19: Family Trips & Fuzzy Memories: We Snorkeled?!

In this episode, the three of us look back on our family travels from the early '90s to recent years. Cancun was our favorite, with its crystal-clear waters and a snorkeling spot—though hilariously, one of us has no memory of ever snorkeling there. That foggy recall becomes a running joke as we trade stories, from our dad’s laminated road trip maps to the time he accidentally drank maple syrup, thinking it was whiskey. Piecing together these decades-old memories felt like solving a puzzle, reminding us how fortunate we were to travel cross country in America—and how those adventures left us with stories up to recent years we’re still laughing about today.

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Big shoutout to Allison Gray for generously granting us permission to feature her song, "Off My Mind" (from Ep 05).

Transcript

Travel Talk Introduction

Speaker 1 0:00

I gotta get you out of my system. I gotta get you off of my mind. But how do I move on when no one compares? They only keep me occupied. I gotta break these chains that bind me. I try to shake them off so desperately, but you pull them tight.

Beautiful Cancun Memories

Speaker 2 0:25

So today we're going to talk about places we've traveled and we've been as family. These travels include the time we were all living together from 1993 to most likely before I left for college in 1999. Like six years, I think. And then there were some trips that we've done as a family after we've all finished college and such. So let's dive in Any memorable trips that you guys remember my favorite was Cancun.

Speaker 3 0:54

Mine too. My favorite part of Cancun was snorkeling.

Speaker 4 0:58

Me too.

Speaker 3 0:59

That was the best.

Speaker 2 1:00

I don't remember doing snorkeling at all. I can't believe, oh my gosh, that was the best.

Speaker 3 1:07

The water was so clear. Beautiful snorkeling spot with exotic fish. Well, I don't know, maybe they're not exotic, but they were like colorful fish, bright coral. It was beautiful.

Speaker 2 1:23

The only thing I remember about Cancun was the water being clear. It was very turquoise Sandy beach and the food was good. For some reason, the bread was really good.

Speaker 4 1:34

I remember we took a boat to go to this little island and that's where we snorkeled Island off of Cancun, yeah.

Speaker 3 1:42

I don't remember that.

Speaker 4 1:43

And I think I believe we stayed there for like a couple hours and then we headed back. We had to get on the boat again and go back to wherever we were.

Speaker 2 1:51

I thought I've never snorkeled before, but clearly that's not true. I was there, right. Yes, yeah, I don't know. You were there, maybe you stayed behind in the hotel, and this was after I don't know, I can't remember which year, but I know for a fact that Norihiro, our brother, was probably like already three or four, right? Yeah, he was able to walk around and such. It wasn't like he was a baby. Yeah, and I'm very sure we were teenagers.

Speaker 3 2:25

Sumi was a teenager, pre-teen.

Speaker 2 2:28

Yeah, maybe pre-teen, and we flew there and that's one of the only few places we've flown going to places, most of the places we drove.

Speaker 3 2:37

Yeah, long road trips.

Speaker 1 2:40

Yeah.

Speaker 3 2:40

Where Oto-san would laminate the map route. That's right, and he even drew things out too. Yeah, where Oto-san would laminate the map route.

Speaker 2 2:45

That's right, and he even drew things out too.

Speaker 3 2:48

Yeah.

Speaker 2 2:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he planned it out, he drew them out, he wrote the routes and then he would laminate them Because, remember, this was before GPS, like we actually had to look at the maps.

Speaker 3 3:03

But even with GPS, I can still see him like wanting that way. If you know, we were planning a road trip, I feel.

Speaker 2 3:11

Yeah.

Road Trips Across America

Speaker 3 3:12

So, yeah, cancun was my favorite, for sure, because of snorkeling, and you know, anytime I go anywhere, I want to find a place where I can snorkel, because that was such an awesome experience for me. So when I went to Hawaii, I really, really wanted to push for snorkeling with the kids, and that was their favorite thing too, even though it was a cloudy day Long travels we've done by cars, I think driving towards West Coast.

Speaker 2 3:38

That was pretty long. We went to Disneyland in LA. Very sure we drove Disneyland in LA, very sure we drove right.

Speaker 3 3:44

We drove from Ohio to California. I'm very sure I think we did. I mean, we must have obviously done many, many things along the way and stopped, which was what we used to do.

Speaker 2 3:57

But drive like. It was like 12-hour drive, a few days in a row and this was before cell phones.

Speaker 3 4:03

What the heck were we doing in the car?

Speaker 4 4:05

and like I remember, singing some yeah, that had to have been torture for them I remember talking about this a little bit, where we would sing songs and you guys won't let me sing the chorus part because we were rude. Yeah, you guys were mean so did you sing at all then? Yeah, just the boring parts, but not the chorus part, which is like the most exciting part.

