My name is Henry Shore, I'm a 17 year old student at Enloe High School from Raleigh, North Carolina. I'll be your humble narrator for this blog which I will be updating from Japan. I'm going with my sister's peers from Japanese class at Wiley Elementary. I took Japanese all 6 years when I went to Japan with Johnson Sensei. I'm hoping to have daily-ish updates with both English and Japanese text, pictures, and hopefully video documenting our stay there. We'll be flying out to Chicago tomorrow morning for our layover flight to Japan. We'll be arriving in Tokyo sometime tomorrow afternoon, Japan time. We'll be in Tokyo for a few days, in Mishima with host families for a little over a week, and then touring in other areas of Japan for a few days, but I'll write more about that when I'm actually there!
A little background on the name of the blog- Nippon (日本), is the Japanese word for Japan. I wanted to have a blog with alliteration in the title because of a friends blog about his time in New Orleans and Portland this summer. I tried a few different options ("Exploring the East", "Journey to Japan", "Assimilating Asian Artifacts") and although possibly brilliant, they were not very original and have been previously claimed.
I've also gotten Skype, my username is HenryShore. I'm not sure how talking to people in America will work out because of the time difference, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. Please feel free to add me and chat with me if I'm on.
I'm now off to bed, until next time:
おやすみなさい ！
Hi, Hank,
ReplyDeleteWe love you and miss you already. That was a cool postcard you and Georgia left in the mailbox -- thanks for that. I hope your trip is uneventful and relaxing. Have a wonderful time!
Love,
Mom and Dad
PS It is defaulting to look like Georgia is sending this, but it's really us. I think it's to do with the fact that Georgia uses Firefox to access her gmail account.
OK, this is really me!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shot out bro! Have a blast in Japan so I have something interesting to read about. I'll see you when you get back. Until then さよなら。 ^__^
ReplyDeleteHey, Hank--this is Roo's dad, Shannon. Hope you guys are having a great time! Or maybe you're still too busy dealing with the jet lag...
ReplyDeleteHey Hank. This is just a test. From your dad, of course.
ReplyDeleteHammy,
ReplyDeleteDude, how about some postage? Twit, tweak, or whatever it is that you young folk do! Throw us a bone (maybe w/some pics, if you can muster that w/all yer fancy new technology), or, at least let us know that you landed safely in Tokyo. No pressure here, but the eyes of the world are upon you. Chant w/me now, "The whole world is watching. The whole world . . ." Well, you get the idea. We just can't wait to hear from you! And my personal investment is considerably more tangible than mere emotions, as I helped pony up for the new laptop. Open 'er up and let's see how she runs! No eloquence required (as should be evidenced by this comment). The late Dennis Hopper apparently once said, "When in doubt, do your thing!" Just dance, baby! Or blog, as the case may be. I need to hear from you!
Love,
Dad
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ReplyDeleteHank,
ReplyDeleteNoise rock & fixies, huh? Son, please come home to America, where you belong. We got all that stuff, too, and as you are aware, great firearms!
Wha'sup? Hope all is going well. Things are good here. It's Sat. (6/19) a.m. Pretty low key for your mom and I after our respective returns. As you may remember, we were supposed to see Ellis Marsalis and some others last night (including one of your "seen 'ems", T.S. Monk Institute!), which would've been a bucket list scratch off for me. You know that we've seen all of the performing Marsalis' (Wynton, Brandon, Delfayeo & Jason) except the patriarch! But circumstances once again conspired (5" of sleet and snow on the night of Kris Kristofferson's second performance in N.C. in my adult life! C'mon Lord, you're gonna have to work w/me on some of these line items or I'll be compelled to live forever!) to keep me from fulfilling a lifelong musical wish when the concert was canceled. New Orleans Jazz woodwindest (made it up) and music teacher Kid Jordan did play, but the other two apparently couldn't make it. With advance notice from the box office, I was able to get a full refund, so my e-mailing campaign to get Ellis to perform at Snug Harbor when we're in New Orleans in October begins now.
Scout camp went well, I thought. Camp Ottari this year. It was my first time there, very beautiful, but secluded mountain setting. There was, for all intents and purposes, no cell phone reception for me, but some folk with different services were getting through. One leader, Jim from Roanoke, a great guy, let me use his internet enabled phone to check your blog (well, of course he pulled it up for me!) It was positively spiritual to see a new entry from you, so far away, as I sat there on that rugged mountainside surrounded by so much natural beauty and so few modern amenities. And then when I read the part about you keeping up with the online classes . . . wow! I love this life, and I'm so proud of you for keeping all these fire irons going! Other than that, it was nice, but fairly uneventful. It did rain quite a bit. And Alex bested me by a respectable margin at the rifle range. As the Japanese well tell you, I really need to shoot more often!
I think mom's trip to St. Louis went well, too, although she passed up an opportunity to see the Cardinals play (Two words, dear. Albert Pujols) and to ride to the top of the arch. Alas, she really doesn't have a clue about how much she needs me!
Love,
Dad
Okay, BRANFORD Marsalis. Interesting, isn't it, that he's the only one I've seen multiple times! Oh well, your mom reminded me that, appalled though Ayn Rand may be, I really don't have a clue about how much I need her!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the father's day call. Georgia called, too, from her host family's phone. It was a great day, but I (we) miss you two. You need to post some more if you can. I know y'all are fixin' to travel again and it'll be hard. You've done such a great job, and I've talked to lots of family and friends who've enjoyed keepin' up. Thank you.
Be safe and we'll see you soon!
Love,
Dad
Hank,
ReplyDeleteY’all are en route, although delayed a bit, which I frankly expected. Once you involve Chicago . . .
While your posts kinda petered out, I know you had a busy trip along with occasional wi-fi and even power outlet access problems that made keeping up with the blog much more difficult than you had anticipated. But I think it has meant a lot to many people, friends and family that want to know what’s going on with you. And I know that, on top of all that you did while you were gone, you were able to keep up with two summer school courses online. I’m extremely proud of what you’ve accomplished these past couple of weeks. Thanks for your help setting up Skype. I especially liked “skyping” (always use protection!) You know, I think this whole internet thing is really gonna catch on in a few years!
For lunch today I had my first three tomato sandwiches (well, two tomatoes will make three sandwiches just about any way you slice them!) of the 2010 fresh produce season. With some of good neighbor Walter’s homegrown tomatoes, white bread and real mayo, the way the good Lord intended, this phenomenal (for me anyhow) summertime delight and the knowledge that you and Georgia will be delivered safely back home combine to make this day the second best day of my life (it’s an old inside joke w/Dee. Ask her to explain it).
See you in a matter of minutes.
Love,
Dad
Hank,
ReplyDeleteI've just now gotten a chance to read your blog- it's fantastic! Thanks so much for doing this, it will be such a nice way for all of us to relive our memories and share with others.
I really enjoyed getting to know you in Japan - as I told your Dad, I think he has great kids! You made quite an impression on Larkin as well, he has made several references to conversations that you had, etc. Thanks so much for hanging out with him - I think it was a little tough for him to be the only younger boy.
Take care and hope to see you again soon, Kim