Chinese Lantern Festival in Nagasaki

Cindy suggested we all go on this trip to Nagasaki for the Chinese Lantern Festival (thanks Event Planner Cindy!) and when Matt realized he would probably be back in the states for this event, Cindy and I decided to make a girls weekend out of it! We had a BLAST. For starters, a HUGE snowstorm dumped on Iwakuni practically as soon as we boarded the bus (later we found out that the base had so much snow it had to shut down- unheard of, I guess). I love how the Japanese use umbrellas when it snows!

Our hotel room was adorable. I seriously felt like Snow White in the seven dwarfs' house (Britt- remember that version with the little wood beds... and the carrots and bread??? Please say you do!) We had so much fun examining the oh so small treasures of our room, I realized about fifteen minutes later that I had left all my bags, including my purse, in the hall with the keys in the door. Ooopss!

Aren't peep holes supposed to be EYE level?

I'm really not sure.

Germaphobes : Beware.

Cindy and Joe taking pictures of the lanterns...

Cindy and Joe posing for a picture in front of the lanterns, while crossing guard in blue nicely tries to get them out of the way...

Cindy and Joe cracking a joke while the crossing guard is like...SERIOUSLY...GET OUT OF THE ROAD!

Man, I'd do anything for some Log Kit right about now. Mmmm...LOG. KIT. Japanese marketing at its finest.

Okay, this picture may be my favorite. We joked all morning about how it would be impossible to lose each other in the crowds, being that all of us were a good 6 inches to a foot taller than everyone else....oh, and BLONDE. This proved completely true when I stopped for more sesame balls (more info to come), and Cindy and Christine went on without me into the sea of people. After walking for a few minutes to catch up to them, scanning the crowds, our eyes finally met across a sea of people and they had to snap a picture. We were more than 50 yards apart, separated by hundreds of people, yet we could pick each other out as if we were the only three people in the place. PERFECT.

Joe had this thing about needing to get into any long line. His reasoning was that if there was a line, it had to be good. Turns out, he had a point, because one of those lines led us to...SESAME BALLS! I lost count of how many these things I devoured throughout the day, but I'm pretty sure it was in the neighborhood of ten.

And some more food.

Breakfast: Sushi-rice ball, roll, cabbage salad, corn flakes, mini hots dogs with ketchup and mayonnaise.

THE NEXT DAY: Seeing the other side of town- the wharf.

The Japanese LOVE their oysters.

A little European influence.

Joe was determined to eat blowfish, being that it is one of Nagasaki's specialties. What's the draw? Blowfish is fatally poisonous if not prepared properly, so you know...why not? It was a no-go for Joe: they didn't serve it for lunch and we were leaving that afternoon. Me? I don't like seafood when it's GOOD for me, so why would I even bother?

A cute little cafe we stumbled upon for some dessert.

Quotes not to forget:

"Is this going to be an indoor festival?"

"Hey Tessa, want to buy a few dried mangoes for 1000 yen?" Tessa: "Hie."

"Where's Joe?"

"That Cindy, she's a doer."

"SESAME BALLS!!!"

"Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras!"

"I believe in you, Joe. But, I also believe in six year olds. So..."

"Red Coat. Black Coat. Grey Coat."

Octopus Balls

My partner in crime, Cindy, wrote the following little narrative about one of our excursions. This happened awhile ago, but here's to not letting it be forgotten!

Take it away, Cindy...

"So, a group of us met up to have dinner before our Japanese language class last night. We parked in the parking lot across from the Civic Center and decided to walk around town to find a place to eat. This should have been a simple task because there are many restaurants to choose from in downtown Iwakuni. As we set out (in the opposite direction of the town center for some reason) our colleague/VP adamantly insisted that we not choose a meal of intestines, octopus, or something else.....I don't know what because we must have tuned her out. (Sorry Mrs. Eittreim!)

We only had a little over an hour before class and we quickly realized that the direction we were headed was not good because eating places were scarce. In fact, we ended up turning around and walking back to a very small place that someone in our group had noticed. It was so small that the six of us barely fit inside. Eureka! We hit the jackpot. It was a specialty shop with just one very special item on the menu. I'm sure there is a great Japanese name for the food prepared there but we prefer the American name we chose...octopus balls.