Speaker 3 4:26

But yeah, wow that's extra torture, yeah. So what was your favorite trip then? Mine Cody.

Speaker 2 4:33

Yeah, I don't have particularly have favorites, but I feel like the memorable ones are us going to Niagara Falls, and only because we were there pretty frequently, I feel Every time someone visited us. One time our cousins, grandparents, our aunt and uncle came to visit us when we first moved to the US and Ohio. When they came, we went to Niagara Falls. When our aunt, our mom's sister, came, we also went there. So I know we've gone there at least twice and I feel like we have probably gone there just as a family. Yeah, so that's at least three times, but you know every time was really cool.

Speaker 3 5:19

Yeah, the boat ride was amazing. I only remember doing the boat ride once. Do we do it every time?

Speaker 2 5:24

I'm very sure we did it every time oh, I only remember one time I remember at least twice, but yeah, and tomoyo said something about how otto san bought a shot of whiskey.

Speaker 3 5:35

He thought because he was so cold, because one of the times he went was like I think winter or winter ish was so cold and otto san went to a gift shop, bought what he thought was a shot of whiskey and chugged it, and it was maple syrup.

Speaker 4 5:51

I remember that was comical.

Speaker 2 5:53

Did he just not read it? He assumed that that was just a bottle of whiskey in the shape of maple leaf.

Speaker 3 5:59

Yeah, because it was in like a, you know, like a little shot size bottle, I guess, I don't know.

Speaker 2 6:06

So funny. Yeah, the boat ride is cool. You get to go under. Well, not under, but very close to the fall. I have actually been with my choir from high school junior seniors. We went to Toronto actually for a contest. On the way back we went to Niagara Falls.

Speaker 2 6:24

And then I have taken a trip with my college roommates Hannah and Charity there. When Hannah was working in New York in Buffalo, we drove out there too. So I know I've been there like five times at least, and that was the only time. Actually it was winter and some parts were frozen, which I've never seen, so that was kind of cool. So I don't have my favorites, but that's the most memorable one because we went there multiple times yeah do you remember crossing the border at all?

Speaker 2 6:52

going into canada no, or mexico even I remember mexico. Aside from cancun, we went to a city called ciudad juarez and that we drove. It's on the border of Mexico and Texas, near El Paso. Do you remember what we did there? I don't remember anything, I just remember crossing the border. Yeah, I remember crossing the border. I remember just driving and maybe it was a photo that was taken. I don't know, but that's all I remember. I don't even know what we did there.

Speaker 4 7:20

Maybe we just crossed and then went into Mexico a little bit and then came out all I remember is when we crossed the border there were like little kids asking for money, like knocking on car doors and car windows and oh my goodness, asking for money, and that was after we crossed.

Speaker 4 7:37

After we crossed, wow, so what? Once we were in new mexico and I remember like I'm thinking, oh my gosh, so scary, because you know these little kids, they're like my age or maybe even younger, and asking around for money. That's kind of, you know, sad.

Speaker 2 7:54

That is sad. Yeah Well, I know someone from Mexico who lives in Munich. She says she's very happy not to be living there. She said it's so much safer in Munich. There are so many areas that she doesn't feel safe, even though she's Mexican. I don't remember feeling that way when we were in Cancun, but I guess Cancun it's a tourist spot. But again, that was back in the 90s, so things may have been different.

Speaker 3 8:20

I mean a lot of the touristy places tend to be like safer, you know.

Speaker 4 8:25

Yeah.

Speaker 3 8:25

I remember touching the four states that you know meet at a single point the Utah, arizona, new Mexico and Colorado. Do you remember standing there and touching all four states at the same?

Speaker 2 8:36

time, you don't? No, oh, that's cool. I remember, yeah, no, I don't remember at all, so this must have been while we maybe on our way there?

Speaker 3 8:44

was it on the way there that we went to vegas?

Disney Parks & Universal Studios

Speaker 2 8:48

most likely. Um, there were few places. Yeah, the vegas was fun. We stayed at circus circus, which had the indoor roller coasters. That hotel was fun, the hotel was fun and we kept riding it.

Speaker 3 9:01

I mean, that's all I remember. Is the hotel, me too. Was there anything else we did?

Speaker 4 9:07

sightseeing on. We went to Grand Canyon, that's right.

Speaker 3 9:09

In Arizona, on the way when we were staying at Circus Circus.

Speaker 4 9:11

Yeah, what? Yeah, we took a helicopter From there.

Speaker 2 9:15

No, we took the helicopter at the Grand.

Speaker 3 9:18

Canyon when we got closer, yeah, but I remember a helicopter ride.

Speaker 2 9:21

You guys were all screaming because I was so scared.

Speaker 3 9:24

It's unstable.

Speaker 2 9:25

No, but the glass goes all the way, like close to the feet.

