return to Japan, and we always opt to add the breakfast buffet. It’s Larry’s kind of meal. Lots of small tastes of a bunch of different foods. And the best part is the cappuccino machine!

Since they moved our room to the top floor (ocean view, not park view), we discovered we also got some great perks.

I need to thank the Room Support clerk, Setsuko Washio, who made it all happen and for going far out of her way to make sure we were satisfied. She kept checking in with us to be sure we were enjoying our stay.

And she gave us a sweet card and 25th anniversary sticker from the hotel.

Being on the top floor meant we got special blue ticket for breakfast. Like fast-passes or lightning lanes, they allowed us to bypass the regular (LONG) lines at the entrance and get seated first.

Then, we were escorted to a special, separate dining area. I always request to be seated where we could see the children in the main area. I love watching their enthusiasm as they anticipate a day in the park. The last time, we saw more kids in Harry Potter robes and Mario hats. Fewer were in costume this time, but their excitement was no less palpable.

Not only did we have reserved seating, but each day we received a special “treat” with our meal.

The plates were side plates, and the tiny cups were the size of egg cups, but the fruit was fresh as was the tiny mint leaf, and the fork was about the size of a cocktail fork. Fresh strawberries are expensive, so this was truly a lovely surprise. (They looked exactly the same every day.)

The other perk of being on the top floor was coupons for free drinks in a couple of the hotel lounges. Since we don’t drink, we thought we wouldn’t use them, but several of our Japanese kids came to visit us, and we went there to eat with them. They enjoyed the free drinks!

We always started breakfast with a cup of cappuccino to wake up.

Then we picked up a tray and added one of the smaller serving trays for our food. (They are half the length of the tray and fit across the width. They are sort of like egg cartons with six shallow indentations. They only hold a small amount in each one. So, you can try many options.

There are numerous food stations featuring Japanese, Chinese, American, and other specialties. There is also a kid’s station with special minion-themed dishes for them to eat from. Their section has (among other things) a choice of cereals and toppings—including soft serve ice cream. Larry started a bit of a trend by finishing his meal each day with it. He noticed several other adults followed suit. (He’s a trend-setter.)

My favorite area was the yogurt and smoothie bar. It always had plain yogurt and usually plain yogurt with chia seeds. (I might start keeping it on hand at home since it was good.) They provided small bowls (the same size as the coffee cups) for the yogurt and featured chunks of apple, pineapple, and other fruit. One day, they had fresh raspberries and Japanese blueberries (much smaller than ours, but tasty). Then there were toppings: passion fruit and mixed fruit. Yummy.

The smoothies were usually banana and mango, a berry mix, and green juice. We went for the fruit.

Many items were cooked fresh on the spot. Fried chunks of fish were being cooked at all times, and when a batch was finished, they beat on a drum as notification. Fresh Japanese “omelets” (hard cooked scrambled eggs spread thin and cooked in sheets, then rolled and cut into small bite-sized slices) were announced with a bell.

Larry usually selected the undercooked scrambled eggs. I preferred to choose a whole egg, formed in a perfect circle, which just fit into one of the indents in the serving tray. They made them over-easy, over-hard, and sunny-side-up.

I also liked the fried potato wedges. Larry usually got the tiny patty of shredded potato, sort-of-like McDonald’s mini-hashbrown patties. (I tried them once, but they were cold.)

He always tried a variety of the Asian choices, most of which I didn’t recognize. I pretty much stuck to western foods, and not much of any of them.

Many choices were provided, including undercooked bacon and unsmoked sausage. The undercooked scrambled eggs are in the red container, and the potato wedges are in the yellow one. The rest of the eggs, etc. are around the corner.

They provided a selection of breads and sweet rolls, too. Tiny croissants, small fruit-filled pastries, and bread for toasting were featured. A couple of days, they had miniature waffles, about the size of a quarter of a Belgian waffle, with one edge dipped in icing. Of course, we tried these.

We had to guard against eating too much, but everything was delicious!

We always finished our meals with a final cup of cappuccino while we watched the people enjoying themselves.

On the first morning, as I got my cappuccino, I spotted a little guy in a highchair. He had his stuffed purple paradactyl with him. He was ignoring his breakfast while he “flew” it around the table and placed it on his head. He made me smile.

