This weekend, I got to spend some time with an old student of mine at Izumi. He used to study with me on Saturdays until he had to move back to Tokyo, his hometown, for work. Everyone here at the Izumi branch has missed him a lot, so it was good to see him back for a little. We got to study a little English on Saturday, had some yaki-niku later that night, and grabbed some sushi on Sunday night. That was all really good, but the highlight was our trip to Yamadera on Monday. He had never been there and we both thought it would be a good time to visit. Yamadera was great. The leaves were still colorful and the mountains were covered in white snow. It was really beautiful and I’m glad that he, and myself too, got a chance to see it all. And all before the weather turned bad! Kazumasa, thanks a lot for coming up and spending some time with us in Sendai! And thanks for the gifts as well! Peace. /Sendai Study Advisor Stephen.M