We made it!

Well, after about 23 hours of traveling, including getting to Newark at 4:30 am and a 4 hour layover in Vancouver, we made it!! We had about 16 hours of flying and some of us slept great (Kelly!) while I only got about 4 hours of sleep. It was all worth it when we got in and saw our welcoming committee! Including a familiar face, Yuri, from the Japanese GSE team. We took 2 hour bus ride to Utsunomiya, the capital of the Tochigi prefecture, and where we're staying in a hotel for 2 nights. We were immediately amused by the bathrooms, which have full bidets, and a button to play the flushing sound. (They also have a "powerful deodorizer, which my brother could benefit from having on his toilet.)

In Utsunomiya, we had our first great Japanese meal! This was Kelly's dinner, which was the 'Ladies' Plate' and had a little bit of everything.

Oishi!

I slept like a baby, and just had breakfast, which consisted of dumplings, noodles, and different types of chicken. Hopefully we will be getting a lot of exercise here. Today we are having an orientation with the GSE chair and meeting the district governor. Later on we are visiting a local shrine, and having a welcome party with the Japanese GSE team. Can't wait to see everyone again. We are staying in a hotel again tonight, then move to our host families tomorrow. We are all excited to meet them!

Mata ne (see you soon) and update soon!