Lots of Food, Flat Stanley, Tableware Show...

Last weekend was filled with lots of eating. Friday night, we went out with one of my students, Miyata-san and his wife. We went to Motsu Nabe, which translates to hormone nabe. More than half of the meal was food we have never tried before. We started off with some appetizers such as horse meat sashimi with a raw egg, pig's feet, and deer sashimi. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Then we had a big pot of nabe filled with different kinds of goodies such as pig intestines, stomach, etc. Motsu nabe is a delicacy of Kyushu area but has become more popular in recent years because it's suppose to be good for your health. There is also hormone yakiniku restaurants too. It was a great time.
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Saturday afternoon we went out with some Miya Kids moms, Honma-san and Taniguchi-san, for a belated Christmas party. We went to Hinano, a Japanese food buffet, which was great. There were so many things we have not had or always wanted to try, so it was our chance. We got so excited for the food, we forgot to take pictures. We did manage to get some great pictures of the moms and kids.
Click for more Belated Christmas Party Pictures Saturday evening, we invited my teacher and her family over for Taco's. Mexican food is very rare in Utsunomiya, so we shipped a lot of taco seasoning because it's one of our favorite dinners. They seem to enjoy the taco's a lot, which made me really happy. I made some fresh guacamole too which was a hit. It's always a great time with my teacher and her family, they are such kind people, it's probably going to be one of the hardest goodbyes to say when we leave.
Click for more Taco PicturesThis past weekend was quite eventful too. First of all, we received Flat Iron Man in the mail from Nathaniel. Originally, the story is about Flat Stanley who was flattened by a bulletin board and his parents shipped him to California through snail mail. It's a way for children to learn about different cultures and geographies. We originally thought Flat Iron Man got lost in the mail because it was about 2.5 weeks since he was sent. Magically, he found our place. We started his adventure with kaiten sushi. Then he joined us for dinner with a Japanese family. After that, he went to Tokyo with me and the finale of his trip was a nice strawberry picking experience. I hope we were able to show Flat Iron Man a good time and a little bit about life in Japan.
Click for more Flat Stanley PicturesSaturday night, we were invited over to our friend's, the Miyamoto's, place for dinner. We had anko nabe. Anko is a delicacy from Ibaraki prefecture and is best during winter. We had anko nabe first with miso and second with a clear broth. Both ways were delicious as it was our first time to have anko. The Miyamoto's have been so kind to Michael and I, they are eager to show us new things about Japan and they really have a passion for food. Their children are also super adorable. I met Joe-chan when he was only 3 months old, so he was unable to hold up his head. Now he is about to walk and talk, and it's amazing to me, because that shows how fast time really goes. Thank you to the Miyamoto's for a lovely evening.
Click for more Anko Nabe Pictures On Sunday, I went down to Tokyo with Stacie, Mioko and Keiko. We started off by going to Harajuku's Oriental Bazaar. It's a place to get many Japanese souvenirs. Next we walked through Takeshita Dori, the famous street known for the crazy Harajuku styles. Then we went to a Turkish restaurant for lunch, which was good. Finally, we went to Tokyo Dome to a tableware show, our main purpose for going to Tokyo in the first place. Yoko-sensei had a small exhibit at the show and she met us there. She was very kind and guided us through the show and introduced us to some of her friends. In the middle of the show, there were lots of table coordinations which themes. Probably not for everyday use, but there were great ideas. Around the table coordinations, there were many vendors selling anything you can think of for tableware. The major companies from Japan like Noritake, Okura, Arita, etc. were all there. It was quite tempting to buy everything, but I was good because I knew I would have to carry it back to Utsunomiya. I managed to leave with dessert forks and spoons, 2 rice bowls and 2 small plates.
Click for more Tableware Show Pictures To start off my week, I joined some of the other OAP wives and their children strawberry picking. The strawberries were very sweet and pretty cheap compared to the grocery stores. The fruit in Japan is amazing. Fruit is mostly available by seasons. For example, nashi (asian pears) are only available during late summer/early fall so we cannot find it in the supermarkets. It really makes us appreciate the fruit more and we look forward to the next fruit season. That about sums up the past 2 weeks. I hope you have a great week!
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New Year's, Camping, Onsen

