Randomonium

Brace yourself for a post with no consistency or theme. Lots of gear-switching.

So, last week I went to an ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) class with a friend. It was great fun. 

Here's the arrangement I created. There are many forms of ikebana, but I only learned the beginner form this time. The style of the arrangement I created is ikenobo. As you can see from the photo, Japanese flower arranging is quite different from what I am used to seeing back home, but I like it. Ikebana focuses more on subtraction than addition. The approach is more minimalist, and in ikenobo, the arrangement follows a triangular pattern rather than a round one.

This past Saturday, we participated in a kickball tournament organized by one of our pals here. We had so much fun! It started out with a fairly small group of 12 Americans, but we were spotted by a large group of Japanese people who were participating in their company's ondokai. An ondokai is basically like a track-and-field day. Cities, organizations and companies all sponsor them. Anyway, we invited the entire group to play kickball with us. It was a blast, but I am still sore from the event. I hadn't run in so long. Not to brag, but I did make a double-play single-handedly. I was pretty excited about that since I am quite challenged when it comes to anything involving athleticism.

For the kickball tournament, we all dressed goofy, too. Here's Travis in his awesome outfit posing next to our 1 Liter Toyota Passo. Yes, I did let him borrow my BRC t-shirt but only for that one day, and I'm not sure if I can allow it in the future. It is my favorite article of clothing afterall.

Another highlight of the weekend was Travis insisting on making me dinner last night. I think it was partly a reward for my incredible kickball skills. He made pancakes and sausage links. The pancakes were sooo delicious. He can be pretty cool sometimes.

While we're on the subject of my husband, I must share a little story with you. Yesterday, we attended the international church I have written about on this blog previously. Every time we had attended the church prior to yesterday, we had either heard sermons by guest pastors or by the head pastor's wife. The head pastor and his wife are American, and he had been absent from the church for several weeks because he needed to tend to their home in America. Anyway, we went yesterday, and it was the first time we met the head pastor. He was moseying through the crowd during the singing shaking hands with attendees. He stopped next to Travis and I, and we introduced ourselves and had a short little chat. Well, as I mentioned in another post, it's customary for this church to ask all first-time visitors to stand, introduce themselves and where they're from. This action is then followed by the first-timer's flag being raised at the front of the sanctuary. So, when the time came, the head pastor called us out (in front of everyone) and asked us if it was our first time. With the entire place staring at us, we shook our heads. We had actually been about four other times, but like I said, he was in America. Anyway, the pastor proceeded to publicly welcome "Evan and Jessica from Missouri." Ha!  Wait, it gets worse. Then, a gentleman from Nigeria stood up as a first-time visitor and introduced himself as Evan. After which, the pastor proceeded to say, "How funny! Now, we have two Evans here." Oh, brother. I know it's proper etiquette to correct someone when they mispronounce your name or say the wrong name, but what do you do when it's in front of a crowd of 100 people?! Just laugh, that's what I say. Travis did have the opportunity to to tell him later that his name is indeed Travis, not Evan. I must say that I got a real kick out of it for a good portion of the service.

More importantly, I also want to share some fabulous news with all of you! Our dear friends from home, Greg and Kim, just had their first baby. They have an absolutely incredible story, and their little Carolina Kimberly is nothing short of a miracle. We joined them and many others in praying that they would be blessed with a healthy baby, and our prayers were faithfully answered. They have been through so much during this process, but I am so excited about the gift that God has given them. I, for one, cannot stop thinking about them and that beautiful little girl. If you're interested in following along with their story, check it out here.

We'll Be Home for Christmas!

Big news! T-rav and I will be venturing back to the great state of Missouri for Christmas! We are so pumped to see our family and friends during the holiday season. I love Christmas-time so much, and I cannot wait to carry on our usual Christmas traditions: Steal-Your-Dollar City, Trivial Pursuit on Christmas Eve and gorging ourselves on pumpkin pie and fudge.

I must tell you I really enjoyed sharing the news with mi madre. I called her via Skype, and I played Michael Buble's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" over the microphone and asked her to listen closely. She just kept repeating, "Yeah, I hear it. It's "I'll Be Home for Christmas," what about it?" I swear she must have said that same phrase about four times before she goes, "Oh, wait, you'll be home for Christmas?!" Squealing ensued. 

Below are a few pictures from last year's Christmas. Travis and I hosted a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party. We hope to continue the tradition once we move back home. We had an absolute blast!

The vest was purchased at the Good Samaritan, and my mom bedazzled it. Pretty impressive, 

huh?

Wow, I really miss these people.

As many of you already know, I am getting ready to head back to the U. S. of A in October. I will be in my dear friend, Courtney's, wedding. I'm actually the Matron (I hate that word) of Honor. I feel so special, and I can't wait to stand next to her. I'll be home from mid-October through the first week of November. That also means I'll be spending more time in the U.S. the next few months than I will be in Japan. My waistline will suffer greatly.

