The Gap?

If I'm not mistaken, this is the Gap store near Kyoto station. I guess Hiromi is teaching Nia how to...shop?

Careful with that credit card, lady.

Nia "Reinhold Messner" Moneyhun

This is in a park near Kyoto Station, central Kyoto. Hiromi reports that it was really hot that day.

Teacher's Pet

I'm pretty sure this is Nia's teacher. Nia makes friends everywhere she goes.

A Little Light Reading

Here' s Nia with her Aunt Izumi. It must be a really good book. Nia doesn't read trashy literature.

Nia the Caregiver

This is not a fluke. Nia really, really, really loves babies. She protects them on the playground, helps them if they fall. What a sweetie.

It's the Wind-Up, It's the Pitch

Japan is funny. They give you free ice cream with every spoon.

Magic Bus

I'm still reeling from the fact that my daughter, who

was just born yesterday, is already riding a bus to and from school. See Nia run. Run, Nia, run.

Circle in the Square

This is at a friend of Hiromi's who has a new baby. Hence, the play mat.

Wake Up Time

=SIGH= Looking this good upon waking is aginst the law, isn't it?

Kyoto Is for Kids

This was near a new sushi restaurant that Hiromi and Nia visited yesterday. Lotsa fun!

R.E.M. (for Some)

This was taken only moments ago on the Japan side of the world, where everyone is just waking up. Here in Florida we're just going to bed. Einstein was right. Space and time.

It's all relative. A daughter dreams pre-dawn as her father eats his evening meal.

Plans Within Plans Within Plans Within...

She and Elmo are plotting something big.

Breakfast Time

And before our sweet pea heads out in the mornings, Hiromi loads her up with enough calories to get her through to lunch.

River BBQ

Yesterday, Hiromi, Nia, and friends (old friends and new friends from Nia's school) went down to the bank of Katsuragawa for grilling and playing. Hiromi reported that the weather was almost chilly under overcast Kyoto skies. Where the hell was I? Here in Florida...sweating.

Framed

This small park is a ten minute walk from our Kyoto house.

Effects of Japan

Old Nihon can do strange things to a person. Grown men have have been known to eat raw fish, drink wine made from rice, sit crosslegged on a pillow for hours while thinking of absolutely nothing.

Nia appears to be in the midst of Phase 1: Wearing Clothes on Head. Her expression reveals obvious internal struggle. She doesn't really want to wear the green shirt on her head, but the urge is too powerful to resist.

Eat, Drink, and Be Nia

Once again, doing what she does best. Feeding the boilers.

Blast from the Past

Yeah, yeah, I know this isn't recent, but I couldn't resist. From Nia and Hiromi's previous visit to old Nihon during the summer of 2005, three years ago. This shot is way too good not to share. And it really shows how much she's grown since then. If you're wondering where that mouth came from, it's Hiromi's.

Hey, lady, where ya goin' with my squirrel?

Lunchtime

Oishii! Not your typical fare here. The bottom image is Nia's normal lunch, which Hiromi so lovingly prepares every morning before waking Nia and sending her off across the big city of Kyoto.

My Girl

I've got sunshine
On a cloudy day...

Clean Up Clean Up

In classic Japanese style, Nia is taking part in the daily clean-up of her own school. No maid service. Japanese children are taught that cleaning up is a part of life. What a novel concept.

The Thing That Ate Kyoto

Godzilla's got nothing on this creature. No one in Japan is safe this summer. Everybody run! Nia's on the loose!!

Kyoto Field Tripping

For those of you who have never been to Kyoto, you gotta go. There's no describing it. It's a museum disguised as a city of one and half million souls. Everywhere you turn, there's lots of really old stuff. Stone stuff. Wooden stuff. Big stuff. Small stuff. Put Kyoto on your "Must See Before I Die" list.

Mother and Child Reunion

I miss them.

The Old Fake Glasses, Nose, and Moustache Trick

This small person looks vaguely familiar, but I'm having trouble placing the face. Anybody have any clue who this is?

Boys Don't Cry

Yeah, well, the look on Nia's face tells me that the boys are gonna be sobbing their asses off soon enough. I guess I should go out and purchase a Louisville Slugger now and avoid the summer rush.

Livestock R Us

Last year she met a sheep at the local petting zoo (see below). Now she's moved onto smaller and featherier things. I think this is at her school, which she attends five days a week in Kyoto until the end of July.

Ice Cream Mouth

As the spokesgirl for the International Icecream Institute (the I.I.I., not to be confused with the Me Me Me) I'm here to tell you that ice cream is a nutritious part of any healthy diet. Everyone should eat at least four servings a day, though my own extensive research has found that more is better.

Summer '08 in Kyoto

Our little jet-setter has winged her way back to her hometown for a look at how the other half lives. It's obvious that she's putting on height and weight and lots of good looks (which she had from the start). Rumor has it that she's attending school and is even riding a bus to and from. =Sigh= Seems like she was just a baby.

The top photo is in the livingroom (downstairs) of the Kyoto house. And if my eyes don't deceive me, I think I detect a missing piece of large furniture (in the background, which isn't there anymore).

The second photo is Nia throwing Dada a kiss. She loves and misses her dada very much, as do I her.

Pic #3 is in the street (I'm assuming in front of the house).

And the last image is downstairs again. Nia is obviously (to me, anyway) telling me, "Hey, Dada."

The way Nia is dressed says that it is still cool in Kyoto (as of early June). Must be nice. It's blazing here in Jacksonvulle Beach.