Field Trip to Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo

We took a field trip with my Japanese class to Asakusa Kannon Temple, or Sensojia in Tokyo. FYI, Asakusa sounds like "a-SOX-a." It was a lot of fun and so relaxing to go without the girls!

There's a street of vendors before the temple called Nakamise Shopping Arcade. They sold all kinds of things from fans and kokeshi dolls to candy and noise makers. While we were walking around students from a design school approached a couple of us to take a survey. Of course I took a picture of it, I couldn't resist! Read the questions and you'll understand why.

I took some video and will include it, and I have the rest of the pictures from our trip in my Shutterfly album. Be sure to check out the 60 or so photos.

In the first video the Ningyoyaki is being filled with bean paste. It's cookie sized but has a cake texture. I'll put a picture of it below, and yup, that's my hand. The second video is of a man doing some kind of stamping. His work was so beautiful but obviously very time consuming.

























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Christmas Eve & Christmas Morning

Yesterday I wrote about Kentucky Fried Chicken being very popular here at Christmas time. Well, not just KFC, but fried chicken in general. On Christmas Eve I went to the main base to help out with a single sailor thing, and since I was out (and alone) I stopped at 7-11. Right outside there was a girl selling fried chicken and Christmas cakes. How could I resist? Well, I resisted the fried chicken but the cake...yeah, not so much! You can see the chicken on the left and the cakes on the right. I opted for the Lilo & Stitch cake in the red box, not Pokémon in yellow.

After I got home the cake went in the fridge, we made reindeer food. Our neighbors in Hawaii made it and the girls remembered and asked to do it this year. We got Quaker Oats in the canister and some ice cream toppings and mixed it all up. The girls stirred it all up in a big bowl and we threw it in the grass outside. After that we came inside and started tracking Santa on Norad's website. Bob hooked my computer to the TV so we were all able to see it. The girls were so excited and it was so nice to see the expressions on their faces.

Christmas morning the girls were up at 7 am and laid in bed with us for about 20 minutes before asking to go downstairs. They were so excited to see that Santa had eaten the pizzelle cookies we made and drank most of the milk. We opened gifts then got started on cooking for our company...Julie and family. Bob kept his snowman pajama pants on all day and I threw on a pair of pj pants too, and we kept it casual and fun. He did an excellent job on the ham and I'm so glad we have leftovers! He didn't make the salsa part of the recipe but did throw mango in there. I helped prep everything and did one side dish while he took care of everything else. I also cleaned up after him, and managed to do dishes as he was cooking, so there wasn't much to clean up after we ate.

After dinner it was time for dessert...time for the Lilo & Stitch cake from 7-11. One thing you need to know is 7-11 here isn't exactly like ones in the United States. I suppose they are similar, but so many things differ. Anyway, so I pulled the cake out of the fridge and then assembled it. It was chocolate so I didn't have any of it, but the kids loved it...oh yeah, and Bob too. When I bought it I got the big box with the cake, a can of potato chips, a small bottle of Pepsi, another of iced tea and then a small box with the cake on it. Everything was in Japanese so I wasn't sure what it was, but once we got everything out of the box it wasn't tough to figure it out. The small box had the decorations for the cake, and all but the palm trees were white chocolate.












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My Shimekazari (New Year's Wreath)

Just like Christmas has many traditional decorations in the United States and other countries around the world, Japanese New Year’s has its own share of traditional decorations. They serve as a charm against evil spirits. The sacred rice straw indicates a purified place for receiving divinities. By attaching good luck charms like bitter oranges, blossoms, pine, Shinto paper, 7 Gods of fortune, Tai fish, Temple guardian lions (shi shi mai), Maneki Neko - etc.... all help attract Luck and Good Fortune for the coming year!

This website explains a lot of other things seen and heard of in Japan and I'm anxious to get a better look at it...and to talk a walk around Kamakura and Zushi to see them for myself. I have seen kagamimochi at Maruetsu and Costco, but will be on the lookout for more new things.

Once a week for the last six weeks I've been taking Japanese lessons. I'm enjoying learning new things and it's become especially helpful to know what some people are saying when we walk into a store! My sensei, Mizuha san is wonderful. She's so kind and sweet and really wants to see us do well. At our last class before Christmas she gave each of us a shimekazari, or a wreath for New Years. I have it hanging in the sliding glass door of the kitchen and plan to hang it every year from now on, whether or not we're in Japan. The label I think reads, "To: Katie san From: Mizuha."

Mizuha san brought wreaths for us to decorate with ribbon, a bell and origami flower, but the catch was we had to make the flower. I have little patience, those of you that know me well know that about me. I can sit and type or read, take pictures of little kids or even scrapbook, but when it comes to folding little pieces of paper my patience wear thin! That's why I always opt for stickers, right Shari?! Mizuha san showed us what our finished product had the potential to be, but alas, no such luck for me. Folding the leaves, petals and flowers of one origami flower took me the near hour our class went for, so I ended up with one. But it's pretty, it's mine and I made it, so gosh darnet, it's hanging in my kitchen!

