Well, I'm finally back home now. I got back around 5PM on Friday. It's good to be back, but I already kinda miss Japan. Besides getting sick I had a really good time. I was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. On Thursday my mom and I did a little sight seeing. In the morning we took a bus tour. We got to see the Tokyo Tower, Akasaka Guest House, the Imperial Palace East Garden, and the Meiji Shrine. Lunch was included. We got to eat tempura. It was extremely good. After the tour we went back to our hotel in Ginza and rested for a bit. Then we trekked to Odaiba. It is a man made island near Tokyo Bay. They have a small beach there (Tokyo Beach). The water was infested with tons of jellyfish, so no one swims there. There is a small replica of the Statue of Liberty nearby. We toured the Fuji TV building. That was interesting. I'll post some pictures later on. Also close by is a huge ferris wheel. It goes extremely slow. Probably would take an hour to ride it. We went to an expensive mall called the Venus Fort. It was built to look like an 18th century European town. The ceiling is painted to look like the sky. We also went to a Toyota showcase and rode in a tiny electric car. The driving was all automated, so you just sit there and enjoy the ride. We ended the night by eating at McDonald's before heading back to the hotel in Ginza. Everything tasted the same as it does in the States. The only difference is that everything is in Japanese so you just have to point to what you want. They also have fish nuggets instead of chicken and they come with a wasabi dipping sauce. That's about it. It was a jam packed day, so we went back and went to sleep. Got up the next morning and took a bus to the airport. It was a long flight back, but I'm finally home. Now I have to get prepared to go back to work on Monday. I'm not really looking forward to that, but I gots ta get money. Overall it was a good trip, and I hope to go back someday. I guess this is the last post. Thanks for following us on our travels. I hope it gave you a little glimpse into Japanese life. Until next time... Sayonara.
- posted by Captain Scurvy @ 10:46 PM |

 
I'm out of the hospital! Thanks for all of your comments. I will be flying back on Friday. See ya soon.

Love,
Josh
- posted by Captain Scurvy @ 11:12 PM |

 
Good news!
I received word yesterday that Josh should be moving from ICU to a regular bed for observation. He'll probably stay until next week, and then hopefully can come home. Looks like recovery's working. Thanks for keeping me updated, Smith, and thanks for being a good friend to us in Japan.

ps I'll put some photos of the Park Hyatt Tokyo up real soon.
- posted by Unknown @ 12:39 PM |

 
SUPPORT FOR JOSH!!!
I'm very sorry to report that Josh never made it back to the States. Instead, he's lying in an ICU unit at St. Luke's Catholic Hospital near Ginza. His condition had only worsened after our trip to the clinic on Monday, and he was not well enough to get on the plane, so they took him to the emergency room.

He's in ICU under observation with IV's coming out of his arms, I've been told, and they are nourishing him and rehydrating him, as his condition was semi-critical at admittance. It looks like he's making good recovery, though, and for that we all give thanks. They say he might be able to come home in 2 weeks (maybe more, maybe less).

I know that if all the people reading this journal took the time to click on the link below that says "Comments" and typed a little something to let Josh know you're thinking of him, it'd make him real happy. Let's show him who his friends and family are by wishing him a speedy recovery and a warm welcome home.

Godspeed, old friend. Let's get you home soon!

- posted by Unknown @ 8:36 AM |