Brian's in Japan!

 Brian is in Japan right now for a 3 week business trip.  He collaborates with a researcher from the Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan (north of Tokyo).  This researcher has come to visit Brian at his lab a few times and so now it was Brian's turn to go to Japan.  They arranged a visit at least a year in advance and initially we wanted to all go as a family but later decided that the costs were too high and it would be easier if just Brian went.  Then we were blessed to have Angela's parents offer to come to New Mexico to watch our kids while Angela flew out to Japan at the end of Brian's trip so they could vacation together in Tokyo for 6 days.  Brian left home on June 29 to stay in a hotel in Albuquerque for a flight out to Japan all day on June 30.  He rode a bullet train to get from Tokyo to Sendai.  Here's a photo of one.  Below is a video of the one he rode.

 One of the more interesting things in Japan is their modern toilets.  In fact there is a very wide range of types of toilets in Japan from very primitive porcelain holes in the floor to these kind.  This is the one in my hotel room with a heated seat (you plug in the toilet into the electrical outlet).  It also has various types of water sprays if you wish to use them that clean you up after using the toilet.

 Here's the small shower for my hotel.  It was a little strange to figure out how to use it but the soaps are nice and I've figured it all out now.

 Here's my bed.  The room is about the size of two queen beds for the entire floor space, so not so big, common for Japan.  However, I don't really need much room.  The bed is comfy enough.  I get free noodles every night between 9:30 and 11 pm.

 And here's a couple examples of some Japanese candy.  I have really enjoyed trying the different types of candies here.  Many are fruit type candies but there are also many types of red bean paste candies as well that aren't bad, just different.  I have bought many kinds of candies to bring home and let the kids try them. 

Here's the video of my Shinkansen train (bullet train) pulling into the station and then some video as it's driving along very fast through some city.  These are some of the fastest trains in the world with some approaching 200 miles per hour!