Snow in Tokyo!

The last week the girls were in school, Tokyo got quite a bit of snow (at least for Tokyo!). The girls even had a school day called, which was a first for us in Japan. I took the girls to the rooftop to play in it!

Smiling- this was right after she pegged me in the head with a snowball!

LaTour Japanese New Year's Party

The last weekend that we stayed in our LaTour Yoyogi Uehara apartment, Sumitomo threw a traditional Japanese New Year's Party, with Mochi making, dragon dancing, Japanese food and drink. It was a party for the whole building, and was a lot of fun, and interesting as well.

Mochi are traditional Japanese rice cakes, made out of glutinous rice, pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan, they commonly come in Green Tea flavored, filled with red bean paste. You can also find them stuffed with strawberries, and in Hawaii, with chocolate malt balls and mini-snickers- some are even frozen with ice cream inside!!They are delicious and addicting!

We all got a chance to pound the rice into Mochi, which was fun (being that Scott is so big, everyone was like "ooohhh" and they gave him this really heavy mallet and didn't want him to stop pounding the rice!

Maya and Ainsley pounding the rice to make Mochi

After the Mochi making, we moved out to a Traditional Japanese New Year's dance, dragon and all!

Though not scary to us, it scared every kid in the building!

Scott and I with the dragon dancer after..the sign says prosperity and health in the new year (or something like that!)

Saying Goodbye

My Beautiful Sayanara Gift

With Jenny and Katie

The past two weeks has been filled with nothing buy goodbye breakfasts,  lunches, dinners, and small get togethers for both Scott and I. Last Thursday my friend Denise hosted a group of my really close friends at her home for a nice Egyptian lunch of beef spinach curry, falafel and shwarma sandwiches, tabule salad,  rice, pita bread, and of course, wine (and a vodka shot to kick it off!). As everyone who knows me well knows, I do not like big parties- I like small ones where I can talk and be personal, not big ones where you have such superficial conversations and only get to talk to everyone for a few minutes, so I chose not to invite all of my friends, just the ones I hang out with on a daily/weekly basis. I have been able to get together with other small groups of friends as well, and each one has been sad yet fun. This week will be a sad week, as we are going to have to say our final farewells to everyone...and frankly, that stinks. I think our girls are going to be sad daily, which makes me sad thinking about it.

Kim and I and our Vodka Shots

Scott receiving his gifts

Scott's work hosted a Sayonara party for both of us this past Friday. We went bowling at Round One, then on to a fabulous dinner at an Italian restaurant, where we had a beer tasting contest, gift presentations and a ton of laughs. You would think that in a place where the majority ONLY speak Japanese, and Scott and I primarily only speak English, it would have been uncomfortable, but it was not in the least. Scott-san placed third in the beer tasting contest (I didn't make it past the second round!), I won a prize for the person who had the most total strikes, with very few spares who didn't manage to make it in the final top three scores (pretty sure they just felt bad for me, and wanted to make me feel better!), as well as for the third place team in bowling. Our prizes- a lightbulb, an electric toothbrush and a bottle of wine! :)  It was so nice to see how much Scott enjoyed his team, and they enjoyed him. They gave a few speeches thanking him, which of course, made me tear up. Such a sweet ending to a wonderful ride- we couldn't thank them enough and be more grateful for the group he worked with, for his wonderful interpreter and friend Yumiko and for his overall experience- we have been truly blessed.

MedTech

Sayonara to Japan

This week marks our last week of living in Tokyo. It has been something we have known was coming for the past few months, and have frankly, been dreading. When Scott came home three years ago and asked what I thought of moving temporarily to Japan I thought he was crazy. I said no. Didn't ask questions, wasn't interested in moving here and was fairly closed minded about it. My feelings were based on a few things- One, I  knew we had talked about living abroad, but when we did that, my thinking was it would be somewhere in Europe. At no time did Asia every enter my mind. Two, I was completely uneducated about Asia in general, and Japan in particular. All I knew was that the language was different and difficult and the culture was completely different from a Western culture. Three, we knew of no one who had ever lived in Asia, so we had no reference point or anyone to bounce questions off of. I was afraid of getting into something I would completely hate and have to muddle through for at least two years. Scott was really interested in the opportunity, and Stryker provided him with a list of people we could call who had lived in Tokyo for us to connect with. We asked those questions and got feedback. It was amazing, as we started telling people of the opportunity, how many connections we made through friends, or friends of friends to people who either currently lived in, or recently moved from Tokyo. We had been given a lot of great feedback, most of it being that each person who wasn't living in Japan anymore, wished they were.

