Senior Couples

January 5, 2015, was our monthly Family Home Evening with the senior couples in our mission and the Asia North Area Office. This time the area office had put together a service project for an orphanage just across the street, so we brought clothing and donations and presented them to the officers of the orphanage at dinner.

The potluck was wonderful as usual -- I'd brought a pumpkin pie and a banana cream pie, and people just raved about them, especially the banana cream. I realized most of these senior couples have almost as hard a time getting American food as the young missionaries do. Shopping at the commissary is so easy and comfortable and I sometimes think I should be more adventurous. We were the first couple of months, but I have to confess -- I really don't much like Japanese food! We need to do more exploring, though, and get out of this comfort zone!

We stayed at the New Sanno Hotel again after FHE, along with the two other senior military relations missionary couples. It was fun to see the hotel decorated for the holidays, because we'd seen so little of that other than on the base.

Elder and Sister Slade at Zama Army Camp, Sister and Elder Thunell at Yokosuka Naval Base, and Bruce and me, Yokota AirBase.

And a cute display in the hotel lobby.

Here's the view from our room on the seventh floor. I still can't believe I'm in Tokyo!

The next morning we decided to venture out and visit the Imperial Gardens on the grounds of the Emperor's Palace. We're always proud of ourselves when we can follow directions and figure out how to navigate trains and subways, and this morning was no exception. We made it!

Yes, this palace is surrounded by a moat.

Bruce was impressed with this massive hinge.

Bruce and Elder Slade.

 Don't know, couldn't read the Japanese sign. But looks interesting, doesn't it?

More impressive architecture at the gate.

You can't tell very well, because it was such a gray day and the colors are washed out, but this tree really looked like army camouflage. Elder Slade must have thought so, too, he thinks we can't see him!

It was a surprise to see anything trying to bloom the first week of January, but these camellias were making a valiant attempt! I learned that the Japanese camellia is called "the rose of winter." We definitely want to go back to this park in the spring and see how that compares -- also to see all the azaleas blooming, there were lots!

Sister Thunnel, Sister Slade, and me.

Always so interesting to see the old, traditional architecture contrasting with the new and modern.

There was a fascinating bamboo grove, with different varieties of bamboo identified.

Elder Slade moved through the bamboo grove very quickly. He is a Vietnam vet, and as we were oohing and ahhing over the different varieties, he didn't want to have anything to do with it. He has no pleasant memories associated with bamboo. We didn't ask and he didn't elaborate, but kind of sobering.

I don't know that we've seen this much open space anywhere else in Japan!

Elder Thunnel, the Slades, and a friendly Japanese man who tried to show us around a bit -- his English was limited, as is our Japanese, but it was fun to try to understand each other!

We don't know what this building, above, is, but it looked interesting....

This was interesting, too, to find in the public restroom. After seeing only these "squat toilets" in several stalls, I was so relieved to find one traditional toilet, I had to take a picture of it!

Here's Bruce, looking back across the moat at the city.

We had a really enjoyable visit at these gardens and want to go back in the spring, I'm sure it's a very different place during different seasons throughout the year. We took the subway back to the Hiro-o Station near The New Sanno, and then guess where the Thunnels wanted to have lunch? McDonalds!!