Another day, a tiny boy, also in a highchair, smiled and giggled and flirted with me. I waved, and he laughed.

And Minion Bob greeted us as we left.

It was altogether a lovely way to start each day.

FAREWELL TO JAPAN

 April 1, 2024 – Part 1

I didn’t sleep very well. I was concerned about our transport to the airport arriving on time to give us some breathing space before our flight. Now that the celebration was over, my mind was going a mile a minute thinking about everything I had to get done as soon as we got home.

We got up and went down to breakfast. Then, I worked on my blog and Larry read until it was time to check out.

We left the bags with the bellman and headed out for a last walk at CityWalk.

But first, we said goodbye to the minions. The whole hotel has been re-themed with them, and the employees’ costumes are also minion-themed.

With the minions at the Universal Port Hotel

We enjoyed being in the area one last time. People were headed toward the park, and others were exploring the shops and restaurants at CityWalk.

Since it was close to noon, and since our plane wouldn’t leave for several hours, we decided to get a light lunch. McDonalds was right there, so we went in. A lovely young man was talking orders—and he spoke perfect English.

I ordered a six-piece McNugget “set-o” (the same as our combo). He informed me I could only get the six-piece as a Happy Meal.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

Larry ordered the same.

After getting our drink orders, he asked what toy we wanted. We both declined.

We found a two-person table and took our time enjoying our lunch.

We still had about an hour before our airport transport was scheduled to arrive, and it was cold out, so we stopped by Starbucks for coffee. We sipped our drinks while we people-watched. It was still a thrill to see people emerge from the train station excited about going to the park. This reaction was what we had hoped for when we were working there. And, here it still was twenty-three years later.

With about twenty minutes left until our ride was to arrive, we returned to the hotel and reclaimed our bags. We waited inside until Larry received a text that our ride was on the way.

After a short wait in front of the hotel, our van arrived.

The ride to the airport was without issue as was check-in. We checked our large bag and got our boarding passes. Then we headed to the departure gate.

Larry rushed through the airport. I had a hard time keeping up with him. Of course, our gate was a LONG way from the entrance. We had to walk through all the Duty-Free shops and food areas to get to another section. Then we had to take a train to yet another area to find our gate. (Kansai is now about twice the size it used to be.)

We finally arrived—and there was no one there. I finally asked Larry why he had been in such a hurry. He said he thought we were too late to make the plane. Times for all transportation in Japan are on 24-hour clocks, but we had entered the time on our calendar in 12-hour time. Larry had misread the departure time. We arrived at the gate well over an hour before boarding.

I found a seat, and Larry took our empty water bottles to refill them.

Little-by-little others began to arrive. Then the crew drifted in. As each group appeared, they turned to the waiting passengers and bowed. Gotta love the Japanese.

Finally, it was time for our group to board.

Everything went smoothly. We got settled in and blew up our travel pillows. I remained optimistic that I might get some sleep during the flight, even though I almost never do.

After we were airborne, we were served beverages. Then they served dinner: either chicken or pork bowls. I chose pork, and Larry had the chicken. They were accompanied by the usual assortment of small side dishes. The food was okay, but it didn’t begin to compare with the meal we received on the trip to Japan. I ate some, and Larry finished the rest.

I closed my eyes and tried to rest, but I couldn’t sleep. I decided to watch a couple of movies. I saw Wish. It was disappointing, and I could understand why it wasn’t considered one of Disney’s best. Then I watched Anyone But You. Kind of a dud as well.

I turned off the entertainment and closed my eyes. I still didn’t sleep, but rested a bit.

 April 1, 2024 – Part 2

Even though we left Japan in the evening of April 1, we arrived in LA about noon--on April 1. We had recovered the day we had lost on the way over.

Fortunately, this flight was much shorter than the one to Japan. (The flight to Japan was about thirteen hours. The one back was about nine-and-a-half.) About an hour before we landed, lunch was served: a kind of taco salad with several small dish accompaniments. As usual, I ate the entrée and left most of the rest. Larry ate his and then picked at the things he wanted from my tray.

We left the plane and went through customs. The process was much more streamlined than it was the last time we arrived at LAX. Everything went pretty quickly.