Speaker 4 9:28

Yeah.

Speaker 2 9:28

So you can kind of see everything.

Speaker 4 9:32

I remember the entire time we were at Grand Canyon. I was just thinking I want to go back to the hotel because it was so fun.

Speaker 2 9:36

You didn't want to be there, yeah.

Speaker 3 9:37

Yeah, because we were young, I do remember thinking it's just a giant hole. You know, and then I mean as a kid, these are your thoughts, but I'm sure it's very amazing and breathtaking if we do it now yeah, you know, but as a kid I'm like it's just a hole like what's the big deal?

Speaker 2 9:53

I didn't appreciate it I'm sure it's different if you actually get down there versus looking at it from the bird's eye view I don't know.

Speaker 3 10:01

I think it would have been the same for me. I think we did that. That too, though, because don't we have pictures?

Speaker 2 10:06

No, we took a photo from Pi, so I don't think we went down. I don't think we went down.

Speaker 3 10:10

Oh, damn what? Yeah, I don't. It would not have made a difference for me as a kid. It would be like I'm still in a hole, you know in.

Speaker 2 10:17

California that we went to Disneyland. We've also been to Disney World twice In Orlando, once before our brother was born and then once after. I cannot remember which years we've been. Do you guys remember that?

Speaker 4 10:29

Disney World was fun.

Speaker 3 10:30

Was it only twice at Disney World?

Speaker 1 10:32

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 3 10:33

Yeah, maybe then I'm getting confused with Disneyland and Disney World, because I felt like we went there like maybe three times, but I don't recall going to Disneyland. So maybe I thought we were at Disney World, but I don't recall going to Disneyland. So maybe I thought we were at Disney.

Speaker 2 10:46

World, I don't know. And then we went to Universal Studio in Florida not the one in LA, right, Simi?

Speaker 4 10:53

do you remember? Yeah, the one in Florida, because I remember it was at the same trip that we went to Disney World and Universal Studios.

Speaker 3 11:00

Right, I loved Universal Studios Me too.

Speaker 2 11:04

That was so fun. I remember the back to the future ride, which I'm sure they don't have anymore.

Speaker 4 11:09

I remember that oh, I remember et I feel like I remember I remember back to the future.

Speaker 3 11:15

It was like a screen you had. It's like a screen stimulator.

Speaker 4 11:19

Ride right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was fun I don't remember et though okay, the only reason I remember the et ride is because I don't know ET, though. Okay, the only reason I remember the ET ride is because I don't know if they still do this now. But before you get on the ride, they ask for your name, like each passenger's name, and we had to give them our names. So you guys gave your names, and then Tomomi was like hey, say baka for your name. And I was like okay, you know cause? I just listened to her all the time and Baka means. Baka means stupid in Japanese, but you know, it's not like they're going to know. So I was like oh, my name is Baka, b-a-k-a. At the very end of the ride, et, he says your name and he says bye to each and every one of us. He was like me.

Speaker 3 12:09

Bye baka. They still do do that. They do still have the et right. Okay, because we recently went with the kids. I wish that I remembered that before I went. It would have been like fun to like mess with the kids too, because I remember before writing I was like, why are they asking for our names? And then when we got on the ride I was like, oh yeah, you know. Yeah, I would have messed with them too, but forgot well, this is totally random.

Speaker 2 12:30

Just made me think of hearing about these 80s movies. Did you know that Goonie is going to have a sequel? What with who? I don't know who.

Speaker 3 12:40

I mean, it can't be the same characters. I don't even know if they're alive.

Speaker 2 12:43

Oh, my gosh, that's so exciting and gremlins really okay.

Speaker 4 12:51

I love the goodies. Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2 12:55

I'm not so sure.

Speaker 3 12:56

I'm sure it's not gonna be that good yeah, it's always the original, always better yeah, and it's been way too many years I think it must have been like it's.

Speaker 2 13:06

I mean we were. It was back in the 80s, so it must be, at least I think they should.

Speaker 3 13:11

I think they would have better success with et sequel than goonies, because I feel like it's easier to do a follow-up on alien, like coming back or something. Then I mean because I don't know how they would do a sequel and they can't use the same characters. Are they all alive?

Speaker 4 13:30

I don't know Use the same characters, right, because they're like really old they're so old and it's not going to be fun to watch that Wait, it's been wait.

Speaker 2 13:38

how long has it been? If it was 40?

Speaker 3 13:40

years ago. Oh gosh, yeah, probably it's 80s, right? Yeah, like I'm, I had the kids watch it because it's classic yeah yeah, lucas has seen both.

Speaker 2 13:54

So when we went to west coast, I know we talked about maybe hitting some cities. Like I know we stopped. I don't know if it was on the same trip, but we have been to Texas, to Houston, we went to NASA. We also been to Albuquerque. Do you guys remember anything about those cities? I just remember stopping by, but I have no recollection of what we've done.

