懐かしい！(natsukashi)

Natsukashi is yet again one of those difficult to translate words/phrases, but it is definitely one that you will hear often. It means something along the lines of nostalgic, remember when, aww good times, that sort of thing. It's said anytime anyone brings up the past, really. Anyways! I had a little reunion filled day and that word was in just about every other sentence.

Way back when, I graduated kindergarten. Yay! Picture of my teachers and me..

I was able to meet one of my kindergarten teachers (Osuki Sensei) and a classmate (Rikako-chan) for lunch! Compare this picture with the one above and that's proof that Japanese women don't age (she's 50 something now!)

Oh the awkward years of glasses, braces, and all around dorkiness. This was taken at Tokyo Disneyland with Rikako-chan..

This is my 1st and 2nd grade teacher, Suda Sensei and Rikako-chan. Rikako-chan is living with her family in Chiba and commutes to university in Shinjuku, where she is studying at a design school.

  

Spot the geisha! This is a picture of Ikeda-san and her two boys, Aoi and Naoya, and her sister and her sister's two girls.

Suda Sensei, Ikeda-san, me, Sanno-san having a little mother's meeting. It would have been nice if the kids could have joined as well but Yukino (Sanno-san's daughter) had to work, and Aoi-kun came down with a cold. Aoi is now a 2nd year at Aoyama Gakuin, he lives on his own in Machida.

Ikeda-san's oldest boy, Masaki, married someone with a child from a previous relationship and also just had an adorable little baby - making Ikeda-san a grandma! Hard to believe. 

It was so nice to catch up with everyone, although I'm sure they would have rather had my mom to chat with instead of me.