Parties and golf

These last few weeks in Japan have been filled with fun. We continue to make memories with the friends we've met here, and the reality that our adventure will soon end is starting to set in.

My sweet friend, Miyoko, recently organized a yukata party for my friends, Meagan and Emily, and me. We all sewed our own yukatas by hand and jumped at the opportunity to show them off. We spent the afternoon trotting around Nagoya and had a nice little lunch at a French restaurant.

Emily got to wear the infamous wig this time. We bumped into a television crew at one point, and the cameraman asked her if she was Lady Gaga. Ha!

The following day, I made my golfing debut. Miyoko and her family invited Travis and me along. We went to a very nice golf course close to the city. I had never really played before and had only hit a ball here and there when I was in high school. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous. We played a full 18 holes, and I really enjoyed myself.

I was terrible and usually lost track of my strokes after 10 so I have no idea what my score was.

After our full day of golf, Miyoko and her family hosted us for a farewell party. I managed to not shed any tears, but it wasn't easy. As usual, we had a delicious meal with them and lots of fun. All of the people sitting at this table plus a sweet 12-year-old girl will be making the journey to St. Louis and to my hometown in August. Should be a blast!

The following day, we attended a super-classy wedding reception for Ryan and Ayako.

We got all dolled up, and I was able to wear my bridesmaid's dress from Courtney's wedding. It's possible, you really can re-wear them sometimes!

This picture is of Meagan, Ayako, me and Emily. Meagan, Emily and I all had our hair professionally done for the party. Our styles weren't exactly what we had imagined, but it was so much fun. I felt like I was going to prom all over again--just with less awkwardness, and I didn't get a wrist corsage.Ryan and Ayako (Ryako) cutting their cake. They are such a wonderful couple and have already overcome so many challenges. Ayako is leaving her home in Japan to move to America indefinitely. Talk about commitment! I can't wait to spend more time with them in the U.S. Ryan sang to Ayako at the reception, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the place. He's quite talented, and it was so sweet.

Well, that's all for now. I hope to blog again soon. We spent last week in Cambodia so I have lots of exciting pictures to share with you.

Beach Camping

I am convinced that the best kind of camping is done on a beach. We headed to Fukui prefecture last weekend and discovered what might be the most amazing campsite in the world. Well, that might be a stretch, but it was really nice, and to top it off, we were the only people there! We had been wanting to see the Japan Sea for quite some time, and we finally headed towards it last weekend with some friends. We ended up finding a campsite, which wasn't opened for the season yet, and we were able to camp alone and for free. It was very relaxing, and nothing beats unzipping your tent door to face the ocean.

Here are the boys: Travis, Zac, Zac's college friend, Top, from Thailand and Eric. They were manly enough to build us a great fire that lasted the entire evening.

The girls were outnumbered, but we managed to have a great time together. Notice the nuclear power plant in the background. Always a nice touch.

An obligatory shot to capture our Japan Sea adventure. We later found out after returning that the area where we camped had once been a location where Japanese families were kidnapped by a certain neighboring country. And, I don't think I realized just how close we were to that country. Kind of creepy, but we made it back safely.

The next morning, we went on a really short hike to check out some of the interesting rock formations in the area. They were really beautiful, but unfortunately, most of the shore was covered in trash. We saw everything from old refrigerators, to shoes, to diesel engine oil barrels. Kind of hard to appreciate beauty when you're surrounded by trash. Japan is typically spotless, too.

Today marks 28 days until our return to the U.S. I'm so excited, but the transition is certainly bittersweet. We've had an amazing time living in Japan, but it's not always been easy. We've experienced challenges here, and I can't wait to get back home to family and friends and Target. :) I'm not naive enough to think challenges won't exist there, too, but I am anxious to be reacquainted with so many of the comforts I've missed. Travis and I have spent half of our marriage in Japan, and I've lived in Nagoya for the same amount of time I lived in St. Louis. It's surprising how comfortable I've become here, and I'm really going to miss it. I never would have predicted the experiences I've had over the last two years, but I am grateful for every single one of them.

The journey not the arrival matters. --T.S. Eliot

My first 10K

As I'm sure you remember, we lost our friend, Dan Shinozaki, to cancer last February. This year, we dedicated a 5K/10K race to him. He ran the same 5K race with several of us last year. Around 35 of his friends ran or walked in the race. It was a rainy and dreary day, but we gave it our best. All of the pictures were taken by Alex. She's an excellent photographer and devoted her day to taking lots of shots so we can all remember this celebration.

This picture is of part of the group before the race. It rained on us the entire time. Aren't the shirts great? It was so neat to be a part of such a special event. I wish Dan could have been there, too.