In addition to being thrilled about getting to see my fabulous fam and friends, I cannot wait to scratch this little doggie's belly. I have missed my dog-ter, Little Skittle Margarita Hartman ("Skittle"). My parents are graciously taking care of her while we're living in Japan. They have been getting lots of help from Trav's parents and Tim and Christy, too. I apologize if she dookies on your floor.

*Vest courtesy of Aunt Christy and Uncle Tim.

Right in Our Backyard

This past weekend, Travis and I decided to go and grab breakfast at Starbucks before we ran to the grocery store, and we stumbled upon on quite a find.

This is the view from the second floor of the Starbucks near our house. I go there often as it's where I meet with my Japanese tutor for lessons about three times per week. This view is of the main street. It's where the bank, post office and train station are located.

When we were headed towards breakfast, we noticed a large mob of people exiting the train station and heading towards the road right next to Starbucks. There were a few street vendors set up so we decided to check it out. We were glad we did.

It was sort of like a farmers' market, but with more than just fruits and veggies. Candy, nuts, miso paste, kimchi, fish and dozens of other staples for Japanese cooking were for sale. There were also some crafts and knick knacks for purchase, too.

This photo shows  miso paste, which is used in many Japanese dishes. You're probably most familiar with miso soup.

These little guys are all over the place. I haven't learned the story behind them yet, but if you ever visit Japan, you'll definitely see them. I think they're pretty strange, but maybe cute? Oh, and this picture is in no way meant to represent any sort of future family planning so don't get any crazy ideas.

There was also a variety of fresh fish for sale.

When I say fresh, I mean chop-off-the-head fresh. We are actually having this guy for dinner tonight. Seriously.

Here is some unagi (eel).

They were grilling it on the spot. I've been told that you can just buy the grilled unagi and re-heat it in the microwave. Maybe I'll try that next time. 

And, here's the temple. It's called Nittaiji Temple. Travis and I couldn't believe that we have been here for three months with this temple practically in our backyard. We always knew it existed, but we had no idea how large it was. 

Here's another picture of the temple area. We discovered that the festival/market occurs each month on the 21st, which is when the mayor of Nagoya, whom we saw, goes to Nattaiji Temple. 

Beach Camping in Hamamatsu

Last weekend, we ventured to Hamamatsu with a group of friends to try and find a camping spot. Hamamatsu is only about two hours from where we live in Nagoya. Well, two hours when you know where you're going anyway. Of course we got a bit derailed, but that's to be expected these days. It's no fun to drive straight to your destination anyway. We found the beach and started scoping out places to set up camp. 

We found a pretty decent spot, don't you agree? The beach wasn't crowded, and it was so nice.

I was pretty pumped!

The waves on the beach were huge! I'm not sure if they are always as big as they were on Saturday, but they were unbelievable. Travis was no match for them.

This picture, like some more below, was taken by my friend, Allison. She has a much nicer camera and captured some great shots. I really like this one of the surfers. I have no idea how they survived the waves, but they were fun to watch.

This is our camp after we got it all set up. It was so awesome to unzip the tent door and see the waves crashing. I could get used to falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves, too. 

Here's the group relaxing. I was kind of bummed no one wanted to pretend we were on "Lost," but I got over it pretty quickly.

From our campsite, we saw a huge crowd of people farther down the beach. So, we opted to go and check it out. Boy am I glad we did! The crowd in this photo is waiting to release a bunch of baby sea turtles. They were sooo cute!!

Hopefully this guy makes it. 

I made a few inappropriate jokes about grabbing some of the little turtles to cook over the fire for later, but no one thought I was very funny.

While we were watching the baby turtles...men made fire.

The girls made a pyramid on the beach.

Now come visit us already!!!

Okazaki Castle

Hi, friends! Sorry for the blogging hiatus. Everything has been going well here. It's strange how living in Japan is starting to feel normal. We're settling into a bit of a routine, and the things that really used to make me nervous are becoming habitual actions. I now walk into the post office with confidence and buying groceries is a breeze. There are certainly challenges, but I'm getting a little more comfortable with the language and my surroundings.

Last weekend we were invited by a very kind Japanese couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi, to lunch and to a castle near their home. We had a little trouble getting to their house because driving in Japan always takes much longer than anticipated. We only had to go about 20-30 miles, but it took about an hour and a half. There was so much stop-and-go traffic! Once we made it, Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi treated us to a traditional Japanese lunch. I really regret not taking a photo of it because it was quite impressive. The spread included approximately fifteen beautiful Japanese dishes, all tiny of course. I was unfamiliar with most of the spread, but I ate almost everything in stride. I just opened my mouth, and down the hatch it went! The most unique item I consumed was a tempura-fried maple leaf. It didn't really taste like anything, but I just thought it was sort of unusual to eat a fried maple leaf. I believe the Japanese eat these maple leaves to celebrate the fall season. Speaking of, I cannot wait for fall in Japan!

Here are Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi. They lived in America for approximately four years, and they loved it. In fact, they both really want to go back. I can't say I blame them. :)

This is Okazaki Castle. It's a pretty small castle in comparison to many others. The original structure was built in 1455, but the structure in this photo, like many other castles and shrines in Japan, was rebuilt in 1959. Many structures in Japan were destroyed during the War. 

