Quick update...

So much has happened. The trip to Kyoto, and then Nara, was fantastic. Nara was a much smaller and more isolated place with much history. We enjoyed our two nights there at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, and had a relaxing wander through some fascinatingly ancient spaces and gardens, including Japan's largest bronze statue housed inside the world's largest wooden building. Also, in Nara there are relatively docile deer roaming freely throughout the area that includes many of the tourist sites. I say "relatively" docile because currently one of my most prized possessions is a video I shot of Schreiner feeding a deer that proceeded to bite his posterior. These are good times.



After taking a bullet train back to Tokyo, we've had quite a big weekend already, including going to a baseball game and spending two nights partying late with the cool kids in Roppongi and Shinjuku. Last night we went to a Korean restaurant for an amazing meal; the occasion was a birthday party for two of the Japanese women who live here, and they were nice enough to include me for the cake and some humiliating gifts. It was quite nice to have a surprise birthday party.



Today Mike left us, because his time was up and it was time for him to return to Atlanta. We will miss him, of course. He has been a great traveling companion. Tomorrow Kennon and I fly to Singapore to meet up with Dave Berger, my old roommate from DC, his girlfriend Jen, and Samar, a good friend from college.



Also, yesterday we saw sumo (awesome!):