in the beginning

flying to Tokyo should have been uneventful; routine, really. I went to Seattle, then to Vancouver, then Tokyo. Honolulu, then Tokyo. There was a problem, a volcano in Russia sent our plane to Honolulu instead of directly to Tokyo. I felt bad for the people traveling with children, but no huge fits, though the little girl next to me wet her pants twice, her mother must have been on the edge. We were on the plane for an extra 5 hours and when we got to Honolulu we couldn't get off of the plane because we had come from Canada, so we were an international flight, and there would be a customs problem. My first visit to Hawaii, none the less!
When I did get to Japan I had missed the last train to Sendai, home of the Jet Setters, so Jet Setter Bethany found me a hotel room at around 10:00pm. I am truly grateful to her for organizing that event. After a good night's rest and a bath, I found my way back to the train station and on my way to Sendai, home of black bean sweet rice balls and tiny wooden dolls.