Our Lunch Guest

Today was a pretty typical Sunday. I spent my morning running around making sure everyone had pressed clothes, fixing little girl hair, and locating that missing Patton Leather shoe. Somewhere in all the morning chaos I managed to obey when God told me to put something in the crock-pot for lunch. Then off we went to church; practicing the morning music along the way. Once at church Ryan and I had to wait to do our sound check because the computer that controls the sound booth was down. Typical Sunday morning stuff.

Well the sound check delay caused us to miss Sunday school. So we were sitting in the sanctuary talking with friends and in walked an older Japanese gentleman. Ryan greeted him and the three of us started talking. He introduced himself as Kiyoshi Osada. He spoke English very well. We found out that he was visiting from the west coast of Japan. He had come to Misawa on the bullet train to get inspiration for his writing. He is a poet by trade. He was visiting different regions of Japan to study the dialects. He said they provide great material for his poetry. Church was about to start so Ryan asked him to sit with us.

During church I again heard that small still voice and this time it said to invite him home for lunch. I protested a bit saying “but God the ironing board is still setup in the living room and I did not get a chance to do the dishes before we left”. But God pressed on and I ran out of excuses. So I had Ryan ask and he accepted.

On the drive to our house I asked Osada-san where he learned to speak English so well. He said that he studied it in school as a boy but really learned it when he went to college in Miami. Well hello! God is so cool! He could not believe that we were from Fort Lauderdale. We spent the weekend reminiscing about Florida, The Miami Dolphins, Bush Gardens, and of course Disney.

During lunch Ryan pulled out a Root Beer and offered one to Osada-san. He was very delighted and said he had not had one in about 25 years. Then he started asking about other sodas. He was so excited when Ryan found a Mountain Dew in the cabinet. By the end of lunch the man had about four different cups in front of him. We had so much fun giving him a taste of soda, cookies, and even an American meal with forks, which he had not had is such a long time.

After lunch Ryan showed him Google Earth which he had never seen before. He showed us his house and then we showed him South Florida. He was amazed and had a great time looking at his college and the beaches he went to in the 1980’s as a college student. What a blast!
When Ryan drove him back to his hotel he gave us a gift of one of his poetry books. I can’t wait to have a friend at church translate some of his poems for us. What an exciting and unexpected gift this man was for us today. I could tell that he had a great afternoon also. He said that today he went to church to praise God. He was hoping to find some Americans to talk with because the base was so near, but he did not plan on making new friends. We were sure to exchange addresses and phone numbers. I am so glad that I chose to obey God this morning. The results are always awesome when you are obedient.

Maddison’s Birthday

Maddison turned 5 on April, 2nd. For many months we had been psyching the kids up for the move by telling them that soon after we arrived in Japan it would be “birthday season.” Maddison was so excited that her big day had finally arrived. For her birthday she received many cards and emails, a Japanese doll, and a Dora bike, and her second Webkinz. The bike and Webkinz were the big hits.

Yes, we did let her ride the bike in the house, but it was just for a minute. We also have a tradition in our family that the birthday person can choose what or where they would like to eat dinner. Well of course she choose the Japanese McDonald's. She did stick to the usual chicken nuggets not daring to try the shrimp burger. Happy Birthday Maddison! We are so proud of you! You are a beautiful, happy young lady and we are blessed that God entrusted us with you.

Changing Of The Tires

So this is an activity that I never dreamed of participating in. But apparently they make tires for the different seasons. Who knew? OK, so I am not really that blond. But it was strange to look for a minivan to buy based on if it came with an extra set of tires. This is our Toyota Emina.

Once the snow melted Maddison helped Ryan change to our summer tires.

This is Ryan's SUV it is a Toyota Surf with All Season tires. Now that is a nice feature. One out of every ten cars on base is this exact car, same color and all. I think I see him everywhere I go. I took a picture of his favorite sticker. Bald is beautiful!

Spring Cleaning or The House of "Ralph"

With the beauty of spring exploding all around, it gave me a tickle to see the houses throwing up fabric items. Well I guess one sure sign of spring’s arrival is when all the locals air out their bedding. It was amazing that every house in town did this on the same day. It was like they all received the same newsletter. I found myself driving around just to see how wide spread the homeowners association was.

It's Potty Time

With my love of ceramics I guess it is only natural that I am intrigued by items made of porcelain. OK, so these may not be beautiful works of art worthy of a museum but they do bring many giggles to our family. It is amazing what one culture has managed to do with a potty. In many public restrooms you will find potties that play music while you go. I guess that is to disguise any sounds that may disturb others or cause them to think that you are actually going to the bathroom behind that little door.

Then other restrooms have the “camping pot” as I like to call it. This is simply a somewhat glorified hole in the ground. I don’t really understand why a culture as refined as this one would have such a crude device. Sorry that the water looks "yellow" the color of the tolet gave it that tint. I PROMISE! Maddison likes the “mommy and me” stalls that have a big and little potty together. I am partial to the ones with seat warmers and bottom washers.