Michael and I went back to Ohio for a little over a week and it was a great trip. First off, we were greeted at the airport by my brother and two very surprised nephews. Devon was actually in a bit of shock and didn't hug us right away. Nathaniel on the other hand gave us the welcome we were hoping for. After about 10 minutes Devon came back to reality and talked nonstop for the whole week. We were able to see most of the family and good friends. We probably spent most of the time eating all the things we missed. Well, there were probably one or two or five Target trips too, but it's Target! I even got to spend some time with my cousins Mandy and Fong from New York. For New Year's Eve we spent the day over at Chalisa's with Devon and Nathaniel. We played a lot of wii, well the kids did, and the adults got to catch up. It was good to be with people you love. Later Loni and my brother came over and we had nabe (hotpot) for dinner. The trip consists of a lot of rest and relaxation, but it was a good thing. We came back to Japan and had a little bit of jet lag. Michael was a soldier and went back to work the next day. I took a couple more days to readjust. It was back to the usual this past week, but this past weekend we went to Ibaraki prefecture and did a little camping. Our friend Tada organized a camping trip with some of her friends. We rented a nice cabin for 15 people with our own little bbq pit in the back. It was a secluded camp site, so it was nice to meet some new people and enjoy some good conversation. We can definitely learn some "non-textbook" Japanese lingo. We also learned that hot wine on a cold night is really delicious. It was a fantastic time, thanks to Tada for setting it up. Ok, so I didn't get the blog updatesd as I planned so I am updating some more with our most recent weekend. Michael and I are determined to see as much of Japan as we can before we go home. Michael found a nice area called Kinugawa Onsen and it features many Japanese style hotels (ryokan) with onsen (hot springs). We stayed at a smaller one, but was nice. We stayed in tatami style rooms with the Japanese screen doors. The plan came with dinner and breakfast. For dinner, we had a delicious selection of various things such as yuba (beancurd sheets), tofu stew, tsukemono, etc.. The area was also really lovely, the main attraction is the Kinugawa River. Being in Japan has allowed me to enjoy nature to a whole new level, the mountains, the rivers, they are all so beautiful. Our first ryokan experience was great and we plan to go sometime again before we leave. That was about it for this weekend!
Pictures from Ohio
Pictures from Camping
Pictures from Kinugawa Onsen

Rest and Relaxation with a little golfing....

November 15th marks my one year anniversary in Japan! Michael arrived 2 weeks before me. It's amazing how fast the time goes by sometimes. The weather in Utsunomiya is turning cold and quickly, the sun goes down around 4:30pm now, which makes for a long evening. This past weekend we were planning to go to the Ashikaga Wine Festival, but it rained on Saturday so it become a day or rest and relaxation. I have been feeling a little under the weather too so it was nice to cozy up at home. On Sunday, Michael and I went to play golf with his Assistant CE, Nishimura-san and old TE, Hayashi-san. We went to a golf course in Nasu which was nice. We had a schedule tee time of 7:37am, yes, quite early I know, but it was a beautiful atmosphere. The leaves on the trees were shades of red, orange, yellow and green. As the day progressed it became warmer and warmer. The only downfall was Michael and I played the worse game of our lives! I think partly because we haven't been on a course in 1.5 years or maybe because each hole is much more narrower than the states or maybe I was too fascinated with the remote control golf cart. Regardless of factor, our scores were horrible. Despite a bad score, it was a worthwhile experience and I hope we can get some more time to play in the spring. That about sums up the weekend. Unfortunately we did not take pictures while golfing. Have a great day!

Hong Kong...Japan...Motegi...

