Yokohama at Christmas Time

Went to Yokohama over the weekend. Photos include- View of Mt. Fuji from the ferris wheel, a Christmas Clown and a sparkly, mirror like singing Christmas tree ( we made it just intime to see it start sparkling and singing!)

Japanese Movie Extras

Well, we were in a Japanese Movie yesterday in Kawasaki! Very interesting to see how much work goes into making a very small part of a movie! I tried to take pictures but the only one they would let me get was the one of the Bento lunches. It was a good experience, made some extra money, got fed 3 meals, snacks, drinks and met a lot of foreigners from all over the world- among the ones we met, Bosnia, France, Canada, Scotland, Australia- the only requirement was that you were not Asian (I am guessing they already filled those parts. WOW!!! It was a crazy day- made it home around 11 ish! Here's the picture showing the area in Kawaski and here are the Bento lunches- I had some sort of stew thing :)

Oh I Forgot..........

When the Japanese neighbors came to the door with the trash with a ticket I had makeup on that was freaky...... black lipstick, big black eyeliner on both upper and lower eyelids and streaks of green and purple in my hair. The lady remembered me "Hi Sarah" oops forgot to mention I was trying on my stuff for our acting extra role as part of a Heavy Metal Concert Audience for a Japanese Movie in Tokyo tomorrow- they probably thought I was strange......... was dressed for WORK!!!

Trash Ticket

Well, it's very obvious what the problem was.... Anyways 6 months of living in the Japanese Home with the very confusing trash rules and multiple trash cans for seperating and something very obvious (a can) got mixed in with the plastics and packaging.... maybe in the busyness of Holiday parties and house guests..... who knows- well, it needs to wait one more week and then it can go out again- the crows already got it today.

The Great Buddha Of KamaKura

Pictures from the Great Buddha. This Buddha is the 2nd largest in Japan. Very big, very crowded. Also, his slippers.

Fun in Tokyo!

Went to Harajuku and Omote Sando today to meet a friend we knew from Okinawa! Had lots of fun and saw many different things.

Size

So you could see the size of this HUGE Statue-

Look What's In Our Backyard!!!!!!!

Found this yesterday, walked 10 minutes from our house and upa ton of stairs, went into the trees and along the trail and 15 minutes later we were here! Besides this there was a huge climbing rock with a bunch of climbers on it and a Movie Crew filming a Samari Movie. Neat Day :)

Tokyo Video Game Show

Liam and Brian went to the Tokyo Video Game Show, well we all went but sperated at the entrance- I made my way to the Disneyland Shopping Area and Starbucks, the show was toooo crowded and couldn't even find a bathroom. They had fun trying the new games out that had not benn released yet. There was a special kids area and you had to be with a kid to go in, so that was nice too- they got to try a lot of games there also. The Disney area was packed too but I was able to find a cushioned chair at the Starbucks in the shopping center and then walked around looking at the Disny stuff. Tiring Day!

Lame Stickers

A package of Shiny, Lame Stickers found at the 100 yen shop in Japan. Funny!

Haunted Looking House

I could not find ny recent pictures that did not contain close ups of peeople so I thought this would be fun! This is a house we saw last year in Corpus Christi, I think it was turned into a Musuem. Looks like a haunted house.

Grass Slide

A huge, gigantic grass slide at the park. I think it was 200 or 300 yen (about $2-$3) to use the sled and go up and down as much as you want for 20 minutes. Can we go for an hour???? no problem- how tired would that make you......

In the Floor Storage

Here is something neat in our house. I wish there were more (like in every room!) the only thing weird is in our house when I lifted the floor storage thing out to clean it- you could see the dirt under the house- so it is not sealed. Since it is not sealed I only keep oddball stuff in it- not my dishes or food or anything. We keep drinks and stuff like that. Here is a picture:

Foreigner in Kimono

I think that's what this was called. We saw this at the Art Museum in Yokohama and you could take pictures in it- then we saw the actual painting of this and I think it was called "Westerner or Foreigner in Kimono) they had a lady cut out too. I thaught it was interesting that the artist had an American looking person in the original and then we photograghed in it- making it just like the painting- it was kinda neat. They have a lot of neat looking classes there for kids and teachers I may look into after it cools off a little and things start to slow down. Was sick last weekend so am just starting to post again- be sure to check back often :)

Questions Answered

Normally I like to post with a picture but I don't always have one available. So this post answers some questions my Gradmother wrote in a letter-

1. Do the Koiobori for the Children's Day in May represent the # of boys in the family? Yes- I beleive the Big Koinabori is for the Dad, then a smaller red one for the Mom and then the little ones for the boys- I don't know if it has changed to include girls- I will have to ask.