Two years later, I feel it has been the best decision we have made, hands down. We have had so many unique experiences, met so many fantastic people from all over the world, had so many learning opportunities, learned (somewhat) a new language and a different culture, given ourselves and our kids an education on this part of the world that you can not learn in a classroom or by reading a book. Our kids have gone to one of the best international American schools in the world and have been exposed to so much, that it has completely changed their perspective on what they can do in their life- their options are open and they know they can do and be anything they set their mind to. We have traveled to places that we didn't know anything about, we have eaten foods that we never dreamed and we have definitely become a more open minded, caring and closer family because of it. Even going through the March 11th Tohoku Earthquake gave us the opportunity to see amazing things- people helping strangers, offering hot chocolate on the streets as people walked many miles in the cold home to their families and loved ones, there was no looting or crime- it was a community driven culture that stuck together, worked together and is recovering together- we in American and all over the world could and should use this as an example of greater humanity, caring and community. Sure, it was scary, but so many life lessons were learned by going through it and watching how this country came together.

I do not think our time here could be upstaged, no matter where we go and what we do. I do hope I am wrong (it would be sad to have the best two years of your life over at 38!), but I can't imagine how it could be any better. I only hope that we have this same opportunity to do this again in the future- I do not think you would ever hear me say "NO" to another opportunity to see the world, learn about the world and experience the world. We will miss our friends, coworkers, teachers, classmates, babysitters and neighbors more than anything- they have been amazing, and we hope to be able to keep many of them in our lives as we move on to our next adventure back in Michigan.

Korean BBQ

Scott in front of the Korean BBQ

This is the Korean BBQ that is a 2 minute walk behind our building.   It is our favorite place to eat. Hanna thinks everything is "chicken", while it is really chicken, pork, beef, venison. They have sauces, rice, salad with sesame, bibnbap, beer, and all the meats are cooked (by you) on a pot/burner right at your table.

Kushi-age Dinner and a little Japanese Gambling!

We had the chance to get together with our friends Yumiko and Dan Tanno who took us to another fun, first time restaurant and food type here in Tokyo called Kushi-age. Kushi-age is a Japanese style deep fried Kebob. In Japanese, Kushi refers to the skewers used. For Kushi-age, you take small pieces of meat and vegetables, place them on a skewer, coat them in wheat flour, dip them in breadcrumbs and put them in a deep fryer. We had deep fried cheese, asparagus, crab, broccoli, sweet potato, and meat. We also had a plate of sashimi (octopus, tuna, white fish and smoked oyster) as well as organic vegetables with a few different sauces to dip them in. Kushi-age is regional to Osaka, but you can find it in random places throughout Japan as well.

After dinner, we walked by what I would call the closest thing to a U.S. Casino. I have seen a ton of Pachinko places, but not many slot machine type places. I had to go in and take a few pictures for my parents (whose love of casinos is well known!), and we ended up playing for a little while.

Maya's 9th Birthday Celebration

This year I gave the girls the choice between having a birthday party with friends, or inviting one friend to spend the day with them at Disney. Maya chose to ask her friend Ainsley to go to Disney. Because Disney Tokyo is loved by all Japanese, we knew that we would have to skip a day of school to go, so we could get on rides and have a good day. We chose Tuesday, January 17th. Maya was nice enough to invite Hanna to join us, and Ainsley's mom Jenny also came with us. To our delight, Disney was not packed full of people. We were able to  go on all the rides we wanted to, some twice or three times, with no longer than a 15-20 minute wait. The weather was chilly (we had to wear our winter coats), the park was not busy and all three kids got along fantastically. It was truly a wonderful way to celebrate Maya's 9th birthday- one I do not think we will forget!

When we moved to Japan, Maya was 6, turning 7 in February. She had short blond hair, which she insisted on having me flat iron EVERY DAY. She had only lost a few teeth, she was super shy, a lot smaller and devastated that we moved to Japan. Now, she is nearly 9, has long, beautiful curly hair that has turned darker in color, is active in after school activities (Taiko and after school rec), has made a ton of friends, walks to the train station and the grocery store by herself, and is an overall wonderful daughter. She loves to spend the last 10 minutes before bed laying down and telling me all about her day, what she did at school, what she learned and the drama that goes on with girls her age. I love every minute of it and I love our conversations. She has definitely become a lot more fun to hang around and talk to, loves to sing (a lot) and is very into solving "mysteries" and playing school with the younger kids in our building. I couldn't ask for a more fun, caring, kind and awesome 9 year old daughter- we love her so much and are so grateful that she is in our family! We love you Maya!!