We finally got out of the airport and called our driver, Danny. We told him where we were waiting, and he arrived before long. We are so blessed to have found him!

After an uneventful drive, we arrived home in the afternoon.

We took all the dirty clothes to the laundry room and started the washer. Then we began to unpack.

We weren’t hungry, so we skipped dinner. Good thing since we had no food in the house.

Since we were tired, we decided to get to bed early. We still had a lot to do for the week!

EASTER IN JAPAN

 March 31, 2024    

Easter Sunday started very early. We heard a noise at 2:45 a.m. It took a minute to figure out it had come from our phones and another minute to get to them across the room. We finally realized the sound came from our Ring doorbell. Larry tried to use the talk feature, but it was already too late.

We looked at the video and realized it was our postal clerk delivering mail to our front door. She wore her rain outfit. (She had brought it to our door because it was raining pretty hard.)

Once we were awake, we had a hard time getting back to sleep. We were still overtired from the day before and excited about the afternoon.

We eventually got up, showered, and got ready.

Today was the reunion party for the USJ Construction Team. We’d have liked to have gone to our church in Kobe, but we didn’t have enough time before the party. We were excited to see everyone again.

We went to breakfast a little later than usual, and we took our time eating.

As we passed through the hotel lobby, we stopped by the minions to take pictures.

Then we returned to our room and repacked most of our stuff since we were leaving the next day. Our dirty clothes went into the checked bag, and the clean ones went into our carry-on bags. We had received quite a few gifts from friends, and they had to be fitted in.

Terri had asked us to bring copies of our book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park, because some of the contractors wanted them. So, we put them in a bag along with the other items we needed to take with us to the banquet (omiage, etc,).

Then we headed to the hotel where the banquet would be held.

One of the first people I saw was Dote-san. We were really happy to see each other!

Dote-san and me

We spent quite a while catching up with friends.

Miho, Dote-san, Yuki, Lorna, Chie, Larry, Richard (Chie’s husband)

Hatanaka-san and Bob Murphy

Hunvey Chen, Christiane Sentianin, Tommy Garcia, Mark Adams

Noriko and Maki

USI Team: Back: Bob Murphy, Mark Adams, Larry Collins, Tommy Garcia, Setsuko
Front: Hunvey Chen, Terri Igarashi, Christiane Sentianin, Lorna, Tomoko, Chie

Opening the sake barrel: Ritzuko, Terri, Tomoko

These were the sake cups we were each given as mementos of the event.

Hunvey, Christiane, Tomoko, Terri

USI Team: Christiane, Mark Adams, Hunvey, Bob Murphy, Lorna, Larry, Yuki

Terri and Larry

We were served a terrific buffet meal with lots of choices to please everyone. Sake, beer, and other beverages were available. Non-alcoholic choices were also offered.

And there were games…

Lots of socializing.

Lorna, Chie, Christiane, Larry

While we were all there, we took a “class photo” of everyone.

What a great event! And we sold six books. We could have sold more if we’d had them.

We received a wonderful gift. Yuko Yamashita, the wife of one of the contractor employees, gave us a CD with our book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park, translated into Japanese! I have always wanted to have it available in that language so all our friends could read it. Now I have to figure out how to format it.

BACK TO THE PARK

 March 30, 2024

Although we were still tired after our big adventure the day before, we were excited about seeing “our” park again. We had already noticed from our room how much bigger USJ had grown since it was built. We also knew ET, Back to the Future, Backdraft, Terminator-2, Western Stunt Show, Animal Actors, and other original attractions were long gone. ET was replaced by Spiderman, and it, too, closed the week before we arrived.

We had been in touch with Christiane Sentianin, the Area 3 admin in Hollywood, prior to our trip. She and Hunvey Chen had planned to visit the park on the 30^th. They told us what tickets to get. Yuki Nakamura and Mark Adams and his wife also planned on going the same day. We had bought our tickets and express passes for the same date and time as they had before we left home.

We went down to breakfast early, but not quite as early as the day before. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Regular length lines. No overflow restaurant. A full selection of items.

We knew the park would open at eight a.m. I had texted Christiane to see when they would get to the park. She said they planned to arrive about nine.

