We be rockin' proper at the Japan v. UAE footie match in June, 2005. Our boys lost this one, but they went on to clinch a berth in the 2006 World Cup. Doitsu e ikou!!! P.S. I am sorry for wearing my England jersey to a Japan game. If someone would be kind enough to please send me a Team Japan jersey in size XXXL (preferably with Nakamura Shunsuke's name and number on it), I will make sure this terrible faux pas never happens again :)

Please see the story below entitled "Better than Hiroshima?" ... and call me da Man!!!!

Yamanote Line passing DoCoMo Tower... Shinjuku

Meiji-Jingu, June 2005... Traditional Shinto Wedding. Will Scott and Kotomi's wedding look like this too? Your guess is as good as mine.

Kotomi Poppins on our Hanami pic-nic, April 2005. (Sorry for the lateness, I forgot to post these)

Hanami Scene - Everybody doing there own leisurely thing on a Hanami Saturday afternoon. Reminds me of a wood-block print. Scott is chillin' in the top right.

This one goes out to my Homies, namely Sam and Maurice. Sam, best takoyaki I have ever had. Maurice... LOOK!!!! ITS SMOTHERED IN MAYONNAISE AND EGG!!!

Hahaha!! Didn't I tell you all I was gonna be the King of Japan someday??!! Rollin', in my Five Point Oh!

May 14, 2005..... Kotomi and I have a new edition to the family. We don't know if it is a boy or a girl, but its birthday should be sometime soon. I am not going to tell you what it is, we will all wait for the big day together. Until then, post-up with your best guess!! P.S. Its about the size of a Tube Steak sausage and weighs about as much as a mandarin orange.... for now.

The dramatic serenity of Mount Fuji...... AND THE BEST PREMIUM OUTLET SHOPPING THIS SIDE OF THE PACIFIC!!! Gotemba - May 7, 2005

Reason I Love Japan (Number 13,983) - EBINA SERVICE AREA.... Kotomi, her sister Manami and I headed off to an outlet mall near Mt. Fuji. We kept wondering why so many Ferraris were passing us on the expressway. When we got to the Ebina Service Area, we found out why. This place was a FREAK SHOW of super cool cars - about 50-75 Italian beauties when I counted. It was also a fabulous FREAK SHOW of Japanese mania. Motorcyclists dressed up as cops and motor-cross champions (minus the mud, of course). All of this AND a fabulous place to stop, shop and eat.... all before 9 AM!

Dunno about you, but I think Scott is trying a little TOO hard to be all Zen.

Kotomi at Matsushima.

I tried for 30 minutes to get this shot. Kotomi got it on her second try.

Matsushima, bird, and Shrimp

Scene from a Hitchcock movie? Nope. Boat cruise at Matsushima.

Up at 4:30 am for this picture!!!

Matsushima... A series of tiny, oddly shaped islands with beautifully crazy pine trees growing on them. Also the sight for this picture (Scott's vote for best pic 2005 thus far).

Kotomi chowing down on her scrumtious dinner at the Century Hotel in Matsushima.

Scott enjoyed dinner too...