Japan! Day 8, Part 1 : Goodbye Ichinohe, Hello Morioka!

On the morning of our departure from Ninohe Park Hotel, we had a surprise visit from Steve's basketball buddy Toru and his two boys. At the train station, we said a tearful goodbye to Miyuki and Manami, and the Takamuras. Our next stop was Morioka, the capital of Iwate. My former coworker Yakumi Sensei (her nickname, her first name is Kumiko) greeted us at the station. Although she is a Japanese language teacher, she was so kind and helpful while I lived in Japan, and we continued corresponding after I moved back to the states. Yakumi Sensei picked us up at Morioka Station and took us shopping at a huge department store, Aeon. She treated us to fruit smoothies. We then went to Higashi Nihon Hotel for a delicious Chinese lunch. We also saw Yakumi Sensei's beautiful home. Thank you Kumiko, for a lovely time!