Mito & Tokai: The Place of my Birth

During our trip I really wanted to go visit Mito and Toaki where my family lived and where I was born in Japan. When we were planning our trip it looked like we were not going to have an opportunity to go. It is not a walking city and we did not have a car. However, when Yamana-san learned that we were not going to be able to make it up there he arranged for a friend of his to host us for a day and give us a tour.
 


Hachiya-san lived in Mito the same time as my parents and lived in my home town in the US for a year as well and actually had met my parents once.


Hachiya-san is the far one on the left standing up.

Hachiya-san was so kind to us. He picked us up from the train station in Mito and drove us out all the way to Tokai to the house where my family lived in Japan. I remember the apartment from pictures I have seen but 21 years later things look different.



We next visited the Ishiwata byoin (hospital) in Mito where my sister, Ellen, and I were born.


One of the most famous landscape gardens in Japan, Kairakuen, is located in Mito. It is most famous for its three thousand plum trees, most beautiful from February to March. It also has a bamboo grove which Lyndon is standing in front of, and cedar woods. 






 
We stopped off by this beaufitul lake in Mito. It is called lake of 1,000 waves. There were these giant swan boats floating around the lake. It was kind of comical seeing these giant swans floating on the lake. Pretty surreal looking. 

 



 
Going back to Mito and Tokai was very special. I have always wanted to go back there and visit. Thank you Hachiya-san for showing us a wondeful time.

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