Speaker 3 14:20

I think we just drove past Albuquerque and I remember seeing a lot of hot air balloons in the air and stopping at the gift shop and us getting out of the car and buffaloes. I remember seeing buffaloes. Do you remember that Like out in the wild? Or am I just imagining this? Did I see this in a textbook and thought that I saw it? Pretty sure, but I know for a fact.

Speaker 2 14:46

We got out of the car well, I mean souvenir shop sounds very particular, so I'm sure you're right about that.

Speaker 3 14:55

What if half of what we're saying is totally wrong? And I'm gonna listen to this later and he's like you guys are, so off.

Speaker 4 15:01

Yeah, I, I could be wrong. I remember going to NASA and we met our friend yeah, oh, really, from my friend, alicia. Yeah, tomomi's friend.

Speaker 1 15:12

They were sisters. Oh no, you run into them you mean like we bumped into them.

Speaker 3 15:17

Yeah, wow, that's so funny.

Speaker 2 15:20

We've also have been to memphis, tennessee. I think that's where the elvis presley museum is I remember going to elvis presley museum. Okay, I don't remember and we also have seen where martin luther. He got assassinated and I remember going there.

Speaker 3 15:49

I'm pretty sure we also did John F Kennedy where he was shot. We went to the site.

Speaker 2 15:54

We have also been to on the East Coast, boston. Yeah, we're watching, do you?

Speaker 3 16:00

remember We'll watch.

Speaker 4 16:01

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 16:01

That was fun, Well watch.

Speaker 3 16:02

Do you remember whale watching? Oh, yeah, that was fun. Everybody else was claiming they were seasick and I feel like I remember being the only one actually looking over the boat for the whales and I remember you guys saying like I feel seasick and you guys were all seated yeah.

Speaker 2 16:19

I'm very sure I was. I used to get sick like that.

Speaker 4 16:22

I just remember seeing the whale and the guide was like you guys are very lucky, this doesn't happen every day. I mean, he could have been just bluffing, but I feel like it was kind of rainy, no, yeah, it was like a yeah, I'm very sure we had lobster there.

Kings Island & Amusement Parks

Speaker 3 16:43

Yeah, I remember going to like a restaurant that was kind of pricey and gratuity was included already in the bill. I don't know why I remember that I remember that that sounds random.

Speaker 4 16:55

I remember feeling bad for Dosa because he had to pay so much that he didn't expect to pay so much.

Speaker 2 17:02

Yeah, yeah, it was kind of pricey so when we used to do road trips, we did pack a lot of food from home. Our mom used to take the rice cooker and use it at the hotel yeah, instant miso soup yeah totally japanese yeah and I think we saved some meals that way yeah, there was a lot of us and I'm wondering what the heck we did in the car for that long. That's so many hours of driving without electronics. Yeah, sleeping, singing that's it.

Speaker 3 17:37

I don't, I don't think any of us read any books or anything in the car oh, I would get carsick.

Speaker 4 17:43

Yeah, I would get carsick? I wouldn't, but I don't think I was into reading then I remember one time I don't know which one of the trips we took, but I was studying for my spelling bee contest, so I had to take a list of the words that they were going to say oh, maybe we were like testing you and then you were spelling the words Maybe. Yeah, I remember one of the trips I did that.

Speaker 2 18:05

Didn't you do it a few times? Spelling bee.

Speaker 4 18:10

I did it twice Third and fourth grade, and third grade the first time you won, right, no, no, no, the first time, no, first time. I misspelled pigeon. I spelled it P-I-E-G-O-N instead of P-I-G-E-O-N, and I was in fourth place in third grade and then in fourth grade, I did it again and I won. I was a champion. And then I had to go to the State Not the state, the district, the district, yeah. So I had to compete against high school students.

Speaker 2 18:43

And I don't know what place Within Sydney.

Speaker 4 18:45

Yeah, within Sydney so it was like elementary Emerson Bridgeview.

Speaker 2 18:52

That sounds unfair. That high schoolers shouldn't.

Speaker 4 18:54

I placed fourth in that one.

Speaker 2 18:57

So when you did it in third grade, that's right. When we moved right To the US, she was in first grade. Think us first grade yeah, okay, so it's been a couple years. It was like two years maybe.

Speaker 4 19:10

And I remember, uh, tomomi, you were in it too right, and I remember what you misspelled too me too, but I wasn't on the same one as you though no, you weren't I misspelled the word chimney and then I corrected myself.

Speaker 3 19:24

I said C-H-I-M-N-E-Y. No, I said C-H-I-M-E-Y or something like that. And then I was like no, c-h-i-m-n-e-y, and I corrected myself. But then they like rang the thing. I was like sucks.