I wish I could post pictures so you can see the way the cook carefully prepared the food. The batter was poured on a special pan. Pieces of octopus and I don't know what else were put into the batter. After the batter was partially cooked, more batter was added and then eventually the batter balls were turned and cooked on all sides. The end result was dumplings filled with octopus, sauce poured on top, and I don't know what else placed on top of that.

Obviously, our VP was thrilled with our dinner choice (see paragraph 1).

The taste? Different. We ate as many as we could, washed them down with Coke, and ordered ice cream cones to go."

Nagasaki: Atomic Bomb Museum

Our first stop in Nagasaki was, of course, the Atomic Bomb Museum. Two summers ago, Matt and I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial. I remember reading signs of the devastation alongside Japanese tourists and wondering what they were feeling about seeing the other side of things. Then, this fall we visited Peace Park in Hiroshima and now, Nagasaki. This time around, I was the foreigner of course, standing alongside Japanese people, reading of the horrific pains their people have suffered. I can't say what the Japanese visitors felt at Pearl Harbor, but I know I felt an overwhelming sense of reverence for what they've endured and a desire for this history to never repeat itself. I would have hugged everyone in that museum if they would have let me.

Hand bones melted into rock.

Roof tiles that got so hot they bubbled.

Melted Rosaries.

A clock stopped exactly at 11:02, when the atomic bomb hit.

What a day!

Today was President's day so we had it off from school. Sweet! We never got President's day off in the states. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. We've been having freezing cold temperatures for months now, so it was greatly appreciated. I decided to go for a run around Kikko park, which is the park that surrounds our neighborhood. I LOVE this park. The whole reason we fought to get our specific house was so that we could live in this area. Most of Iwakuni is pretty industrial looking, so I can see why areas like this park are so frequently visited. From what I am told, it is even more beautiful during Cherry Blossom season (March/April), and as a result, PACKED. Another reason I'm glad we live within walking distance.

Anyway, I took a run through the park and the surrounding neighborhoods and found myself meandering up one of the trails that heads up the mountain to the Iwakuni Castle. The castle is visible from many places throughout Iwakuni, especially at night when it is lit up. It is definitely a must-see of Iwakuni. The trails are pretty steep, but when I saw the grandmas and grandpas coming down with smiles on their faces, bounces in their steps and cheerful "Konnichiwas" for me, I lost all self-pity. Don't get me started on how much I admire the elderly around here... When I got to the top, I sat on one of the benches in the amphitheater. Sitting there stretching without another person in sight, soaking in the sun and the panoramic views, feeling alive and well, I realized this was one of those HAPPY moments. When I felt like it couldn't get anymore serene, I heard this sweet little melody, which sounded like flute music. Seriously? Am I imagining this? Nope. Later, I found it was coming from the clock chimes near the gondola. I wish I was more eloquent and poetic in my writing so I could remember it more vividly later on, but I guess this description will have to suffice.

I found a different trail I hadn't been on yet and took it back down to the park. When I got home and showered, I got a phone call from my friend and neighbor Tomoko. She invited me over for dinner and Family Home Evening (a.k.a. One night every week, usually Mondays, for Mormons to spend together as a family having fun and teaching a brief spiritual lesson). Best of all, they made (Be prepared, I'm going to butcher this) Okonomoyaki, which are Japanese "pancakes" made on a griddle with cabbage, egg, bacon, usually seafood, batter and then topped with a barbecue-like sauce, mayo, seaweed shreddings, and fish shreddings. Okay, after typing that description I realize it SOUNDS disgusting, but trust me that it is NOT. We've eaten it at restaurants several times, but this was the first time I'd had it home-made, which was way better. For dessert, we had these black sweet soy beans and glazed sweet potato, both of which I devoured. They were so good! Tomoko sent me home with some and promised me the next time she goes shopping she will take me with her so I can pick out a few of my new favorites.