Hanna's 6th Birthday

Hanna turned 6 on January 8th, 2012. It is crazy to me that my baby is 6 years old already! When we moved to Japan, she was almost 4- small, whiny, cute, funny and much more dependent on me. Taking the train was a daily pain, walking (which you do a LOT of in Tokyo) was difficult (had to borrow an umbrella stroller for her from a neighbor). She would get tired so fast and then spend the rest of whatever we were doing exhausted. She was in 3 year old preschool, had short blond hair, a pudgy baby face, and insisted, for the first 8 months we lived here, that her home was really in Michigan and she was just being made to live in Japan. Now, she is 6, taller than most 2nd graders, has long blond hair, is reading, whip smart, hilarious and knows exactly what she wants and doesn't stop until she gets it. She claims Japan will ALWAYS be her home, and we are making her move back to Michigan! What a difference a few years makes!! She is a wonderful little girl who we are so blessed to have in our family! Happy Birthday Hanna Banana, Charlie, Chuck, HG and all the other silly names we call you! We love you!

The Birthday Party!

This year I gave the girls the option of a Birthday party with friends or a day trip to Disney with one friend. Hanna chose to have a birthday party with 8 friends on January 14th. I hired our two wonderful babysitters, sisters Rianna and Erina Kami to help out with nail painting, bead stringing and cupcake decorating. It was much cheaper than hiring a magician, taking them bowling or any other external activity here in Tokyo, and the kids had a blast. Both girls then had friends sleep over that night. What a fun weekend!!

With her friend Addison

Maya with her friend Ainsley

We celebrated the actual day of Hanna's birthday by going ice skating at Tokyo Midtown (an outdoor rink in the middle of the tall buildings in Roppongi), and then headed to the Korean BBQ (Hanna's new favorite restaurant, at which she thinks everything she eats is different colored chicken- it is actually chicken, beef, pork and venison).

Christmas in Thailand

Sea Canoeing

This year we celebrated Christmas in Phuket, Thailand. We stayed at the Laguna Beach Resort, on recommendation of our friends Bill and Karen Pond. We had a fantastic time. The resort had a baby elephant named Meena that roamed the resort all day- the girls got hugs and kisses from her, got to ride her, high five her and swim with her in the ocean. Santa even rode in on Meena on Christmas day! This year, we went on one tour to Phang-Na, which is a set of Islands, that include the "James Bond" island (that was actually in a James Bond movie), a hike into sea caves, sea canoeing and a trip to the Floating Village (for those Amazing Race fans, it was the same floating village that was the "pit stop" for the Amazing Race this season)!

Girls at Sunset

With Meena on the beach

We did a lot of swimming, the girls went to Quest and attended a Little Chef's cooking afternoon, enjoyed the kids club, and made friends with a few expat families from the States living in China, as well as one from England. The weather was beautiful everyday we were there and we enjoyed it as much as possible. We celebrated Christmas Eve with dinner at Tom Yang Goon's, and came home to a Christmas Stocking hanging from our door, filled with candy and treats- the girls were thrilled! What a wonderful "last" trip in Asia. We have been so fortunate to visit Phuket and all of the other countries/cities that we have seen over the past two years!

Christmas Eve

Hanna's Kindergarten Gingerbread party

On Wednesday, the 14th, I was invited to go help Hanna's class make Gingerbread cookies. 

Korean Town

Tami and I in our Bibs!!

My Friend Tamie took me out to lunch in Korean Town. The food was great, and the company even better!

Maya's 3R Christmas Party!

Maya had her Christmas Party on Friday, December 9th! PJ's. Gingerbread, Secret Santa and Elf- what more could a third grade class ask for??

Maya's Class- Mr. Rolls 

With her Gingerbread

Blue and White Yukata Quilt

This fall I signed up, with my friend Kim, for a Blue and White Yukata Quilting class. I had no concept of what it would be. I naively though we would go to class each week, so some quilting, and at the end, I would walk out with a marvelous quilt! I didn't have any idea that I would have weekly homework (and LOTS of it!), and that this quilt would consume every spare minute of my life! I am so glad that I took the class- I have finally finished and am very happy with the results!!

Christmas Cookie Exchange with a Holiday twist!

On Monday, December 5th, Karen Pond and I hosted a Christmas cookie/gift exchange, with a Washi Egg class to start, for our friends at LaTour as well as some of our neighborhood friends. The day started with 5 of us meeting with Karen for a Washi Egg lesson. Washi eggs are something I have been wanting to learn since we moved here, and Karen has done several classes, all of which I missed.  I asked her if she could do one more, so I could learn before I left and she graciously agreed! Washi Eggs are a process-you first have to poke a hole in the egg and drain all the yolk and inside "stuff". They need to dry for 4-5 days prior to putting the washi paper on them. Washi paper is a traditional Japanese paper that is thin and used to cover boxes, eggs and a lot of other things, and it is beautiful!