Speaker 2 19:37

But I remember it was at the very beginning of us starting to learn English and we all had tutors and your tutor basically recorded every single one of them.

Speaker 4 19:47

And one of those like recorder the words every single word. Yeah, you know how to like pronounce it or you can hear it how it will be pronounced Right.

Speaker 2 19:57

Yeah, that was a lot of work.

Speaker 3 19:59

Which, which one was a K.

Speaker 2 20:00

It was K, really. Yeah, I remember those tape recorders.

Speaker 3 20:06

Wow, that's some serious spelling bee practice.

Speaker 4 20:10

I remember my winning word in fourth grade was abundant Wow.

Speaker 3 20:16

Okay, okay.

Speaker 4 20:18

So not sure how we got off topic here, but I remember one of the trips we took our um stuffed animals, or maybe I, it was just me, I don't know. I remember I took my porcelain doll pink queen you did.

Speaker 3 20:33

Yeah, we should take that one.

Speaker 4 20:35

Maybe we needed a villain.

Speaker 3 20:37

Yeah, maybe, but we needed that yeah, you played a seriously funny character for her. Maybe I probably made you do it it was like a creepy doll. And then it broke its leg, remember, and it was even more creepy.

Speaker 4 20:52

And then she turned nice well, eventually she yeah, she turned to the good side yeah, she.

Speaker 2 20:58

You probably did take it just to make the trip and more entertaining oh my gosh, I feel like I wasn't part of that, but I remember. Yeah, I don't think you were part of it.

Speaker 3 21:08

You didn't get it um, I remember like even on the school bus we would pretend like she was chasing the bus, do you remember? Yeah, oh my god whose was it?

Speaker 2 21:20

anyway, it was like very distinct and creepy looking.

Speaker 4 21:23

It was mine. One of my friends gave it to me for my birthday.

Speaker 3 21:26

I was like what the heck is this? It's the strangest gift I've ever seen. I know it was, but you know I always thought that you adapted to American culture quicker than Kaudi and I, I feel. For example, you know trolls were very popular. Oh yeah I thought they were hideous and you thought they were cute and I'm like what the heck? They're so hideous and you, you had some troll dolls.

Speaker 3 21:55

Yeah, I used to collect it, yeah, and I was like I cannot get over how ugly they are. Their hair is sticking up and they're naked. And I mean back in the day, the, the trolls, were naked. Right, they were not clothed yeah, they were naked, so ugly, wrinkly face. I'm like what is so? Cute about this and then you liked all the uh unicorns and I'm like that is oh yeah so ugly what unicorn okay so the unicorn folders she used to collect were, like, not cute drawn. Like they're not, they were like they were ugly.

Speaker 1 22:30

Like unicorns.

Speaker 3 22:32

Now they're drawn a little bit cuter for the most part, but like I was into you guys, I was into, remember, lisa frank series they?

Speaker 4 22:44

yeah, I like those too, like I would collect stickers, lisa frank stickers, and no, I think I know what you're talking about yeah, those are ugly like cats and tigers or something stickers, yeah yeah, leopard print yeah they were so cute.

Speaker 3 22:59

I just thought those. I was like what is wrong with?

Speaker 4 23:00

her. It was like so different, like I was like what is wrong with her? It was like so different, like it was like so different from what we had in Japan.

Speaker 2 23:05

Yeah, and I'm sure I was not into it anymore because I was a teenager.

Speaker 3 23:09

I just could not get it and even the princess stuff like I thought they were hideous. You know, like I don't know A lot of the stuff I thought were ugly, like when I came to the US, like dolls and things that I would see you know that were considered cute here. I thought they were hideous. But then I had my own kids, girls, and I thought I will never want to get like dolls and princesses and all that. But then I started liking them when I saw that they liked them, it's so weird.

Speaker 3 23:38

But it took me like decades to actually accept them it took me like decades to actually accept them until I had kids, we have been to washington dc as well.

Speaker 2 23:49

Yep, I'm sure we hit historical landmarks, I don't remember I remember seeing lincoln um, do you remember? Yeah, me too.

Speaker 4 23:56

I do remember that, I do remember that I remember going to washington dc on a school trip. You went when, when I was in middle school.

Speaker 3 24:05

Yeah, Middle school or fifth grade.

Speaker 4 24:08

No, it was like for honor students or something.

Speaker 2 24:11

Okay.

Speaker 4 24:11

And you had to do extra work to be able to go there, to go on the trip. But I did that and it was so much fun and I remember well we were supposed to take a tour at the White House.

Speaker 2 24:22

Yeah.

Speaker 4 24:24

Oh, that's cool, yeah, but the bus that we were on it was delayed for so many reasons and we didn't make it on time, so we had to skip that part.

