Photos from Japan, Part 16. My goofy family.

Cheryl took most of these pictures of our family doing goofy — and not-so-goofy — things. Every time I see these, it brings back more memories.

When we got to Edo Mura (Edo Wonderland), it wasn't raining. But by the time we sat down to have lunch, it began pouring. Tsune-chan borrowed the paper parasol from the restaurant, walked to the van and brought back all the umbrellas.

It seemed Tsune-chan didn't trust us to tell waitresses what we wanted to eat. So everywhere we went, he would take our orders and then tell the waitress. Maybe you can tell that Fred needed help with his order, while John was pondering what he wanted. We thought it was sweet. The waitress (top right), thought it was funny.

Something made my mother laugh. Probably watching the antics of her children and her nieces and nephews at dinner the last Sunday we were in Japan.

Fred and Mommy trying to decide how many dollars to exchange to yen.

This big boy is Hiroshi, our cousin Noriko's youngest child. He's trying to be a hip hop music producer and is working in a studio right now. Of course, that's Fred and Cheryl. We were at the airport the day we left. It was the first time we saw Hiroshi in the three weeks we were in Japan.

In Kyoto, Fred and Cheryl persuaded these two girls to pose for this picture. When I told my mother it was unusual for girls this age to be dressed in kimonos, she said they might be maiko. She might be right. The maiko are geisha in training and are 20 or younger.

At many of the shrines, visitors can pay 100-200 yen and get a printed fortune. Fred is trying to decide which fortune is the best. This is in Asakusa, which is a huge tourist destination, so the fortunes are written in Japanese and English.

I don't know why, but the Japanese pose for pictures flashing the "V" sign. I mean, everywhere we went. My usually dignified Uncle Hide in a multi-colored clown wig!

Even these doofuses — John, Fred and Jessica.

Jessica, Cheryl and Eri. See what I mean about the "V" sign?

Cheryl and Fred goofing around at the spa in Nasu.

These three guys are historical figures and my mother tried to explain it to me the other night, but it went in one ear and out the other. The middle guy (not my brother Fred) is someone very important to the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. The other two guys are his sidekicks. Well, they're more important than that. This was at a rest area near Mita, and apparently, there are statues of these guys everywhere. But most of the guy in the middle (again, not my brother).