Some of our Washi Eggs!

We had 14 ladies show up with delicious cookies and wonderful gifts to exchange! A truly fantastic day!!

Katie, Megumi, Colleen, Jenny, Denise, Daisy, Karen, Signe
Yuko, Kim, Miyuki, Linda, Teresa and I

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at the Budokan

Last Saturday night Scott and I went to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at the Budokan with our friends Bill and Karen Pond. The concert started at 5pm, and we could not figure out why it was so early...until we arrived, and realized that a grand majority of those in attendance were our parents ages! The concert was fantastic (my favorite- Wonderful Tonight- LOVE that song)- they played a range of everything from Blind Faith to the Spencer Davis Group to Traffic to a mix of  both of their solo songs. They even performed a Jimi Hendrix cover!

Scott outside the Budokan

Taiko Performance, Winterfest 2011

This is the practice before the concert!

This years Winterfest was rainy and cold, unlike last years, which was 70+ degrees and sunny out. The highlight of the day was the Taiko performance that both of my girls were in! They have been attending Taiko practice every Monday after school since September- working really hard and really enjoying it. Moko, their Taiko instructor, is the most energetic Japanese woman I have ever met, and made it a TON of fun for the girls each week. Hanna is technically too young to participate, by Moko let her try it and said she definitely had enough energy to do it, so she let her.

Day Trip to Hakone

Tozan Railway- Oldest Railway in Japan

Saturday, November 26th we headed out for a day trip to Hakone. Hakone is near Mt. Fuji, up in the mountains, and known for its natural hot springs (Onsens). We originally planned to stay overnight and make it a 2 day trip, but an unexpected work trip to the States for Scott changed our plans to one day. We didn't have nearly enough time to do all we wanted out there, but we did get to ride the Tozan Railway (the oldest railway in Japan, with multiple switchbacks and great scenery), as well as go to the Open Air Museum. The kids LOVED the Open Air Museum- full of sculptures you can climb on and in, as well as Hand and Foot Onsens, and Koi ponds where they were able to feed the Koi.

Hanna says "Ahhh...this is the life!"

Wood of Net Sculpture

Diamond Sculpture

Kobe Beef with Friends

On Tuesday, November 22nd, Scott and I were invited by his friend Yoshi, to a night of Kobe Beef at Little Lima, in Aoyama. Friends of Yoshi's own this restaurant, and they closed it down just for the 5 of us. It was our first time trying Kobe beef, and I am hoping, it is not the last.

Kobe Beef...Delicious! 

Dessert- Marinated pear- unbelievable!

Our group with the Chef's/Owner's of Little Lima  

The restaurant was set up similar to a smaller hibachi grill- the grill was right in front of us, and they did all the cooking right there where we could watch. We started with raw kobe beef. I tried a little of Scott's but did not have my own- the thought of having raw beef really didn't sound appealing or safe...that being said, everyone else loved it, which intrigued me to try a little myself- it was delicious! After the raw beef, we had oysters that were smothered in Lemon- they were absolutely to die for. I am not an oyster eater, but could not say no to these for two reasons- first, I already turned down the raw beef, and I didn't want to be offensive to the cook (hard to divert his attention with only 5 people in the restaurant, and the fact that he was cooking and serving each of us everything!). Secondly, the oysters and lemon smelled delicious and I just had to try them. Our third portion was grilled onion, beans and Hokkaido potatoes, then on to the Kobe beef- all different cuts. It was mouth watering!!! By the time we were done with that, I didn't think I could stuff one more thing into my mouth....until they brought over the marinated pear for dessert. Oh My God- it was the best tasting dessert I have ever had- so good, I took a photo so I could remember it! The meal was fantastic, and the night was just as wonderful!!

Trip to Hiroshima

One of the main things I wanted to do while we lived in Japan was to go to Hiroshima. I felt that it was an opportunity for a History lesson from a different perspective (definitely different), as well as what the citizens (innocent citizens- which is typically the case in war, isn't it?) went through and pay homage to a city that suffered so much during the drop and its aftermath. The city, which was completely demolished almost immediately, has rebuilt itself into a hustling, bustling, beautiful city, honoring those who suffered, and with a steadfastness to No Nukes. This was the girls first time to take a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) ride, and according to Hanna "it doesn't go that fast, and it has wings" so she thought we were actually flying during part of the trip. Oh, to be a 5 year old!