Who are these goobers? Travis and Ryan both ran the 10K race in their wacky Vibram Five Fingers.

I believe Travis finished in around 44 minutes. I finished in 64 min. and 41 seconds. Not a record-breaker, but I'm pleased with the result. I was also the only girl who ran it from our group. Maybe I'll try to break 60 min. next time. But, probably not.

This picture is from the night before the race. We hosted a "carb dinner," which was really just an excuse to get together and pork out. We had a great time together. And, I'm excited to say that all of the couples at this table will be in the United States of America as of July. Yessss!!!

Life's more fun when you're wearing a wig

Last weekend, we threw our friends Ryan and Ayako (Ryako) bachelor/ette parties. We had such a fun time. The girls and boys started off separately and eventually joined back up in the end. We got all dolled up and wore wigs. Can I just say that everything is more fun when you're wearing a wig? In fact, I kind of wish I had a collection now. Just imagine, you could pick curly or straight, long or short, green or blue, every single day. Wouldn't that be great? Enjoy a few pictures from that evening.

We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait for the wedding!

Me as a geisha

I shared my birthday story with you not long ago so I thought I would also show you a few of the professional shots that were taken during my maiko transformation in Kyoto. I think they turned out really well, and they look nothing like me! What do you think?

New Zealand Road Trip-North Island

Our most recent adventure was a trip to New Zealand. Visiting New Zealand was certainly a dream come true. We'd both wanted to travel there, especially after seeing the gorgeous scenery in the Lord of the Rings movies.

New Zealand didn't disappoint. It seems like traveling to New Zealand from Japan would be much shorter than visiting from the U.S., but it's still a LONG way down there. We flew from Nagoya to Hong Kong, which took four hours, and then from Hong Kong to Auckland, which took around 11 hours. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted when we arrived. But, that didn't stop us!

Here's a brief breakdown of our trip: Auckland, Thames, Coromandel, Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Rotorua, Gisborne, Napier, Lake Taupo, Tongariro Crossing and then back to Auckland. I designed the trip to be relaxing. We avoided long rides in the car so we could be sure to get out and enjoy as much as possible. We stayed in a combination of B&Bs, hostels and hotels, which made for a fun and interesting experience. You'll have to ask Travis and me about those experiences! We did lots of hiking, which was quite important since we also did LOTS of eating.

New Zealand's scenery is hard to describe, but I felt like it was a combination of Hawaii, Ireland and the American Northwest. There are many volcanoes and gorgeous coastlines, which reminded me of Hawaii. The countryside is filled with rolling green hills covered in sheep, which reminded me of Ireland. It's also mountainous and covered in redwoods, which reminded me of the American Northwest. In other words, it's pretty much paradise.

Below are several pictures from our trip. Perhaps too many. :)

This photo was taken along our drive in the Coromandel Peninsula.

This is one of the secluded beaches we walked to. I was so surprised to see no one on the beaches. We visited New Zealand during their fall, but it was still very warm in this part of the country.

This photo is of Cathedral Cove, a popular tourist attraction. We hiked for around an hour to see it.

Another tourist attraction in the Coromandel Peninsula is Hot Water Beach. At low tide, you can dig your very own hot tub! The water underneath the sand is so hot it was boiling in some places.

Here's Travis digging his tub.

The highlight of our trip was hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which has been called the best one-day hike in the entire world. It was 18 kilometers (about 11 miles) long. But, it was well worth it.

At the beginning of the hike, I was a little worried because it was freezing. We saw lots of icicles along the streams, and I was really nervous that I was going to freeze to death on the top of a volcano, but after a couple of hours, it really warmed up, and we were stripping off layers in no time.

For the first few hours of the hike, we were able to see Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings) by our side. Breathtaking.

After one of the more grueling parts of the hike, we were greeted by the Emerald Lakes. Just amazing! The scenery was so unique and beautiful. A bit nerve-racking to see the ground steaming in several places, though.

The hike was so much fun, and I highly recommend it. I will say that after six+ hours of non-stop hiking, I earned the biggest blister you have ever seen! I have pictures, but I will only share them upon special request. ;)

Another trip highlight was a visit to Napier. The city was flattened by an earthquake in the 1930s, but it was completely rebuilt as an art deco city. It was totally adorable, and it may make it on my list of Possible Places to Retire. It was that cool.

Napier is located in Hawke's Bay, a famous region for New Zealand wine. So, of course, we had to do a tasting.

We had a really fun time. The wineries were beautiful, and of course the food and drinks weren't bad either.

Prior to visiting New Zealand, I read some information on the road conditions there. The roads were in great shape, but they were certainly treacherous. They are extremely curvy and narrow. Plus, we were traveling during logging season so we met several trucks along the way. Thank goodness Travis doesn't mind driving.