Michael and I took a vacation to Hong Kong. This was probably one of the most important vacations to me because I was born in Hong Kong and most of my mom’s side of the family still lives there, so it would be Michael’s first time meeting the other half of the family. We started off the trip with some sightseeing on Hong Kong Island. We went to the observation deck of the 2IFC building, took a stroll through Hong Kong Park, wandered our way to Stanley Street and ate lots of yummy delicious food. The second night we met up with my cousins, Ivan and Yoyo, in Tuen Mun and did a little shopping. We eventually met up with the rest of the family for dinner. Since we were a sizable group, we ordered lots of food and that meant we could eat everything we have been craving and more. Yum! My aunts and uncles were very generous and some decided to take us out on Saturday to some of the more local areas that we were not planning to go. It was a fun filled day and lots of shopping. I am amazed at how much shopping there is in Hong Kong. We then met up with the rest of the family at night and had hot pot. We do hot pot in the states, but I would say half the stuff we ate I have never tried nor would I care to know what it was. At the end of the evening, we all went to Temple Street night market to walk around. It was your typical night market that you could find in most Asian countries that sold souvenirs, faux designer bags, knick knacks, etc. There were also lots of food vendors, but we were absolutely stuffed. Half way through our trip my cousin Mandy and her bf, Tony came. We saved some of the touristy attractions to share with them. The first thing we did was go to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. It overlooks Hong Kong Island, the harbor and Kowloon. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have been. We spent quite some time up there admiring the lovely view that Hong Kong has to offer. At night, we went to Tsim Sha Tsui to view Hong Kong Island’s famous skyline. It was so wonderful. I could probably stare at the skyline all day. The remainder of the trip we spent in Macau and Lantau Island. Macau was an old, historical place with lots of churches and lots of casinos. We spent the morning sightseeing and then hit up the casinos at night. The Grand Lisboa was one of the most uniquely structured hotels and overwhelming big. The other casinos from Vegas were smaller in scale, but had all the luxury stores just like Vegas. Hong Kong was a wonderful trip, hopefully we can go back again soon.
After Hong Kong, Mandy and Tony came back to Japan with us for a week. We went to Nikko to see the mountains and shrines. While in Nikko, the leaves were in the middle of changing colors, so there was a big array of red, orange, yellow, and green everywhere. I really enjoy the mountains! We spent the weekend in Tokyo and ran around to some of the tourist’s sights as well as shopping. Tokyo is such an amazing place with so many people. It’s definitely fun to go every once in awhile, but it’s a big hectic for me. We came back to Utsunomiya for the remainder of their visit and took them around our city, mostly grocery stores and shopping. Good times!
After Hong Kong and Mandy and Tony visiting Japan we decided to spend the next weekend resting. This weekend though we decided to go to the Super GT Race at Twin Ring Motegi. Apparently, it’s the last year that this body style NSX will be racing so we decided to support them. Going to the race was fun, we sat in the Honda Fan section and received a free small towel to wave around to show our support to the drivers.

Grapes...Tokyo Game Show...Unagi...

On Sunday, Sept. 20th, Michael and I went grape picking with the Dundon’s. It was on the way to Nikko, about 30 minutes from our apartment. We were greeted by a nice couple who owns the farm and first they gave us 2 types of grapes to taste, green and purple. Unfortunately, it was a little past the season for green grapes, so we were only allowed to pick purple grapes. We were taken to an area with grapes ready to go. First you choose a bundle of grapes, then you pick one to taste if it’s good or not. If you like it you can cut the whole bundle, if not then you move on and find another bundle to try. Michael and I chose to very sweet and delicious bundles to take home. The grapes in Japan are very sweet; it reminds me of drinking Welch’s grape juice. After we were done we went back to the stand to have the grapes weighed. While the grapes were being weighed the owner took us back to the farm to show us a tree that was 50+ years old. He said that it was planted while he was in middle school. It was amazing to see how far the branches extended. We head back to the stand again and the owner’s wife decided to let us try some apples that she was peeling. They family also owned an apple farm up the street. They also gave us a sampling of their homemade apple juice. It was delicious. My teacher confirmed that there were no added preservatives or sugar, just some citric acid powder to prevent the juice from browning. I was shocked because of the natural sweetness, it was almost too sweet for me. I love the fruit in Japan!

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Last weekend, Michael and I went to Tokyo for the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. It was a video game show that had all the big names, Sony Playstation, Xbox, Konami, etc. displaying the latest and greatest in video games and technology. I was quite amazed by the size of the convention. People were waiting in line to test out the newest games or playing the games with their DS or PSP’s using the wi-fi connection. Unfortunately since our DS’s are from the US we could not play the games. Boooo, I probably can’t understand it anyways since it’s all in Japanese. There was also an area where people would dress up like video game characters and pose. We’re still trying to determine if it was something that they do voluntarily or are they hired. Regardless, the costumes were very intricate in detail and the people truly enjoyed dressing up. We stayed in Tokyo for the night and then on Sunday we met up with one of Michael’s friends from college that moved to Japan about a week ago with the Navy. We went to the US Naval Base in Yokosuka and Tony, Michael’s friend, took us into the base and gave us a tour. I have never been on a military base and I was so surprised by the ships. I mean, we read about in the paper or see pictures on the news, but seeing the ships in front of you in person was like nothing else. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go on the ships, but just seeing it was awesome. Tony took us around the base and it’s like a mini America in Japan. There are schools, recreational centers, etc. We were excited to see Popeye’s Chicken, so that’s what we opted to eat. It tasted good, but my stomach was not happy after. It might be a hard adjustment on my stomach when we move back.

