After the glowing reports below on our trip, I thought I should confess...
I am ashamed to admit that I had a few pity parties along the way. Being able to only grasp part of what was being said in Japanese was a challenge. Now, granted, I am sure I learned a lot of vocabulary and hopefully my subconscious brain learned a lot. Akihiro did pretty good to translate some, but that is painful too. It's hard to explain, but perhaps my mom said it best when she said it is like being hard of hearing--you have to strain to hear what you can and even if you strain, sometimes you still can't get it. You just get bits and pieces. So, after a while of trying, you just zone out. Oh well, again another reminder of my selfish state and need for humility! I must admit it was funny to see how people responded when I said "excuse me" in Japanese when they had already spoken to me in German. Most people thought I was German or Swiss!