Next year in Yamanashi Prefecture?

I am writing today from an express train between Kofu, a small city in Yamanashi Prefecture, and Shinjuku Station, the busiest train station in Tokyo (and I believe also the busiest in the world). 

I was in Yamanashi to visit my host family from the study abroad program that I did in college. I have kept in touch with this family and long time readers of the blog who also attended the 2004 Fishforbreakfast Wedding(tm)  might remember the woman in this picture from that wedding (she wore a kimono):

They took me to a few places to look at cherry blossoms. Here is one of the pictures, where you can see Mt. Fuji in the background.

I have also gotten some nice views of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo. This is by Waseda, the University where I am staying:

Here is a picture of me with some other old friends. The woman taking the picture, was pregnant with the man in the front right, at our wedding (that man is now a college student in Tokyo)

And here is a picture of me with Horst. Horst is spending a year as a visiting professor in Japan with his family. My father texted me while we were having dinner, and I had Horst call my dad from my phone. That really surprised my dad!

Here I am presenting on some of my research: