The last couple days have been pretty eventful.

First of all, after having our last training day before being released for winter break, I went straight to Shizuoka to my father’s side of the family.  Shizuoka is a couple prefectures to the west of where I’m currently living and it takes about an hour or so by the bullet train from Tokyo.  Speaking of which, for those of you who have never seen or ridden the bullet train, it’s pretty ridiculous how fast these things can go.  If you’re standing at the waiting area of the station, a 20 car bullet train will literally zoom past you in like 2 seconds.

The Big Bad Bullet Train Approaching!

Anyway, it was great to be able to catch up with my family and to see that everyone was well and in good health.  One of the main reasons why we went though was to pay respect to my father who passed away 6 years ago.  There is a ritual that is done every several years or so in order to make sure that the spirit is doing well in the afterlife, so we went through that ceremony during my time there.  I can’t believe how long it’s been since my dad passed away because of how busy I’ve been.  Either way, I’ve sure been lucky to have all the support to help me along the way!

On the way back from Shizuoka, I saw one of the coolest views ever.  It was of Mount Fuji, the highest point in Japan. I’ve never seen it that clear in my life!  With all the snow covered on top, it was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen!

The Famous Mount Fuji!

Aside from all this, I’ve been able to visit my friends in Tokyo, which has been really fun.  However, it’s been several days since we were released for winter break and I’m starting to get antsy.  That said, I’ve been running around the neighborhood and climbing up and down steps to do some exercises for my knee.  The good news is it’s feeling really strong!  I’m hoping to keep this up so that I’m completely good to go when I return home to the US in a few more weeks.  I know I say this a lot but I can’t believe how fast time has flown in Japan, but I’m so glad that I was given this opportunity to come here.

It’s New Years Eve in Japan and I’m reflecting on all the things that have happened over this past year.  There have been some downs but definitely some big ups!  I think the toughest thing was going through such a big injury but it was because of this injury that I’ve been able to meet a lot of great people.  This injury has also given me the opportunity to watch and observe other athletes, and to train my mental-side.  I’ve also been able to focus on my upper-body training because of this.  The highlight of this year though was definitely winning the collegiate national championships with my team in April.  I’m no longer part of the collegiate team at Stanford but I hope this upcoming season will be a good one.

After we got it done!

To everyone else, I hope 2010 brings lots of good things.  Happy New Year from Japan!