by Jen Costanzo | Jun 14, 2008 | Extended Family, Friends, Travel
We arrived back in America on April 1st. The month was full of lots of really good reunions! Family & friends welcomed us back with… … flowers & balloons …cake …and with their charming company! Some special highlights were Jen getting...
by Mike Costanzo | Jan 12, 2008 | Friends, Missions, Travel
The day after we got back from Kyoto, we embarked on the second stage of our winter adventures. This time, we went to Sendai to stay with an OPC missionary family, Murray and Tsuruko Uomoto. We had met them briefly in May when we visited the Cummings, but we wanted to...
by Jen Costanzo | Jan 5, 2008 | Faith, Holidays/Special Events, Reflections, Travel
Over the course of our visits to the different temples in Kyoto, we had the opportunity to see a lot of people both worshiping at the temples as well as monks and nuns who work full-time at these sites. I kept thinking, “I’m so sorry for you!”...
by Mike Costanzo | Jan 4, 2008 | Culture, Missions, Prayer, Travel
For months now, Pastor Tajima (our pastor from Koriyama Baptist Church) has been encouraging us to visit his sister, who lives in the historic city of Kyoto . Apparently, she loves to host folks from out of town, especially if they have never seen the city and its...
by Jen Costanzo | Aug 14, 2007 | Friends, Missions, Travel
We’re back from our whirlwind trip to Tokyo! It was a very full trip, and a lot of fun! We tried something new this time around and bought a special seasonal train pass called the “Seishun Jyuhachi Kippu.” It gave us 5 full-day passes to travel...
by Jen Costanzo | Aug 10, 2007 | Friends, Travel, Vacation
So just how have we been spending our summer vacation? Allow us to take you on a little tour of our summer break! Umi no hi (Marine Day) On Umi no hi (a National holiday in mid-July), we took off on a day-trip with the principal of one of the local elementary...
by Mike Costanzo | Jun 17, 2007 | Scenery, Travel
Remember when we first arrived in Japan, we got to meet the mayor of Tamura, have sea cucumber sushi on the moon with (ex-)Prime Minister Koizumi, and all that? Well around that time we also met the Chairman of the Tamura City Board of Education, and as a gift he gave...
by Mike Costanzo | Mar 30, 2007 | Friends, Missions, Travel
Yesterday Jen and I got back from Adatara Bible Camp, home of the 2007 Fukushima Prefecture Baptist Youth Camp. We went up on Tuesday night and left Thursday afternoon, and every moment was precious to us. The food was great, the scenery was pretty, and the weather...
by Mike Costanzo | Feb 15, 2007 | Day-to-Day, Travel
So here’s something you may have been wondering about–how exactly does one get from point A to point B in Japan? I bet you could see this answer coming a mile away, but, well—it depends. When I was in school studying Japan, I got the impression...
by Jen Costanzo | Feb 4, 2007 | Day-to-Day, Friends, Travel
Last weekend, we went ice-skating and ended up taking lots of pictures. Here are some of the highlights! Candid moment with Jen… The rink was really crowded at times. It was a little freaky with so many people, but a lot of fun. This was only Mike’s...
by Mike Costanzo | Nov 19, 2006 | Travel
Let it never be said that the Costanzos can’t wing it with style! This Friday, Mike says to Jen, “Hey Honey, how does a weekend trip to a ryoukan (Japanese-style inn) sound?” Jen says, “Sounds great, but where?” “We’ll find...
by Mike Costanzo | Aug 14, 2006 | Travel
Hey everyone!!! Here we are, all four of us (Mike, Jen, Benno, Nate), sitting in the airport and waiting for our flight. Praise God; we got through security with no problems, and in record time!!! The hand of the Lord was definitely with us. It’s wonderful to...