One of the funniest experiences we had during our trip was driving along and meeting a huge herd of cattle on the highway.

I was raised on a farm so I was somewhat familiar with this sort of thing, but we really didn't know what to do. There were so many of them! One of the farmers told us to, "just drive through them." So, that's what we did. It was hilarious.

We visited the town of Rotorua, which is famous for all sorts of funky geothermal activity. We visited a park there, and it completely blew my mind! The B&B where we stayed was also located right next to a redwood forest.

We had a fun time exploring the forest, and then Travis had the great idea that we should run through it. Ugh. Speaking of, I ran my first 10K in Napier! We ran a total of 15 miles on this vacation. At one time, I thought I wouldn't run 15 miles within my entire lifespan.

We also visited the town of Mount Maunganui, which is also now on the list of potential retirement locations. We climbed the mountain and were rewarded with a 360-degree view of the surrounding area.

What do you think of my Mickey Mouse t-shirt? I swear, Japan is getting to me.

Another one of our trip's highlights was a visit to Kerosene Creek. We heard about it at our B&B and packed our swimsuits. After visiting some other areas, we headed there. It. was. incredible.

The weather was a bit chilly that day, but the creek's temperature was perfect. It felt like a hot bath. I couldn't believe it just existed there naturally. It may have been my favorite part of the entire vacation.

We ended our trip with a couple of days in Auckland. On our last day, we took a short ferry ride to Devonport, an adorable little city filled with lots of colonial architecture, cute cafes and shops.

We took this picture from the top of Mt. Victoria, an inactive volcano.

New Zealand was a great vacation for us, and I can't wait to go back to explore the South Island, which is typically the more popular of the two islands for tourists. It was an extremely relaxing and easy vacation. I'm sad it's over.

Speaking of over, today marks 43 days until our move back home!

Almost a month?

Oh no! Why didn't someone tell me it's been almost a month since I've updated the blog?! Wow, so sorry about that. We are really swamped right now with all sorts of preparations for our big move (only 48 days away), and we're trying to make the most of our last bit of time in Japan. All of that has made for very little free time. Anyway, I promise a few blog posts are headed your way. Don't give up on me! Look for a post about our recent road trip through the North Island of New Zealand. Coming soon!

Birthdays are the best

I'm a little behind since my birthday was at the end of March, but it was so great that I have to tell you about it. I received lots of nice cards and gifts in the mail from friends and family back home, which made me feel so special. Sometimes it's hard being away from home on your birthday because you feel forgotten, but I certainly didn't feel that way! So many of you called me, too. Thank you so much for that! It meant so much.

On my actual birthday, I had to work late. But, when I got home Travis had sweetly prepared me a dinner of delicious Thai green curry. It was so good. And, he pulled a beautiful cake out of the closet! It was beyond delicious, and I helped myself to two pieces that night, one for breakfast the next morning and more for dinner the next night. It didn't last long!

The following Friday Travis arranged a big dinner with several of our friends at one of my favorite restaurants. It was so much fun, and we followed it up with some karaoke, which was a blast. It was one of my favorite nights.

Here are the girls. We had such a great time singing Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt. These girls are so much fun to be around! Our boys were there, too. But, I think they were too busy rapping Gin and Juice to pause for a picture.

The next day, Travis took me to Kyoto for the weekend. We had the best time there, and it was undoubtedly one of the most memorable weekends of my life. Travis made reservations for me at a photo studio where I was able to dress like a maiko, an apprentice geisha.

The process began with a full makeover. My makeup was done in the traditional style, and then I chose a kimono and wig. Afterwards, I headed to the studio to have professional photos taken.

Travis took a shot of me during the photoshoot. It was so much fun!! I was actually really surprised by the photos. They turned out wonderfully, and I'll try to share some once I receive the finished pictures.

After the photoshoot, I took a stroll near Kyomizudera. At first, I was so embarrassed because everyone stopped to stare and point. After a little while, it became kind of fun. Travis kept going to the other side of the street so he could watch all of the people marvel at the super-tall-foreign-looking geisha. As you can imagine, many funny comments were made (at my expense), too.

Lots of tourists, like the Chinese family pictured above, asked to take pictures with me. I wonder if they felt cheated.

After my short career as a geisha ended, we grabbed lunch at a local restaurant and headed out for some sightseeing. Kyoto was incredibly crowded, since we went on the peak weekend to view the cherry blossoms, but battling the crowded sidewalks and traffic was well worth the effort.

Travis booked a ryokan for us to stay in. It was a beautiful place tucked in the side of a mountain right outside of the city. We were able to enjoy a couple of onsens there, and the food was incredible. Some of the cuisine was a challenge, but it was so beautifully presented.