2. Does our toilet have a dry button for after using the spray? I don't think so- Liam has played with every single button and has not mentioned a dry button- I am sure some do though- there appear to be all kinds of styles.

3. Do we remove our shoes insid e our house? ACTUALLY- It is in the LEASE agreement. Pretty funny- even the movers took their shoes on and off while bringing in heavy furniture- pretty talanted, I have a hard time balancing on one foot just to try not to touch the part of the foor where you leave your shoes. I guess the Japanese have had a lifetime to master it :) Also we have a really big shoe cabinet at the front of our house, you can leave the shoes you are not wearing in there and a pair in the shoe floor area (picture to come later) The only bad thing is the shoe closet gets a little stinky so I spray it with Lysol every so often and leave these charcoal things in there to absorb the odors.

Lastly, I try to update every few days- so check back often!!!

Japanese KItchen

With almost no usable space or cupboard- there are a few on the bottom and a few up high- I cannot reach anything in the cupboards up high- not even the first shelf- everything we use on a daily basis is out. Notice the containers attached to my refirgerator. I bought these at the 100 yen store for about 300 yen each- they have magnets on them and hold a lot, I am going to get a few more later this week. I have decided that they are perfect for holding our Tupperware that we use everyday. I am going to be putting the glass stuff up in the cupboards that I have not been using. Also notice the only counterspace- it is where the dish drainer is- we have a large title top kitchen table that we use instead, it is in the dining room. Also, pictures of the refrigerator- it has drawers for the freezer, a special area just for ice and a large drawer for vegetables, fruit, juice, etc- the top of the refrigerator is just like an American one. I like the refrigerator.

Star Festival

The decorations for this festival were so pretty!! They hung at the entrance to the train station in our little town. So bright, colorful and sparkly. When I find the story behind the festival I will post it.

My teaching spot

Here is where I taught at- it is a cool Starbucks. Not sure where i found this photo or I would give the photogragher credit ....

We are O.K.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/4819469/powerful-earthquake-hits-northern-japan I guess I was right when I thought and earthquake woke me up right after I fell asleep- wasn't sure- anyways we are o.k. Here is a link-

English Class

Short post- gotta go....... this is where I taught today-
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=YfcWBJbdqAA&feature=related

Star Wars Celebrate Japan

Here are some photos from Star Wars Celebrate Japan.

Funky Handbags

In Japan men sometimes carry these big bags, some look like women's purses, some don't.I would love to get Brian to carry a big bag, then I could carry less- maybe one for Christmas!!!! (in mens colors)

Dinner at Roy's In Tokyo

http://www.soho-s.co.jp/english/roys/tokyo_fs.html Well worth the splurge! Or cut back on something else for the month (such as fast food, junk, etc!) The view is actually better from the restaurant than it shows on the web page. We had a window table that looked right out to the Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo night sky. Champagne with fresh squeezed pineapple, appetizers, main course and dessert around 13,500 Japanese yen or around $130 no tipping required, but what was different in this Japanese restaurant was the 10% gratuity charge added to the bill- which was part of the 13,500 Japanese Yen total- not bad at all considering the food, the VIEW and the outstanding service. I would highly recommend. In addition- we forgot our camera so they took photos for us and developed them on the spot!!!!

Do It At Home!!

We liked this poster hanging in the Tokyo Subway Station and in the actual subway trains. Tokyo was fun but super hot and sticky in July. A lot cooler at home where we have many trees.

Mosaic Mall

http://www.mosaicmall.co.jp/ Went here today- interesting- HOT AS HECK!!!!!! I don't think I saw too many trees, just a lot of concrete everywhere- it was soooooo HOT!!! There were a lot of cool shops and a hige grocery store/food area in the basement, a Lush store, Starbucks etc. The subway stopped pretty much right at the mall- about 10 stops from the Yokohama Station- interesting adventure :)

Wave Pool

This appears to be the place that Liam went to with the summer day camp. Good thing they did not go in July or August. It is amazing how crowded it is in some places....... http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=inA-36YRV0Y&feature=related (better than watching Friends!!!)