We returned to our room and got ready to go. We decided to go early in case there were any issues with our tickets. Fortunately, there were none. We carried our express passes for the most popular attractions. Our first scheduled ride was Mario Cart at 11:30, so we had lots of time.

We entered the park about eight-fifteen and found a table outside Boulangère on Hollywood Boulevard. From there, we could look down the street toward the entrance.

Christiane texted a couple of times to let us know where they were. Before long, I looked up and saw her running around the corner with her arms outstretched. Hunvey and Yuki were not far behind her. We hadn’t seen her in person since our last morning at USJ 2001 when we ate breakfast with her. (We have stayed in touch through email and Facebook.)

Christiane, Larry, Yuki, Lorna, Hunvey

Our next objective was to find our names on the windows in the park. With the replacement of some of the areas and attractions, several of our friends lost theirs, but all of ours are still there.

Larry is on the 2^nd floor, second from right (Bail Bondsman). I am diagonally above him (Tailor).

Christiane is on the yellow sign.

Yuki’s window is the one on the left.

Hunvey is on the window.

We then walked around the lagoon past Mel’s Drive-in. The vintage cars are still there, but we weren’t sure they were the same ones Cathy arranged for in 2001.

Next, we went on the JAWS ride. Since we had the express passes, we bypassed the long regular lines and got on the ride in just a few minutes. We checked to be sure Larry’s footprints were still on the beach. They are.

The sharks seemed to be missing their skins. They now look like painted metal. Not quite the same effect as the original, but they all were working.

We stopped at the restrooms opposite the ride and SURPRISE! When we built the park. 75% of the toilets were Japanese style (squat type) even though originally they were supposed to be 75% American. (Many discussions occurred about the type, but the Japanese ones took up less room and were cheaper.) Today, ALL of the toilets are American-style! In fact, every one we saw in the park was.

We went to Jurassic Park, but the ride was closed for refurbishment. However, there is a new rollercoaster next to it called The Flying Dragon. You hang on this one with your legs dangling, and it carries riders upside down, sideways, and facing the ground. Larry and I decided we didn’t really want to try it, but the other three did. I guess they enjoyed it, but as we watched it, I was glad we had passed.

It was getting close to the time for our scheduled ride on Mario Cart, so we headed in that direction. There, we met Mark Adams and his wife.

Lorna, Larry, Christiane, Yuki, Hunvey, Mark. Jessica

It was getting hot, and the access to the Mario ride was insane! We all agreed that it never would have been allowed in the US. To get to the start of the ride, we had to climb up and down about nine flights of stairs. By the time we reached the final queue, my knees were hurting. They handed each of us a headpiece—a heavy one. It was adjustable, but it slipped on my hair, sliding forward over my eyes or falling backward. (I never did get it to fit correctly.) When we finally reached the ride vehicles, they handed each of us a viewer glass that hooked onto the head piece, making it even heavier and more inclined to slip around.

Since I had absolutely no idea how the game was supposed to be played, I couldn’t figure out what to do, and I couldn’t see correctly through the view screen anyway.

I hated every minute. (The day before, we had been told by a kid that it was his favorite ride, and I could understand how it might be if the headset fit and worked and you knew how to play. But nothing worked for me.)

When we got out, Larry spotted an elevator, so we took it to get back down to the exit, where we met the rest of the gang.

We decided to go on Yoshi’s Adventure while we were there. It reminded me of the beginning of the Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland. Halfway through, I said to Larry, “What if they created a ride that did absolutely nothing?” By the end of the ride, we discovered that they had! It might have been fun for a child under four-years-old, but for anyone older than five, it was truly boring.

By this time (after 1:00 p.m.) we were hungry. We still had a wait before we could go on the Harry Potter ride, so we went back to the Discovery Restaurant in the JP area for lunch. Jessica and I held down a large table while the others got food. It was surprisingly good, and we enjoyed it very much.

We went back over to Harry Potter. We still had about half an hour to wait, so we found some shade and sat down.

Finally, our scheduled time arrived, and we entered the queue. This one was fine, and we got on the ride vehicle. I loved it! We had gone on the one in Hollywood once, but it had stopped soon after we got on. They started it again after about an hour, but they ran the ride with the work lights on, so we couldn’t see the film and missed all the effects. However, Larry enjoyed seeing how all the mechanical devices worked. This time, we got the full story and enjoyed the ride.