This picture is of the walkway to our ryokan. It was very quaint and picturesque there.

The next day, we headed to Kyoto again and explored a few different areas. We did a little bit of shopping and enjoyed snapping pictures of the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

We stopped to take a picture underneath a walkway canopied by cherry blossoms. It was incredibly beautiful, and I felt like I was in some sort of wonderland.

Speaking of cherry blossom wonderlands, they are almost gone. We were able to spend a few days in parks enjoying them, but now it's cold and since it rained almost all day yesterday, very few are left. I am really going to miss them next year.

This last photo is a tribute to the cherry blossom. They come and go so quickly. Reminds me of a little thing called life...

I heart Japan.

I've got some catching up to do. We've been quite busy these last couple of months, but we've been having a really great time. With only about three months left, we're trying to seize every opportunity.

Late last month, we headed to Hakuba for one last ski trip. We celebrated Ayako's birthday, and we had a wonderful time. Things didn't exactly go as planned when it took us almost two hours to rent all of our gear, but we still managed to enjoy a fabulous half-day on the slopes. I even learned how to turn both directions on a snowboard. I still have a long ways to go, but I have fallen in love with it. It's so much fun! I can't wait to head out to Colorado and try it in the U.S. I'm going to miss the Japanese Alps so much, though!

This picture is of the four of us in our Passo. We actually traveled with a really large group, and we had a hard time finding space for all of our gear. I can't remember the exact totals, but we fit something like six snowboards, four pairs of skis and ski poles, four persons worth of luggage, boots, three Americans and one Japanese all in our little car! It was pretty hilarious.

I told you we went with a large group! Seventeen of us slept in the same room, too. I'm telling you, we have to bring the slumber parties back to the U.S. It's always such a fun time.

This picture was taken after an afternoon of bowling with our Japanese family (as I like to call them). They really do feel like aunts, uncles and cousins to us. I beat Travis in both games of bowling, which I don't think has ever happened before. Then, we pigged out on some yakiniku together. I can't believe how much food we ate!

On one rainy Saturday afternoon, Travis suggested we visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum, which has been on our to-do list for a while. It is a very nice and well-done museum in Nagoya. It explains the entire history of Toyota, and it's very interactive. I really enjoyed it for the first hour and a half, but I was losing patience for the last sixty minutes. As you can imagine, Travis loved it and could have spent the entire day there!

The picture above is of me with a huge loom machine of some sort. Toyota's initial endeavor was looming.
Here's Travis in some sort of futuristic chair thingy. Unfortunately, it was disabled so we could only take pictures in it.

Another evening, we went to dinner with Travis' close friend and Japanese tutor. He suggested a himono restaurant.

It's basically sun-dried fish. It reminded me of jerky. It was much better than I expected, but it did taste extra fishy.

We also attended a huge flower expo at the Nagoya Dome, which is where the Chunichi Dragons play baseball. I won some free tickets so we decided to check it out.

We had a nice time scoping out all sorts of flowers from around the world. There were especially lots of beautiful orchids to view.
Several days later, a friend of mine invited me to take an English tour of Yagoto Temple. It's funny that I never even realized a five story pagoda existed in Nagoya! The temple tour was really interesting, and we were able to take part in a traditional tea ceremony afterwards. I enjoyed it but had a little trouble understanding some of the worship styles explained. For instance, within the temple, individuals can get a stamp card. If an individual goes to the temple to pray seven times for seven months (once a month), they have their card stamped each time. After accumulating seven stamps, one is assured to have a long and prosperous life. Really?! A point card for prayers?

Last weekend, Travis and I took a day trip to Ise, also on our list of places to visit before we leave Japan. In Ise, we visited Mikimoto Pearl Island. We were able to tour the museum, see lady pearl divers and of course see some gorgeous jewelry.

Here we are at the entrance. We had a great day!

At Mikimoto Pearl Island, you can watch lady pearl divers called ama dive hourly. They wear no scuba gear and must have been freezing!

How's this for the cheesiest photo of the year? We actually learned a lot about how Mikimoto pearls are cultured. Did you know that inside every Mikimoto pearl is the shell of a mussel from the Mississippi River? Yep.

We also visited Meota Iwa, known as the sacred rocks of marriage. The larger rock represents a husband and the smaller, a wife.

See, I said we've been busy! And, I didn't even include everything. We're so excited to be moving back home, and we look forward to catching up with all of our friends and family. The move will be bittersweet as it represents the closing of a unique and exciting chapter in our lives. This is experience has far exceeded all of my expectations, and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for this amazing opportunity.