Huge Spider of the Ropponghi Hills

This is a photo of the humongous spider that rules the Rappongi Hills area. Cool gigantic spider overlooks a garden with swimming fish, shopping areas, Starbucks. You can also see the Tokyo tower from the area. Lots of shopping, upscale stores and very good, inexpensive restaurants (you would not expect this from the area) a easy trip from the Tokyo subway lines.

Shopping in Yokohama

Picture of the Landmark Tower at night in Yokohama. The bookstore where I went shopping for English teaching books is here, it is a nice place to shop and you an find pretty much anythingyou need in this area.

Tatami Mats

What are they? They seem to be made out of straw type stuff. Our house has 2 rooms like this- the room was measured by the number of tatami mats that are in it- so for example are room is a 10 tatami mat room- to replace mats it is about $50 each. All of our heavy furniture has stuff under it to protect the mats from being dented. Cleaning is done with a swiffer and a lightly damp rag (water only).

Riding the Train

Found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XjldEzC6RU&feature=related while looking for directions for the train. Very interesting, this is exactly what it looks like- but we TRY HARD to not ride at this time of the day or if we do to take the local train instead - it is the train that stops at every stop and takes a while but you can usually get a seat!

Land of the Rising Sun

I guess it is called that for a reason- The sun comes up at 4:30 in the morning. If you don't believe me look at weather.com and you can see the rainy weather for today and the time of sunrise/sunset. We have typhoon shutters on our windows- so in addition to curtains we just shut those at night. Picture soon!

Flowers and Pineapples

Found these cute pineapples at the flower shop. O.K. I guess you can't see the pienapples to good, I'll ahve to get another picture later. Have slowly been bringing home flowers that I find while out. I think there must be a cute little florist/garden shop on every street. Next thing to bring home- a bucket of grass- the kind for cats, it looks nice, so I thought I would make a cute centeriece from it for the table.

Trash Sorting

Pictures from the festival in Yokohoma. I thought the trash sorting was interesting, even the Japanese sometimes goofed it up.... it is a little confusing and you really have to read the pictures! Our house trash is done the same way but not in as many trash cans. We have 6 sorting system at our house. Burnable, Non-Burnable, Plastics and Packaging, Recyclables, Stuff for Thrift Store type re-use, recyclable paper (milk carton - wash, dry, cut open, paper- letters and such, magazines, paper boxes, newspapers) I have not figured out the paper recyclable yet- I think each type according to our booklet has to be separated and tied with a string) It is amazing- almost everything here is recycled- the picture shows how.

FREAKY Bug!

Not sure what I found in the house today but it sure was FREAKY!!!!!! The size was about that of a silver dollar (the whole bug) Just hope not to wake up to one of these. Now that I think about it, I had a hige bite on my ear last week and it swelled pretty big, maybe.........

Skinny Little Oven

This is a skinny little oven. Actually it is an American oven that is not so wide but it is deeper- My Pampered Chef large stone dishes seem to fit in it, so that is nice. We once had an oven that none of our dishes could fit in and we could not figure out so we never used it, only the top burners. This oven is in F. temp so that is nice too.

Koinobori

Koinobori! For Children's Day in May. A little late but thought they would be nice to show. These are HUGE Koinoboro decorations flying high above a river, I think there were thousands on display there. They are really pretty with all the bright and fun colors. Children's Day is part of a week long celebration in Japan known as Golden week.

Japanese Toilet

The most funnest toilet you will ever use- check out all the cool features. Flushing sound button- makes a flushing sound while you use the toilet, spray/wash for - well you can figure it out and of course the heated seat. The water thing on top is to fill the toilet with clean water after flushing (I flushed it on purpose just for the picture) I can't figure out if it is for washing hands too????? there is a towel rack in there so maybe it is (we put Purell in there and then just use the sink in the other room- I don't want to break it) As mentioned in an earlier post the toilet is in a separate room away from the bath. shower, etc.