Sunday, June 25, 2006. The next morning we had breakfast. There was toast, sashimi, salad, and soup (tofu and seaweed). They also had Camembert Cheese. I knew they didn't normally eat this when my host sister almost threw up after trying it. I thought, "now you know what it's like." It's very interesting how one's culture influences what people like to eat or not eat. Once we were done, we had a video iChat conference with my family back home. I was lucky that the Saitos had high speed internet access because most schools and homes do not have it. It's ironic for a society known around the world for technological innovation. Anyway, the reason for the iChat was to celebrate my daughter, Allie's, 7th birthday. It was still June 24 at home and my wonderful husband set the cake up in front of the laptop at home. The Saitos and I in Japan and our family and friends in Buffalo sang "Happy Birthday" to Allie. It was ALMOST as good as being there. We also included Mrs. Saito when we sang since June 25 (which it was in Japan) is her birthday. The Saitos were pretty amazed by the whole thing. After, we headed to Oshima Island. Oshima Island is an island that sits in Kesennuma’s Bay.

We first went to the “squeaky beach” – Kugunarihama. This was very cool. We took some sand back with us. After that we went to the top of Oshima Island – Mt. Kameyama. It was a little cloudy, but there was still a beautiful view of the surrounding area. There was a Shinto Shrine on the top of the mountain, and I received another good fortune! Yea for me!!!

We used a chairlift to get down from the mountain. It was a little nerve wracking as there was no safety bar.

The Saito’s took me to lunch – tempura, soup with seaweed and tofu, and sashimi.

We then left the island and went back to their house. I grabbed my stuff and it was time to head back to the hotel.

I had a great time at their house and I really thank them for making me a part of their family for the weekend.