And I want to say hi to Hang Ja, another woman in my class! She peaks in once in a while...I'll see you after the new year!

Don't Forget to Vote

Only four more days left to vote in my poll. It's on the right margin --->
Tell me how you got here, just click the applicable option and hit 'Submit!'

Irrasshaimase Mayumi, Dave & Fiona

Bob's old roommate, Dave came by to visit along with his wife, Mayumi and their daughter, Fiona. Dave and Bob lived together in New York when they were at Prototype in 2000. They each went their separate ways but kept in touch a little bit over the years. Dave headed to Hawaii then Japan while Bob and I went to Kings Bay then Hawaii. They met up again in Groton, CT during SOAC (Submarine Officer Advanced Course) and again separated afterwards. Dave and Mayumi got married and went to Washington and we headed back to Hawaii.

They were here visiting Mayumi's family last week and we were able to see them again! Keanna and Sydney loved having a baby around and I loved being able to ask Mayumi all kinds of questions. She translated my farting wife book for me page by page, let me know that I had bought pudding that needed to be in the fridge not the freezer and told me what my bud vases said along with the door hanger I got for the bathroom and was kind enough to translate the websites for future release of Kit Kats.

As a thank you for translating my book and being so helpful I gave her a copy of her own...along with some Kit Kats! She hadn't seen or heard of a lot of the flavors so it was the least I could do. Bob kept reminding me that she's not a novelty act, but I couldn't help it!

So thank you Dave, Mayumi and Fiona for stopping by. We enjoyed seeing you guys, and the girls have finally stopped asking for a younger sibling!

Keanna's Class Celebrates Christmas

Keanna's class had a mini concert for the families. When I say "mini" I mean it, they sang three songs. I took video, but won't post it since I don't want to have other kids' face posted without permission from their parents. Afterward they each decorated two cookies, and they had extra so siblings were able to participate as well. Sydney was in heaven, and Keanna was so happy to see Bob there! He was able to take an early lunch and meet me there.

Christmas in Japan

Meri Kurisumasu from Japan! Julie found this video and I couldn't resist sharing it here.

Four Okonomiyaki, Three Sushi Rolls, Two Flavored Kit Kats & a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Christmas is a huge holiday in the United States...it's become so commercialized that stores decorate for the holiday before Thanksgiving! When we moved here the last week of March I wasn't sure what to expect when Christmas rolled around. After all, the majority of the Japanese are Buddhist or Shinto, not Christian. Well never fear, walking down the street, in the train station or even 7-11 the Christmas season is obvious. Even the vending machines are festive! For you local readers, this vending machine is at the Shin-Zushi station right on the platform. The first picture is from Julie. Thanks, Julie!

Fried chicken has become the traditional meal on Christmas in Japan. For the last month of so I've seen signs advertising for pre-orders. Tonight I stopped at 7-11 and sure enough there was fried chicken for sale outside and a tree next to the door. Christmas cakes were also for sale so I bought one of those for dessert for tomorrow.


So here are a few pictures I've taken in the last month...donuts, cotton candy, Christmas iced tea and even Costco Japan wishes us a Happy Christmas!

And lastly, here's a Kentucky Fried Chicken commerical for Christmas dinner!

I Haven't Forgotten

We've been busy and I've hardly been on my computer since my parents arrived last Thursday. I've got a lot of updating to do and lots of pictures to post here and in my Shutterfly albums....

This weekend will be busy as well. We're going on an ITT trip in the morning and on Sunday are heading up to Tokyo. I hope to get something posted tonight, and if not then it won't be until Saturday night or Sunday.

Japanese Christmas Cards

Or Kurisumasu kado in Japanese.

I have been on the hunt for these for months! I asked on a message board if anyone had seen them and one person responded with what I wanted to hear...she was even nice enough to take me to the store a few weeks ago! I was tempted to post pictures of them back then, but wanted to wait until December when it was closer to Christmas. Thanks Mel...I still can't believe I bought 100 of them!!!

For you local readers, the store's on Blue Street in/around Mikasa Mall. Walk out Womble Gate and head towards Mikasa Mall. The sidewalk will fork and to the right is McDonalds. You can go through the tunnel or stick left and stay outside the tunnel. As soon as the tunnel ends there's a coffee shop and next to that is the store. It has a large glass window in front and right now it's decorated with window clings in the shape of a wreath. Each card is ¥210 and the 3-D ones cost a little more. I took pictures of them inside, then Julie suggested I do it outside in the natural light...they came out much better that way! She bought some cards too, and some of hers are different than mine.

I bought these 3-D cards too; not to mail but to use as decorations. They're sitting on the tonsu right now in the living room and are so pretty in person!

The cards are:
#1. Two Geisha walking in the Gion area of Kyoto.
#2. Kinkaku-ji, Golden Pavilion Temple in Kyoto.
#3. I have no idea, and if you do know please post a comment with the name!
#4. The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Daibutsu in Japanese). This was where we took our AOB/ICR fieldtrip to. And yes, you can go inside it, and no, it doesn't smell too bad.
#5. Shinkansen (The Bullet Train) passing by Fujisan (Mt. Fuji).