About a month ago, my grandmother and I started to plan a visit with my uncle's family. Up until now they had been too busy, but they apparently had one day they could see me, which was the 30th of August. After exchanging a few emails in every directions, we settled for a meeting time & place, and soon came the day.

I made my way to Tokyo, Ueno Station, probably one of my first times there. Once I got there, I surprised them all by coming from the opposite direction they were expecting me from. It had been a while since I had seen my uncle (3 years ago) but even then, it wasn't too hard to recognize him. My aunt and grandmother as well as my uncle's family were all there. I smiled to them, and we said hello, then went to ride another train together.

My uncle Shoji spoke to me a lot that day. He does work a lot in English, so he could speak it fairly well. I guess to make me feel comfortable he spoke with me mostly in English which made it actually harder to understand because I was switching from Japanese to English with everyone and didn't know if I should answer in English or Japanese to him. But it was nice of him, and we had a few good conversations.

My grandmother and aunt are just awesome, as always. They just spoke to me about anything, and I told them little things here and there to make them smile. I always enjoy their company.

Noriko, my uncle's wife, was nice and polite, and the whole time asked me many questions. She tried as much as possible to keep me involved in the conversation and when she spoke, she spoke purposely clearly and slightly slowly so that I would understand.

My two cousins were still a little shy I think. I had met my cousin Mayu three years ago when I came to visit my sister, but Hayato had not been free at that time, so today was my first time meeting him. I didn't speak to them much, but at the end I tried talking to Hayato about his ping-pong practices (he's part of a ping-pong club! How cool!). But I think they were not too sure how to react to me, since they don't know how much Japanese I can speak, and truly don't know me haha.
By train, we headed toward the Tokyo Sky Tree, and it was my first time getting this close to the Tower. There were many clouds, so we decided not to go up, since we wouldn't be able to see much.


Noriko had reserved a spot at a restaurant near the Sky Tree... which means expensive. It was a nice place. We had a great view of the city, and they started pointing out different parts of the city which we could see. The Sky Tree was right next to us, 634 meters tall.

Our meal was served in the traditional Japanese way. They served everyone small dishes, and before serving us the next one, they made sure they took our plates away. My grandmother told me that even my father hasn't eaten in such a manner. After, it became more and more rare, making it even more expensive.

Food --->
During the meal, my aunt and grandmother discussed with me when I should take my surgery, cause I will definitely have to take one, and most likely in Japan. Noriko would ask me questions, and Shoji would tell me things about Japan. Over all, it was nice, and I don't believe many people my age have had this kind of experience. 



Once the dinner was over, we headed to Asakusa, a place famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple, as well as many souvenir shops. It was my first time there, and I must say it was quite a nice place to visit. We all walked along the middle of the VERY crowed street with our umbrellas out. Before entering the temple, Mayu showed me how to properly wash my hands (meant to represent washing one's soul before entering the temple.) Made a few good wishes that day.




On the way back, we stopped at a small café to get something to drink. After chatting a little bit, it was time to leave. We headed back to the Ueno station where my aunt and I split from the rest of the group. 

As we said our goodbyes, something caught me off guard. My grand mother for the first time came to give me a hug. Just one arm, but she had never done that before. I was very VERY happy, and I couldn't stop smiling for a while. I won't be seeing her for a while now, but I was glad she came all this way to come see us.

I headed back with my aunt on the train. She got off before me, made sure I knew where to go, and I said my goodbyes.

Since I've been in Japan, I haven't had many chances to see my family, but I must say it felt good.