I think this might be my favorite photo cut-out shot. 

This clock is located in front of the castle. Two times per hour, it opens up and a little guy does a dance. It was quite amusing and well worth the five minute wait.

I thought this was mighty clever. It's a clock, and the bushes represent the hours.

On the way out, we noticed this funny little phone booth.

That's all for now, but we're headed to the beach to go camping this weekend with some friends. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Tidbits

I often try to focus on things in Japan that I really like and try not to focus on those that I don't too much. It only seems healthy. 

So, since I'm on an "I like Japan" kick, I thought I would share a few of those items that make life here a bit more pleasant.

Bread: In Japan, the loaves of bread are super fresh, and you can buy them according to thickness of slice. For instance, each loaf is the same size, but the amount of slices included in each differ. If you wanted super thick bread for Texas-style toast, you could pick up a loaf with only three slices. If you wanted thinner slices, you could grab a loaf of six or eight slices. 

Hand washing stations: In many restaurants, there is a little sink with soap and paper towels near the entrance. I just love this idea, and I think it encourages hand washing. When you see it, you're instantly reminded that you should probably wash your grubby hands before you eat.

Individual packaging: I often hear people complain about the over-packaging in Japan, but I have really come to enjoy it and feel like I better understand its purpose now. For instance, I bought a package of cookies the other day, and each one was individually wrapped in its own package. Although it caused more trash, each wrapper is recyclable. The individual wrapping makes it much easier to grab a couple of cookies to throw in your purse (or murse) for a snack later, and it keeps them fresher longer. I've become a big fan of the Saltines' packaging here. Each box includes several packages of about 8 crackers each. It's the perfect amount for a snack, makes them very portable and prevents porking out and eating an entire sleeve.

Convenience stores: They're everywhere here. You really can't walk more than a few blocks without stumbling upon a convenience store, and they most certainly live up to the whole "convenience" title. Since they're nearly everywhere, you can always run in and grab a beverage or a snack. They also usually have some fresh food like rolls, various Japanese snacks (vague, I know) and french fries, all of which are very tasty and fresh.

Vending machines: Vending machines are also plentiful. I once heard a statistic that there is one vending machine in Japan for every thirty residents. I have no idea if that claim can be substantiated, but trust me, there are a ton of them. The prices are usually about the same as what you'd pay in a grocery store or convenience store so there's really not much of a disadvantage to purchasing snacks or beverages from them. 

Table buttons: Restaurants here often have a button placed at each dining table. After being seated, the server asks that you push the button when you're ready to order, need more to drink, etc. I think this idea is genius. It completely eliminates that whole awkward stage of trying to keep your menu closed and attempting to make casual eye contact to show you're ready to order or trying to slurp your empty beverage extra loud so as to get the attention of your server.

Well, that's about all I've got for now. I'll work on thinking of a few more tidbits to share with you. 

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Yaki Soba...

Last Sunday we attended our first Japanese pro-baseball game. Nagoya's team is called the Chunichi Dragons, and they were playing the Hiroshima Carp. The baseball stadium, called the Nagoya Dome, is fairly close to us by train. Well, when you go the right direction. That's a whole other story in itself. Anyway, the games are played inside the dome and on synthetic grass. It's a rather pleasant atmosphere. No worries about the weather, but also no view of the St. Louis arch. :(

I purchased mid-range tickets for us, and we were only about 3-4 rows from the field. Unfortunately, the field is lined with a giant blue net. It was driving us crazy so we opted to move up higher so we didn't have to look through it the entire time. 

The coolest part about the game was the crowd's participation. Each player has their own customized cheer, and the entire stadium has it memorized. Everyone participates! All of the cheering made for a really fun and exciting game.

To be honest, I am rather confused by the team's mascots. There is an adult-sized dragon, a baby pink dragon (pictured above) and a blue koala bear named, Goala. I'm not sure how those all fit together, but it is Japan.

We were a little embarrassed by our lack of garb, but we'll try to do better next time. I have my eye on some koala ears.

The concessions at the game were delicious. They offered some traditional baseball game food like, hot dogs, chicken fingers and french fries. They served Japanese food like takoyaki and yaki soba, which is basically a mixture of stir fried soba noodles mixed with pork and cabbage. The best part, though, is that the game food isn't outrageously priced like it is back home. All of the prices seemed pretty reasonable. I also loved how they packaged it all together. Instead of trying to juggle all the food while dodging a crowd of stumbling drunks, they gave us a handy little tray on which each item had its special place, and everything was all rubber banded together so it couldn't spill. Check out the fries on top of the soda. You can eat your fries AND sip your soda all from the same compact container. Genius!

This last picture is of my little baseball player. Travis is playing on Toyota's baseball team here. Their team is called the Ist, which is after a popular compact car sold in Japan. I would compare his playing baseball on the team here to him playing in the old man's softball league back home. Can you believe that uniform, though? It looks so professional and even came with a fancy black belt. I couldn't believe it when he came home. It's a little different than the ripped out t-shirts I'm used to.