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This past week was one of the most stressful weeks in Japan. Our international driver’s license was expiring in November so we had to get our Japanese driver’s license. The process is ridiculous. First, we had to go do an interview to verify our identities. Then we go to driving school for 2 hours to learn the technicalities to pass the test. Then we go to the driving center (from 9:00 – 4:00) to take a written test and driving test. I took my first test on Monday and failed. Michael and I both went on Friday to take the test and we both passed. Michael took one try as I needed two. Regardless, we have our license and its one thing less we have to worry about. The process is crazy though and I would never want to do that again.
Saturday, Oct. 3 we went to dinner with one of my mom’s from Miya Kids and her family. They took us to this Unagi restaurant that was a traditional Japanese style restaurant. We had our own enclosed room and we sat on the floor in a tatami room. It was so nice and cozy, I really enjoyed it. The restaurant specializes in Unagidon(eel and rice bowl), sunomono, and yakitori. We ordered a little bit of each and it was delicious. Kiyoka, Jiro, her husband, Nico, their daughter, and Joe, their son was great company. Ironically, Jiro works out of Honda most of the time, so he and Michael will be able to see each other at work. What a small world. It’s been so wonderful to meet so many new people and getting to know them is even better. Thanks Miyamoto’s for the fabulous dinner together. On Sunday, we had an American style bbq with some friends. Nothing beats a good ol’ American style cheeseburger! Yum!

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Just Hanging Around...

Sorry for taking so long to update the blog! We've been keeping it pretty mellow the past few weekends. We did go camping on the weekend of Sept. 7 and had a good time. We camped by the beach with some friends so Michael was able to go surfing and then some relaxation. Camping is always a good time. Other than that, we've been keeping the normal routine and just catching up on some R&R. Hopefully the next few weekends we'll be more energized to go out and about so that I can have a more exciting update! Have a great day!

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Birthday...Matsuri...富士山 (Mount Fuji)...

The past 2 weeks were very fun filled. My birthday was the 29th and I wanted to keep it pretty low key. I was able to talk to some family that day which made it very special. Also, Lisa managed to send me a package and it was delivered on my birthday. Michael took me to a fancy sushi kaiten (sushi on a conveyor belt) which was delicious! He also managed to get me a scrumptious birthday cake. I think the cake was meant to serve 8, but Michael and I ate it all within 2 days. It really wasn’t that big. All in all, I had a fantastic birthday.

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Over the weekend of the first, Michael went surfing in the morning with Tsuruta-san and Kenta-san. Surfing is one of Michael’s new interests which he enjoys and it’s a lot of fun, but exhausting at the same time. At night, Utsunomiya had a big festival (Miya Matsuri). I have yet to find out the true meaning behind the festival. There were lots of groups, communities, etc. that join together and carry small portable shrines. They walked up and down the main street and finished off the night at Futaarayama Shrine. We met up with Kenta-san and Tada-san during the festival and walked around and ate the usual festival foods.

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This past weekend marks the beginning of Obon holiday. On Sunday, Michael and I went with Yuta-san, Hayashi-san, Azumi-san, Erina-san, and Monica-san to climb Fuji-san (Mount Fuji). We left Utsunomiya around 6:30am and drove down to Shizuoka. From there we parked the cars and took a shuttle bus to the fifth station of Fuji-san. The fifth station begins at 2,305m and the top of the mountain is 3,776m. We began our journey at 13:00! The trek up was pretty slow paced because there were many hikers. Our goal was the seventh station so that we could have dinner, rest and wake up around 23:00 to begin hiking again to catch the infamous sunset. We made it to our mountain hut (山小屋) earlier than expected, so we chilled outside to take in the amazing view. Dinner was served around 5:00 and then it was bedtime shortly after. Our plan was to wake up at 22:30 to begin our ascent to the top of the mountain, unfortunately that did not happen. We were hit with a downpour of rain and it continued through the night. With hopes that the rain would let up, we delayed out departure until 2:30am, but again the rain was coming down pretty hard. By the time 5:30am came around, Yuta-san decided that it would be best to head back home. We put on all our rain gear and headed home. It was a disappointment to say the least, but we all made it back safely, which was the most important factor. We were told that a typhoon developed in the Sea of Japan that day which caused the heavy rain. To top things off, there was a pretty sizable earthquake too. It’s a weird feeling when you are swaying in a mountain hut 2,800m above sea level. The journey was a wonderful experience and we intend on climbing Fuji-san again!