Speaker 3 24:31

So was it four nights, five days. Yeah, something like that, what I never got to do any of that and, kaori, you did like shugakuryoko in.

Speaker 2 24:37

Japan, which is like an overnight yeah it was like two nights, three days. Elementary school mandatory thing in sixth grade.

Speaker 3 24:47

And then, Samia, you got to do that. I never got to do anything.

Speaker 4 24:51

It was so much fun, but the thing I remember the most from that Washington DC trip is we had to go to the Holocaust Museum. And that was very traumatic yeah and that was very traumatic, like once we entered we were given this profile of people that actually went through the holocaust and mine was like this lady who had like two kids or something and like every room you go to, you turn the page, your profile page, and it tells you what happens to you that's kind of interesting yeah.

Speaker 4 25:25

And at the end I died. Wow, In the gas chamber.

Speaker 3 25:28

That's so. I mean, that's kind of it is traumatic, but it definitely will stick with you for sure, as a kid yeah. That's kind of smart. I bet they don't do that anymore. I mean, emiko just went on her Washington DC trip with her friends and she had an amazing time and she went to the Holocaust. She didn't tell me anything like that, so I don't know if they do that anymore.

Speaker 4 25:50

Maybe not. Yeah, it was pretty traumatic, but it was very educational.

Speaker 2 25:56

Yeah, especially because you do remember that it is educational, because most of our trips we've taken? We don't remember, we didn't care as much, or I'm sure things would have been different if like, for example, if we plan a trip and then we do all the research and such. But what about in ohio? We've done a few things. I'm sure we've been to cincinnati zoo. I'm sure we visited columb I don't remember as much when we were still living in Sydney together.

Speaker 4 26:24

We've been to Ohio Caverns.

Speaker 2 26:26

We have been to Ohio Caverns. We did it multiple times, but one of the times was when our aunt came to visit us from Japan, the same aunt, same trip.

Speaker 3 26:37

Yes, who we? Went to Niagara Falls with you know what I remember about that is a gift shop there. She always remembered the gift shop. I love to shop. Yeah, they had like marbles. Do you guys remember? And that stones are marbles? And I remember buying one. You know my kids love gift shops too.

Speaker 4 27:02

I just remember seeing bats. Maybe it was my first time seeing bats, ew what At Ohio Caverns?

Speaker 2 27:07

Oh, my gosh, oh yeah, we've also done fun things like go to Kings Island multiple times.

Speaker 4 27:14

I love Kings Island.

Speaker 2 27:16

And I think we had a lot of opportunity to go there, not because we loved the Museum Park, but also because Honda had like a Honda day. That's where our dad used to work at. It must have been free for us. Yeah, or something like that. Admission must have been cheap.

Speaker 3 27:32

I didn't have to wait in line for long.

Speaker 2 27:35

Yeah, I know for a fact that we've been there at least two years. It happened like once a year, like a Honda day or something that's awesome, where the families from Honda came. It happened like once a year, like a Honda day or something that's awesome when the families from Honda came.

Speaker 4 27:44

Yeah, I loved the rides so much.

Speaker 3 27:47

Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2 27:48

The first roller coaster I've ever gotten on was when our grandparents and uncle and cousins came from our dad's side Because our grandpa he must have been in his 60s. He said I'm going to ride the roller coaster. At that time I was like not going to ride one. I didn't know, I've never gotten on one and I had no desire. But then he was like I'm going to ride it and I was like what, if he's going to ride it, I have to Because I was a teenager. Yeah, which one did you ride? The racer was the ride that goes forward and backwards.

Speaker 3 28:26

I felt like backwards was so boring. Don't you think Forward is more?

Speaker 2 28:29

fun.

Speaker 4 28:29

Yeah, the forward was more fun.

Speaker 2 28:31

And your first roller coaster, Tomo, was Vortex.

Speaker 3 28:34

You've done it yourself. I don't know if that was my first one.

Speaker 2 28:37

I think so, because we're like is she going to be okay? Like is she going to be okay, like is she going to cry.

Speaker 3 28:41

So I remember I was nervous but I really wanted to do it and Otozan telling me to leave my heart there, pretending like we like ripped my heart out and then just lift it on the stairs so I won't be nervous. And then during the ride I remember I loved it but I was scared. So I was ducking down and in the picture it looked like Otozan was riding by himself. I was not even pictured. That was kind of funny. I think you were in fourth grade, yeah. Yeah, it was fun. I still love roller coasters. I don't get scared anymore. I feel like all the rides I've done are like two, not thrilling enough but I will say one ride If you want thrill is slingshot.

Speaker 3 29:19

I mean, I've only done it once and I was like oh my gosh, it's not free fall, but it's like a slingshot. It just pulls you back and then you just wait there for a thing to shoot you, and it goes so fast.

Speaker 4 29:31

Like forward or upward.