After our very long day the day before, we were getting tired. We decided to go back to the hotel since it was late afternoon. The rest of our group decided to stay for a while longer.

We were still impressed with how terrific “our” park was, and we remained proud of our part in creating it.

When we got back to the hotel, we rested. We didn’t want to go anywhere for dinner, so we ate granola bars and had tea. Just what we needed.

We went to bed early anticipating a busy day on Sunday.

Coming Home

 I always love it when our kids come home to visit. This past couple of years have been challenging, what with Covid and travel restrictions.

Our Japanese “son,” Toshi, used to come to California on business several times a year. He extended each trip by a few days so he could come to Dana Point for a visit. He was actually here with us the day foreign travel was shut down in 2020. We suggested he just remain here, but he said he had obligations in Japan. He flew out that night, and we hadn’t seen him since.

We all bemoaned his inability to travel during the time he was gone.

However, he is now fully vaccinated, and the restrictions have been lifted—or at least lightened. He arrived on May 3 for over three weeks with us, and we were so happy to see him!

When he comes, he brings two laptop computers and continues to participate in Zoom meetings and to do work while he is here. I keep urging him to take a REAL vacation. Also, because his clients are in Asia, most of his meetings are late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is a luxury for him!

He has many friends here in Orange County and San Diego. So, while he is here, he plans visits to see them. We still have three cars, so he uses mine during his stays.

If he goes out drinking with his friends, he always texts me to let me know he is spending the night where he is, rather than driving home. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and consideration.

While he was here, we went to Disneyland with him one day. We were pleased that he could get a ticket and that we could make reservations for the same day. We had a great time!

He took several early morning walks at the marina with us, and we enjoyed having him. On his last evening, we took the Bluff Top Trail (or the Hide Trail) just before sunset. It is short, but it has gorgeous views of the harbor, which we all enjoyed.

Larry meets several of his friends via Zoom a couple of times a month. Most of them are retired, and some live away from California. Since Toshi knows most of them, Larry invited him to join them for a meeting.

He was very impressed. He said his father is retired, but he has no relationships with any other men since his retirement. Toshi wants to create a template for the kind of group he observed here. He wants market it to companies as part of their retirement packages as a way for former employees to stay in touch. I certainly hope he can find a way to make it work.

Since he knows many of our friends, he attended a number of events and church with us.

Like our daughter, Kim, Toshi has favorite restaurants to visit while he is here. One is our favorite, The Harbor Grill in Dana Point Harbor. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there with him.

He also wanted an American steak before he left. We had a meal at the Claim Jumper. He and Larry each ordered a different steak and then shared them so they could taste both.

He always has items to purchase while he is here in California. This time, he bought two pairs of driving shoes. Several years ago, we bought him a pair. He told us they are now worn out.

He also looked for T-shirts. He likes simple ones without designs. He found a couple he liked.

One Saturday morning, we went down to the Outlets at San Clemente for Cars and Coffee. He loves fast cars, and there were plenty of them for him to look at. Afterward, we ate brunch at Ruby’s Diner.

His stay was over far too quickly. He flew to San Francisco, where he planned to spend a couple of days. Then he took two days to visit the Napa Valley. He swore he was taking a real vacation while he was there.

He will fly back to Tokyo in a couple of days from San Francisco. He hopes to be back here again in a few months. We certainly hope this will be possible since we thoroughly enjoy having him.

Our Children

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

Kahlil Gibran The Prophet

I read this beautiful book many years ago, and its wisdom has remained powerful for me. The section on children is a reminder that our biological children are not extensions of ourselves but a gift we are given and pass on to the world. They are their own separate beings. Our task as parents is to help them become all they can be.

We had only one biological child, our daughter, Kimberly. We are proud of the beautiful human being she has become—perhaps in spite of us.

When she was growing up, we always took another child with us whenever we went somewhere so she would have company. Over the years, some of those were “added” to our family, like Donna, Erin, Savannah, and our godchild, Tracy. We are also close to our nieces and nephews. We would do anything for them.

