And Then Helen Came To Visit

Helen in Asakusa

For those of you who have been watching my Facebook pictures, you'll probably notice that late last month and again early this month, my friend Helen came to visit. For those of you who don't know Helen, let me give you the backstory:

Helen was born in Beijing. She moved to Toronto about seven years ago, and since that time has become a Canadian citizen. More recently, she married a Chinese-Canadian guy in Toronto named Samuel, and together they had a baby girl, her name is Reina.

Helen's parents came from Beijing to look after the baby, but after six months their visa expired so they went back to Beijing. Since Helen is still on maternity leave, she and Reina also went to Beijing, so that Helen's parents could continue to look after Reina.

I met Helen at The Toronto Star about about four years ago. Her desk was right beside mine so I often talked to her. Through Helen I have learned a lot about Beijing and mainland China. We've been through a lot together and helped each other through some difficult times.

When I heard news of her marriage and pregnancy, of course I was very happy for her, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of loss. I just kind of accepted that we wouldn't be able to hang out together like we used to. So when Helen left Reina in Beijing, and came to Tokyo to visit for a few days, I felt like we got a bit of borrowed time. One more chance to hang out and have fun together, like the old days.

In Odaiba with Aichan

Onsen (hot spring) near Chofu station

It also gave me a chance to feel like a tourist again, taking her to places like Odaiba, Asakusa, Sunshine City, Akihabara, Shinjuku, and Shibuya. We also went to an onsen near Chofu station.

Kichijoji

Inokashira Park

Even some of my old hangouts like Kichijoji and Inokashira Park seemed new again, seeing them through Helen's eyes.

Shibuya's Elephant Café with Aichan, Megumi, and Kumi.

For her final night in Tokyo, we went out dinner with several of my friends, then after went to karaoke. Helen looked completely exhausted, like she was ready to pass out. And that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing! If you vacationed in Tokyo and you're not completely worn out by the end of it, then you didn't do it right!