Kudo-san & Mejiro Gardens

This afternoon, we walked up the hill from our apartment to Mejiro to visit Ms. Michiko Kudo, Kudo-san, who is my pop's uncle Edwin's wife Etsuko's older sister. (Uncle Edwin was a marine during WWII and lived and worked in Japan for the State Department for eight or so years after the war. That's when he met and married Aunt Etsuko.) Now, what that makes me in relation to her, I'm not exactly sure, but she feels like family. She and her husband ran the store until he passed away, and now she runs it with her two children. I believe the store has been open for more than 60 years!

Today, we just stopped in for a quick visit and had some tea. She's very warm and kind, and it's truly nice to know we can visit her from time to time.