Speaker 3 29:32

It goes upward.

Speaker 2 29:33

Oh, yeah, the drop zone for me was that basically.

Speaker 4 29:38

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was like King's Island.

Speaker 2 29:39

It would rotate at the top and then like, drops you that I could not second. I don't think I would scream because I was so scared, nothing came out yeah, I know that pause is so scary yeah, you don't know when it's gonna fall rotating. Yeah, I remember face off. It's also a ride from king's island. I think it was newer. It wasn't there when we first started going and you had to face each other.

Speaker 2 29:59

And I remember you told me with you Sumi probably was also on it Did you sit next to Tomomi? But anyway, what happened is so I was facing Tomomi and so you're facing each other, like four people face each other and, depending on where you're at, you're going backwards or you're going forward. And at some point you guys were up, Like Tomomi. You were up and I was on the bottom, but of course we were facing each other and you were laughing so hard. The spit came and then it like splashed on my face.

Speaker 3 30:29

It was so gross, I probably enjoyed that. That's funny.

Speaker 4 30:35

You know, but it would be so awkward if it was like a random person, that's true, oh that's disgusting, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 30:43

King Cobra also was kind of a newer ride. It's like a roller coaster, where you stand up and yeah, that's fun too, yeah yeah, there was also the beast. It's like all wooden roller coaster. That was kind of fun. It was a long ride so yeah I think.

Speaker 3 31:03

I always thought, I guess maybe I remember the beast now and it actually sounds like there's a beast inside a cage while you're riding or something, because you can hear sounds of a beast and, like you, like you see something shaking, I, I think, and I remember it had sharp turns in it, like where it almost breaks your neck Right. Yeah, possibly. I remember I had my first funnel cake at King's Island and it was so good At King's Island, mm-hmm, I still don't like funnel cakes. I love funnel cakes.

Speaker 2 31:37

Funnel cake is like powdered sugar right on top, yeah yeah, a fried dough. We've also been to SeaWorld and I don't think it exists anymore in Ohio.

Speaker 4 31:49

I don't remember if we went to the one in Ohio, but I feel like we went with our cousins at one point too.

Speaker 2 31:56

That's possible. When they came, yeah, yeah, I'm very sure it was in Ohio.

Speaker 3 32:01

I don't remember SeaWorld being in Ohio. I just know that SeaWorld in Florida is really cool with all the rides.

Speaker 4 32:09

now, Is it like an amusement park?

Speaker 3 32:12

It's like an amusement park Cool. It's really cool.

Speaker 2 32:15

I love it Well Florida is a place to go for all the entertainment. Yeah, orlando has everything, yeah. So after I went to college, I think there were a few trips that we've taken, two together together, but separately. I guess, like tomo, you and I went to new york with our dad. I remember falling the steps in front of you. Know where the met gala is held metropolitan museum of art.

Family Trips After Growing Up

Speaker 3 32:42

That was like a significant moment for you. Did you sprain your ankle? I almost did. Oh, you didn't even sprain your ankle and you remember it yeah that's just a trip that happens all the time.

Speaker 2 32:52

That's where I like fell okay, and I think you went shopping or something.

Speaker 3 32:56

You got a pair of jeans or something about it for you, or something I got a pair of jeans and it had holes in them and he's like why am I paying this much money for partial fabric? It's not all there, I'm like because I want it.

Speaker 2 33:11

Yeah, he was also struggling to walk, I think.

Speaker 3 33:14

Yes, he had gout issues. Empire State Building Do you remember going there? Yep, and then on the boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty, I was falling asleep and I kept hitting my head on the frame and it kept like making this gong noise, like every time I hit my head because I was so tired from, like, partying the night before, and I was up too late. I kept falling asleep funny.

Speaker 2 33:40

And then, I think in 2012, when there was lond was London Olympics we all met we as in, all three of us and then our families met, tongo and mine and this was while our dad was still living in London and working.

Speaker 3 33:57

Yeah, we went to Legoland. There we went for Lucas, it wasn't for Keiko.

Speaker 4 34:02

Did I go? Because I don't remember.

Speaker 3 34:04

You were there on the trip, but I don't know if you went to Legoland. I wonder if she arrived later or something.

Speaker 4 34:10

Maybe I don't remember going to Legoland.

Speaker 3 34:12

Yeah, and I remember seeing a bunch of makeshift homes built with Legos. Maybe they're not Lego brand, maybe they're just bricks and I don't know the difference. Yeah, it doesn't seem like there's a Legoland in London Windsor, windsor that's where it was, and then Went to London. Eye yeah.

Speaker 2 34:30

I remember we had to split everyone into two cars. Our dad was driving and then Matt was driving the other one, tomo's husband and I was in Matt's car with Christoph I'm not sure if Sumit, if you were with us, but maybe with lucas too, our son and he was speeding.