Girls on first Shinkansen ride

We were able to see the Shukkeien Gardens (traditional Japanese gardens- beautiful!), and visit the Hiroshima Castle on Friday (we had a complete downpour for a good part of the day- very wet, and a bit cold).

Shukkeien Gardens

That night after a forgettable dinner at Molly Malone's, we ventured out and accidentally wandered into the Tori-No-Ichi (Rake Fair). This fair is quite unique, in that it sells Rakes to rake in good fortune while people throw money into barrels and pray for good success in business. It takes place on the days of the Tori (or Rooster) in November at various Otori-jinja shrines found in all parts of Japan. Otori-sama is the patron Deity of good fortune and successful business and is enshrined at Otori-jinja shrines. Days of the rooster occur every 12 days in November, which means that there are at least 2-3 days of the Rooster in the month. This fare sets up tons of booths, with the main and most important sale being that of a Kumade rake for "raking in wealth and good fortune".

Tori-No-Ichi (Rake) Fair

On Saturday, we spent the morning in Miyajima Island, about a 30 minute train ride, and a 15 minute Ferry from Hiroshima. Again, the weather was a little rainy, but warmer than the day before. We had the opportunity to see the Itsukushima Shrines Tori-i Gate (3rd most picturesque site in Japan), as well as visit the shrine, the parks on the Island, eat some good Yakatori and visit with all the wild deer that freely roam the Island (the Girls favorite part!). From there, we took a Ferry ride from the Island right to the Memorial Peace Park.

Itsukushima Shrine Tori-i Gate

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park is a large area, very close to where the bomb hit, in which everything/everyone around it was completely and immediately destroyed. It was decided four years after the bomb dropping that the area would not be rebuilt, but would instead serve as a memorial to all of those who suffered at the hands of the atomic bomb. Within the Peace Park, there is the main attraction- the Peace Memorial Museum. I went in by myself, as we were warned in advance that the photos and detailed information is very graphic,and not suitable for young kids. It covered the bombing, the decision making process on choosing Hiroshima as the place to drop the bomb, as well as what a nuclear bomb can do, and most importantly, and sadly, the aftermath. There were many very sad pictures, stories and information told regarding the citizens of Hiroshima and what they had to endure. I could not spend a lot of in depth time reading, as it was so sad, I would have had a hard time snapping out of it- I did a lot of browsing and skimming, and that was sad enough. I truly hope that the world has learned a lesson, and will never, ever drop a nuclear bomb again.

A-Dome

The A-dome (also known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial) is the remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and has been names a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Centopath- see the A-dome through it?

Between the Museum and the A-bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims. It is an arched tomb for those who died due to either the initial blast of exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of those names, which there are over 220,000. Looking through the arch, you can see the eternal flame for world peace, as well as the A-dome.

With the Peace Bell

The Peace Bell was also located in the Peace Park, and Maya could not wait to see it. Last year, in 2nd grade, the author of the book The Peace Bell, Margi Preus, came to ASIJ for a workshop with the Elementary students. They had the opportunity to learn the amazing story of the Peace Bell, which now resides in the Peace Memorial Park. We all had an opportunity to ring the bell for all the world to hear!

http://www.margipreus.com/

Children's Peace Monument

We also got to see the Children's Peace Monument, dedicated to  Sadako Sasaki, a two year old girl at the time of the Atomic bombing, who died of cancer, directly related to the Nuclear bombing. It is a Japanese legend that if you fold 1000 paper cranes, you will receive your wish and she thought it would make her illness go away. She worked very hard to fold her paper cranes, eventually reaching more than 1000. Unfortunately, it did not cure her,and she passed away at the age of 12. Her friends raised money to resurrect a peace monument, dedicated to Sadako, in which a gold crane bell hangs in the middle to be rung for World Peace. There are also several small buildings surrounding the kids museum filled from top to bottom with paper cranes made by people from around the world.

http://gimundo.com/news/article/one-thousand-paper-cranes-for-peace-the-story-of-sadako-sasaki/

That night, after visiting the Peace Park, we went to dinner at Mario's, and Italian Restaurant with some good food and delicious wine, we headed down Peace Memorial Blvd to view the crazy Christmas lights. Because the Japanese aren't, for the most part, Christian, the entire Blvd was lit up with castles, fruit, stars, pirate ships and pretty much anything and everything you could think of. It was quite amazing, and the girls had a blast going from lit up area to lit up area- it was a nice way to end a great visit to Hiroshima.

Girls with all the lights!