The potties in our house come complete with a faucet where you can wash your hands as the toilet bowl is filling. I prefer to use the sink! Yes, it is true that I have found myself taking pictures of in the strangest things in Japan. Check out my giant baby on a Japanese changing table!

Why we don't call more often

This is a good indicator why we have not called back to the states a lot yet. The finger cramps took over about day two. We really can't wait to get our Vonage box arrives so we can call more often.

Ryan Sighting

This is a new section, that you can participate in. Michael Bell, our Music Minister and friend from Charleston, gets the honor of the first post. If you have a "Ryan Sighting" at a restaurant, movie theater, or anywhere else and can get a picture send it to us and you can help everyone get a good laugh.

Michael's "Ryan Sighting" was on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 6:32 PM at La Careta in of all places.....Charleston, SC.

Taiko Drum Ensemble

We were treated to a truly once in a lifetime opportunity when a Japanese Taiko Drum master and his team visited our base and performed. In Japan the word Taiko means drum. But outside of Japan taiko is known for its powerful performance and the tremendous energy it exudes. Taiko is more than just playing a large powerful drum. It is a group of organized movements that tell stores of ancient Japanese legends. It is such a moving experience because that drum beat is mesmerizing. It touches your soul and pulls you into the performance. Even if you don’t understand the legend.

So why was it such a big deal to have a Japanese Master visit and work with our small taiko troop of Americans on the base? Well like many things in the Japanese culture it has guarded secrets that should only be passed onto those Japanese who are worthy and have trained in the art since birth. So when this master came onto the base and worked with our troop he was taking a huge risk of rejection from his fellow masters. His reason for sharing his art form with us was to help the history and purpose of taiko to spread around the world. He was so happy to work with a group of enthuastic Americans who were eager to learn. We were honored to be witness the performance.

A little Taiko history…In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, to help set a marching pace, and to call out orders or announcements.

I added some Taiko Drum links for "You Tube." They are on the right side of the page. This is not the performance we saw but some that I found on “You Tube”. I wanted to include this clip so that you can see how cool Taiko is. At our performance they wore costumes and sang as well.

Release The Salmon

Each year during spawning season local fish hatcheries go down to the local rivers in Misawa and catch the fish as they swim up stream. This event is also treated as a big festival. I am looking forward to trying to grab one of those slippery suckers. Once the fish are caught the hatcheries remove and incubate the eggs. Apparently salmon eggs are at quite a risk in the wild and to keep up with demand the hatcheries are needed. So those salmon eggs spend the cold winter growing into cute little baby fish in the comfort of a monitored environment. In the spring it is time to release them into the rivers.

Our family was handed a bucket that had probably 2,000 of the squirmy little suckers. As we made our way to the river’s edge with that “black gold” we were very cautious not to drop any. The kids had great fun poring the fish into the river. Afterward they joined the Japanese school children and slid down the big salmon mural made of rock. Then we went to a local community center and they played Japanese games in the gym with the other children. They had such a great time. The Japanese ladies had prepared a traditional meal for the American families but unfortunately the room was too small to hold all of those in attendance. We decided to leave and make room for other families, but vowed to get to the dining room earlier next year to participate in the meal.

The Easter Bunny Is Able To Hop To Japan!

With Easter fast approaching Marshall was concerned that the Bunny may not be able to hop across the ocean. Would he be able to find us on a little island or in a hotel for that matter? My kids adapt well but when they are confronted with a crisis such as this the questions can drive one a little bonkers. Thank goodness our squadron and church had such fantastic Easter parties for the kids. Somewhere between the crafts, candy, and egg hunts Marshall’s fears were subsided and he decided that bunny must have some pretty powerful legs. On Easter morning the kids were delighted that the bunny had found new colorful waste basket to use as traditional baskets. As ours were still on a ship in the middle of the ocean. That is one cleaver bunny I tell you. He was even able to visit the local 100 yen store to include some fantastic Japanese goodies. What fun! My favorite part of the day was the Easter Dinner that they had at church. I can handle a lot but the thought of going back to our hotel room for a meal that should be grand and shared with extended family made me blue. It was great that all the families at church got together to celebrate.

Trains and Shopping

Our next stop on the tour was to the bullet train station. Our tour guides showed us how to read the maps and recognize some of the symbols for cities we may want to visit. All of the maps are in Kanji which is Japanese symbols. The whole process was very overwhelming and I will defiantly need a seasoned pro to accompany me when I want to purchase tickets. I did learn that Misawa (whose Kanji characters translate as "3 springs") got its name because of its three rivers. Then we went downstairs in the train station and got to sit on an actual parade float. It was very large and impressive. I can't wait to see one like it in action.

The final stop was to a mall. It was a bit different from American malls. First, the stores don't have any walls to divide them. You have to pay attention to the pattern one the floor and the items sold in the store as an indication that you are entering another store. One has to be cautious not to remove items from a store without paying for them. We have also noticed that all malls have grocery stores in them. So you can purchase produce right next to the shoe store. Let's not forget the arcades. They are crazy. Ryan and Maddison had a great time playing the taiko drum game.