Speaker 3 34:48

He kept putting his foot on the brakes yeah, you guys had to follow our dad because he lived there and he knew where he was going.

Speaker 2 34:55

Yeah, and I was starting to feel sick and I was like matt, can you just not drive so crazy like you keep like putting your foot on the brakes? And he's like, yeah, but I'm trying to catch up with your dad.

Speaker 3 35:06

Yeah, I remember, and I was in the other car with and Keiko and Keiko reading a book and everything I remember in the car and I kept thinking well, I feel like you're going kind of fast and you know how there's a lot of roundabouts too there.

Speaker 3 35:18

Right, so you kind of you know, you've got to be like on top of it and I was like I feel like you're going a little too fast. And he's like, really, matt's doing a great job keeping up, like he kept looking in the back mirror and I'm like, yeah, but I feel like you're going a little too fast yeah, I remember saying that to him yeah, I was starting to feel sick meanwhile.

Speaker 2 35:35

I didn't know that was going on behind you guys can you stop driving so crazy? I was like I'm trying to catch up with your dad.

Speaker 3 35:41

I was like, oh, and then that the rental car he got, too, too, was like a Kia or something right when it couldn't go as fast as Otosan's initial takeoff and stuff. So I think he was really trying hard. I remember him telling me later he was like I was trying so hard to keep up with him.

Speaker 2 35:58

I was like I knew it.

Speaker 3 35:59

I told him I thought he was going too fast.

Speaker 2 36:01

And then you guys came to Munich and that was with everyone. Everyone came when we moved here 2015.

Speaker 3 36:09

Winter of 2015.

Speaker 2 36:10

It was like New Year's, yeah, it was Christmas and then we went to visit the Because it was nice Neuschwanstein the castle which is the Disney castle. I was modeled after Met up with.

Speaker 3 36:20

I remember meeting, yeah, christoph's mom, my in-laws, yeah, my in-laws.

Speaker 2 36:23

Yeah, the family, I think two of his brothers and their families came.

Speaker 3 36:28

And Emiko bonding with Lucas's cousin.

Speaker 1 36:30

Oh yeah, holding hands with her, that's right.

Speaker 2 36:32

That's right, yeah, I thought how are they talking?

Speaker 3 36:36

Was Sumi there this whole time.

Speaker 4 36:38

Yes, I was Thank you.

Speaker 3 36:40

Like even when we met with the yeah because Parisianos. Yeah, I must have been really consumed with the kids, I don't know.

Speaker 2 36:49

Our brother also came too, so Oto-san's dad came from Laos. I think he was traveling, and this was at the time he was still living in London, and so he came alone. And then Sumi, I believe you, nori and Okada-san our mom traveled together.

Speaker 4 37:07

We met up at China Airport, and then we traveled together from there.

Speaker 2 37:10

Okay, so you were already living in Tokyo, right?

Speaker 4 37:13

Yeah.

Speaker 2 37:13

I'm surprised that Okada-san was okay traveling with Nori.

Speaker 3 37:18

Well, I think she told us later that they were making an announcement and saying their names or something, because they had switched gates. And then they didn't know, they switched gates or something like that.

Speaker 2 37:30

But, they kept hearing their names. Yeah.

Speaker 3 37:33

They went to the counter to figure out what's going on.

Speaker 4 37:35

Yeah.

Speaker 3 37:37

And then all of us got sick, one by one, starting with Nori first On his way back, first to Japan. Oh yeah, he was throwing up on the plane. We heard about them. We're like oh my goodness. Then, soon after it was like one after another, after another, all of us were kind of like throwing up getting sick. It was very contagious, and the worst that we know of was Matt that had it from both ends at the same time. I was like oh my goodness, I felt so bad. And then we had to delay our flight. I mean you did. I mean it's funny, he's well and fine now. So gosh, yeah, that was quite bad.

Speaker 3 38:13

And then I came home to the US and I gave it to his mom. It was so contagious whatever it was.

Speaker 2 38:18

I didn't get it. I thought maybe our dad brought it traveling from Laos or something, and maybe that's where it started. I don't know.

Speaker 3 38:29

I don't know, I don't know, whatever it was, it was super contagious and I just remember it, starting with Nori, but maybe I mean, yeah, just hearing that he was like awful on the plane, like going back to Japan, and we're like, oh no, and literally the, I think later that day, one by one, everybody was just like throwing up getting sick. I didn't get it. I didn throwing up getting sick. I didn't get it. I didn't get it either, but I didn't get it bad at all, but I gave it to my mother and all.

Episode Wrap-Up & Call to Action

Speaker 2 38:56

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Speaker 3 39:08

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Speaker 4 39:22

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Speaker 3 39:33

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Speaker 2 39:48

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Speaker 1 39:50

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