The company was equally as good. I've been to Tomoko's house before, but her husband has always been gone since he is studying at a Hiroshima University to become a pharmacist. But, tonight he was there and it was great talking to him and learning even more about their family, culture and more. It was really interesting to hear them describe their countries economic woes and how similar their situation was and is to ours in the states. They have two young boys. Masaki is 4 and Kazuki is 2. No kidding, they are THE cutest boys I've seen since I got here. I can't stand that I can't talk to them, so I make every effort to use the 50 or so Japanese words I know when I am there. Tomoko and her husband both speak English pretty well, although they always keep their digital translator within reach. I tell them to mix some Japanese in there too. I need IMMERSION.

A great day. Counting my blessings...

Update

So much to say. For starters, we've moved into our Japanese house! Our first night spent in the house was January 7th. We got settled pretty quickly since we brought almost nothing. No couch, no table, no dining chairs...It would probably be quicker to list what we DID bring. Our bed, an old dresser, china hutch, rocking chair, area rug, old desk, computer/TV and of course the little stuff like clothes and kitchen stuff. But that's IT! We left a few things back at Matt's parents house that we didn't want to get damaged in the move... my great Grandma's hope chest, a stained-glass lamp, and so on. Plus, Matt was hoping that by not bringing anything we would be more inclined to find a cool sailboat that we could dock and live in. Poor guy, the only boats in Iwakuni are old fishing boats and even he doesn't want to live in those. As much as we wanted to get rid of the hand-me-down furniture we left behind, we are accumulating free furniture left and right. Our friends Adam and Ivette gave us their teak table they bought at a bazaar which has a crack in it, but other than that is beautiful. Our friend Lisa gave us her old couches that wouldn't fit in her house and our friend Linda gave us her dining chairs that she also can't fit in her apartment. It's amazing! So, at this point, our house is filled with items screaming "replace me please!" We are so happy to hear that THE bazaars are coming back to the base this spring. At these bazaars, vendors from all over Asia bring their goods, mainly furniture. We are hoping to slowly fill our little Japanese home.

School is great. I love the people I work with and my class is really getting the hang of things. I tell ya, first graders will wear you OUT the first few months of school, but they totally redeem themselves the last half of the school year and make all that work feel worth it. We are rockin and rollin!

Matt has been using this fresh start as an opportunity to go back to school. They have great online programs here with the military, so he is taking advantage of those resources. He is currently going the business route, but that is sure to change. I am realizing more and more what a blessing it is to know early what your "calling" is.

Matt flew back to the states a few weeks ago on a "Space A" (Space Available) flight. We didn't even know these Space A flights existed before we got here, but MAN what a deal! There are military flights that are on a constant loop and, obviously their first priority is to transfer troops to various locations, but the leftover seats are up for grabs to military and civilian families for 27 bucks a seat. There is a direct flight from Iwakuni to Seattle, which is the one Matt hopped on. The only downside is that it is nearly impossible to get a seat when kids are out of school, so I will most likely never get to fly like this. Matt wanted to get back to help his parents move into the downstairs apartment and to wrap up some of his business stuff that we had to leave behind in a hurry last summer. That way, when we go home this summer it will be ALL play and NO work (that's the plan). I miss him like crazy, but so glad he is getting a little time to enjoy a few things we miss of home.

Miyajima Island

Miyajima is an island about one hour north of us. We took the ferry over and spent the day walking around the island. After spending the morning walking through the shops and snacking on the local "treats," we headed up the mountain. We tood the gondola ride up the mountain and hiked the rest of the way. We were disappointed when the rumors and warnings of monkeys proved false. I even brought out my chocolate covered almonds to attract them, but to no avail. I have to see wild monkeys before I leave Japan!

One thing I wish I would have gotten a picture of was the Japanese girls/women and their HUGE high heels, hiking up the mountain like it was no big deal. They put me and my closetful of teacher shoes to shame!

I think the guy on the bottom is posing. Ha!

The view from the gondola. From what I gathered from the map, Hiroshima is somewhere within this view.

We have countless pictures of cool "zen" spots like this one. Can I just live here, please?

The famous Torii off the Miyajima shore. When the tide is out, you can walk to it! When and if we get our kayaks out here, I want to paddle around it.

My yummy squid stick! Actually, it was not so yummy, but I made myself eat it just to prove to Matt I could. In yo face!

I was tempted to feed it to this little guy, especially when he tried to eat my shirt instead.

Caution: Squid sticks are yuckier than they appear.