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Taipei 台北

Michael had a holiday this past Monday, so we decided to take a weekend trip to Taipei. We started off our trip to Longshan Temple. This was a very active temple and I felt that we were the only tourists on site. The temples in Taipei were very colorful. After the temple, we ventured off to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall was very beautiful. Inside the memorial there was a multi-level museum with many artifacts. From the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial we headed over to Taipei 101 where we had lunch and met up with Kevin and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, it started to rain so we decided not to go up Taipei 101 to the observatory deck because we would not be able to see anything. Kevin and Jocelyn took us around to different places because of the rain, we were limited to indoor areas. They took us to Eslite Bookstore, but there were many little shops within the bookstore like a small furniture store, toy store, stationary store, etc. We later went to dinner at a yummy dumpling place on the east side. We ordered dumplings (小籠包), drunken chicken, some veggies and many other things. It was so delicious! After dinner we went to get some bubble tea, it was so good. I miss bubble tea. To finish off the day, we walked around the Raohe Street Night Market. The night market was filled with food and shops. The second day we first went to Taipei 101 because the weather was nice in the morning. We went up to the 89th floor and had a great panoramic view of Taipei. Michael was quite fascinated with the super big wind damper and the elevator model. There was also a nice outdoor observatory on the 91st floor, but the barrier/fence was quite big that it hindered the view a little, I guess safety first. Taipei 101 also had a jewelry museum and lots of coral and jade sculptures; we actually spent 2 hours in Taipei 101. After Taipei 101, we went to get some dim sum and it was pretty good. I guess anything is good when you miss it. We were so excited to eat, we forgot to take pictures. After lunch, we went to the National Palace Museum and met up with Kevin and Jocelyn again. The palace museum was a collection of art, sculptures, calligraphy and books. After the museum we went to Shilin Night Market to have a snack and walk around. Kevin and Jocelyn took us to this awesome dessert place. I had this shaved milk ice cream topped with mango sauce and fresh mango chunks! It was awesome and like nothing I’ve ever had. I am a bit sad that I can’t have it again. To finish off Sunday night, we went to Miramar Shopping Center. This was a newer area and everything was bright and colorful. The ferris wheel was probably the most noticeable item and it was beautiful. It lit up at night changing colors every 30 seconds or so. We found a nice little restaurant to chill and relax. That about concludes our trip, thanks to Kevin and Jocelyn for taking us everywhere, we had a wonderful time!

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Surfing...Camping...Hiking...

This past weekend was very fun filled. Saturday morning, Michael went to Oarai with Tsuruta-san (Michael’s co-worker) to surf for the first time. Tsuruta-san has been surfing for many years, so he offered to take Michael. Unfortunately I do not have pictures, but Michael claims he did stand up a few times. Surfing was fun, but takes a lot of strength. After surfing, Michael and I went up to Nikko to camp alongside Lake Chuzenji with some of the other OAPs and OAP’s friends. I can’t remember everyone’s name, but it was a good time. There were maybe 5 or 6 tents set up and then a couple of bbq grills in the middle for everyone to use. We sat around talking, eating and having a good time. Michael and I called it a night early to be rested for the next day. On Sunday, Michael and I went to hike Nantaisan with a few of his co-workers. Nantaisan is 2,484 meters high (8,149 feet). This was the first time I hiked so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Nantaisan’s path is quite steep, so about a third of the way up I was ready to call quits. I was very thankful that Michael and his co-workers were supportive and I did make it to the top of the summit. It’s was an incredible feeling, we had a panoramic view of Lake Chuzenji and the sky was pretty clear majority of the time. It was quite the feeling walking through the clouds and then seeing the clouds below you. Nantaisan was considered training for Mount Fuji because the shape of the mountain closely resembles Mount Fuji’s. We will be climbing Mount Fuji in August which is very exciting. Enjoy our pictures, I think there are some where you can see me struggling.

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Udon and Fun!

The past few weekends have been semi-busy. The end of June, Michael went on a business trip to Germany and Italy. Although it sounds like fun, he actually had a pretty hectic schedule. I am sure he had some time for fun. The weekend of July 4th, we went to an udon making class in Gunma Prefecture. We went with a bunch of Japanese teachers and their families and Katie joined in on the fun because she loves udon. The udon making process was not too difficult, but it took time. We mixed the dough and then stepped on the dough a few times before rolling out the udon. Udon retracts very quickly when you roll it out, so it took a lot of effort and strength. We enjoyed lunch with the udon we made in the morning and it reminded us of how worth it is was. We had the udon cold, which was perfect for a warm, sunny day. That same day in the evening, we went to Oyama with some of Michael’s co-workers and attended a free Fuji climbing seminar by Mont Bell (kind of like North Face, Columbia). There was a store worker that went over the necessities for climbing Mount Fuji and tips. Michael is planning to climb in August and I am still deciding, it’s 3,776 meters high (12,388 feet). This past weekend, Amy had a going away nomikai. We began at her favorite yakiniku restaurant and then headed off to karaoke. This was the first time I went to karaoke in Japan and it was a blast. Of course, I did not sing. Saturday night, we went out with some of the other OAPs to welcome a new OAP, Garrett. We went to dinner at Universal Dining, then Iceman’s, then Birdland. Sorry, I’ve been lazy about updating pics! =(