When we moved to Dana Point nearly 35 years ago, we began to host foreign students in our home for “homestay” programs. They lived with us for between six and twelve weeks. They became our children. Most of them have returned to visit us here in California. Our Spanish daughter was Miss International. She is now an actress. Our six from Japan visited us during the time we lived there. We visited them, too.

Dad, Ikue, Fumiko, Yasuko with Daisuke, Kim, Vera (my mother), Mom, Kae, Yuko

Yasuko had a small child when we arrived. During our time there, she and her husband had a second. These are our only grandchildren. Make no mistake, they are ours.

Through church friends, we learned about Music Mission Kiev (Kyiev). They used to tour the US every other year, and the orchestra and choir members were housed in private homes. We hosted musicians for five of those tours. The last ones were young singers with the opera chorus. We have remained in contact with several of these musicians. When the attacks began on Ukraine, we immediately thought or our friends there. And we began to pray. Our prayers continue.

Last December, good friends in Texas hosted a Ukrainian orphan in their home for several weeks—including through Christmas. While she was there, our friend posted almost daily about the experience. They loved being able to give this precious little girl a real family and a special holiday to remember.

This morning, the “dad” posted this picture along with the final photo taken of him and her before they put her on the plane

“This was the last thing I used the translator for when I was taking our sweet girl to the airport to go back to Ukraine in January. She begged to not go back not even knowing this war was around the corner. Pretty heartbreaking to have a child who calls you dad living in a war zone and there is nothing you can do to change it…”

He gave me permission to use the photo of the two of them, but in order to protect their privacy, I have chosen not to. However, their looks gave little doubt about their mutual love for each other.

These images broke my heart. This little girl is truly their child, just as our “kids” are truly ours.

Our Japanese son arrived yesterday, and we are delighted to have him.

Do you have any children who are not related by blood but who are our hearts’ children?

COUNTDOWN TO JAPAN

The world is counting down to the Olympic Games to be held in Japan next month. Because of the pandemic, the games were delayed for a year. But now, it seems, they are really happening.

We were supposed to go back to Osaka this year, too. March 31 marked the twentieth anniversary of the opening of Universal Studios Japan. We spent from August of 1998 through the spring of 2001 there helping to build it.

During our time there, I sent home email messages every couple of weeks about places we’d visited, things we’d seen, and all our adventures living as expats. (Today, it would be called a blog.) These ended up being sent to about 150 people. When we returned, I discovered they had been forwarded to even more.

Friends insisted they had to be published as a book. Sounded easy. It wasn’t.

The individual subjects were timely when they were written, but they didn’t fit together well for a book. So, I started over.

After a few chapters, I discovered I needed—and wanted—Larry’s input. What he came up with was a totally different book than the one I intended.

We remained at an impasse until our friend, Julie, suggested we join her writing group and ask them for advice. At the first meeting, one of the members suggested a solution, and we began the book again with each of us writing our own chapters, identified by our names.

When we finished, we looked for an agent. Two of them liked the book, but they both had the same issue: it didn’t fit neatly into any category. It was about Japan, but it wasn’t a travel book. It was about building USJ, but it wasn’t exclusively a theme park book. It was about doing business in Japan, but it wasn’t specifically a business book. It was a memoir, but we were told memoirs wouldn’t sell unless you were famous. We weren’t.

Time passed, and interest in the building of the park was waning. So, we decided to use subsidy publishing. This is where you pay something for the publication, but not nearly what it costs the publisher.

After three grueling edits, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park was finally published in the spring of 2005 in hardback, paperback, and ebook. In 2018, we added the audiobook with a great narrator. It went on to be one of two finalists for best ebook memoir of the year in 2006, was named one of Rebeccas Reads best nonfiction books of 2005, and was listed on the Forbes recommended reading list as well as several theme park websites.

If you would like to learn a bit about Japan in preparation for the Olympics, this is the book for you! If you plan to visit Japan, this book contains many tips to make your trip easier. If you want to learn about the trials and tribulations of building a world-class theme park, this is the only book ever written about the building of a Universal Studios theme park. (There is one other about a specific ride: Revenge of the Mummy.) And if you plan to relocate to Japan, be sure to check this one out.

If you have any questions about what it was like to live and work there, please feel free to ask.