Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make...

I'm going to adopt a Japanese child.

Not any time soon, obviously. I'd like to be married first -- so we're talking at least 10 years from now. (No joke.) But still. One day it will happen.

The kiddos here are so darn cute! Of course all children are precious, but I'm telling you, there's just something about Japanese kids that captures my heart. Meet the little girl I saw today outside my apartment, who inspired me to write this blog post...

I wish I had a photo of her smiling! We were apparently playing some kind of peek-a-boo game; when the camera came out, the smile disappeared. And as soon as the camera was hidden, the adorable grin reappeared. Go figure.

When I have my own Japanese toddler, you'd better believe I'll dress him or her up in a fuzzy little outfit like that fun monkey suit! I've found that these outfits are quite common, and I love it. Here's a picture of a little Tigger I met a couple of weekends ago...

Unlike the "real" Tigger, this lil' guy's facial expression does not quite say "Woohoohoohoohooo!" Instead, it says something like, "Who is this strange-looking person from a land far away, and why is she taking my picture?" It's okay, buddy, I understand. I can't help but notice the big smile on the mother's face, though. That's the look of love and pride, right there. Gotta love it. :)

I really have no problem asking mothers if I can take a picture of their charming child. I can't help it! First, I say, "Totemo kawaii." (Very cute) Then, "Shashin (picture), okay?" They're usually more than happy to let me photograph their pride and joy. Here's a young girl I thought was super cute and stylish...

This last picture was taken a couple of months ago at Samurihama Elementary School. (There's no way I could wear a t-shirt and shorts to school anymore. Brrrr.) I get the biggest kick out of the first grade students who put on their darling yellow hats when they're ready to head home. *sigh.* Again, I had to have a picture with these sweethearts.

So until I have my own children to take countless pictures of, I'm going to enjoying other peoples' kids. :)

Happy Halloween!

Carving pumpkins. Wearing costumes. Trick-or-treating.

I grew up participating in these Halloween traditions (as maybe you did, too). But for Japanese people, these are new and fascinating concepts.

So I've had a lot of fun teaching my students about Halloween and showing off "Kabocha-san" (Mr. Pumpkin) -- my round, orange, permasmile friend -- who I carved on Wednesday night. Here is the "pumpkin family" that the ALT's created...

Aren't they cute!? From left to right: my beloved Kabocha-san, Oliver's pumpkin (Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas), Mayla's pumpkin (named Beth), Liz's pumpkin (named Mayla), and Jemma's pumpkin (which as far as I know, is nameless.)

Kabocha-san was an instant star at Mugyo Jr. High School on Thursday. The teachers there just ate him up! Ooooh, bad word choice! Anyway, they loved him, and everyone wanted to take his picture. I was such a proud Momma. :)

Kobacha-san and I pictured with Atsumi and Kohei from Mugyo. I look like a Mugyo student in my maroon track suit, haha!

After telling my students about jack-o'-lanterns and the creation of my orange friend, I let them try the pumpkin seeds I roasted. Next, I talked about the tradition of dressing up and asking for candy, introducing them to the phrase "trick-or-treat." We then acted out trick-or-treating, and I gave them some American candy. (Yay, Skittles! Thanks, Grandma.) The English teacher, Ms. Ishikawa, quizzed them on my Halloween speech.

Today at Misaki, the students made masks for the mock trick-or-treating. Many of them ran out of time to make it creative and had to resort to using a blank piece of paper with eye holes cut out of it. Oh well. It was still a lot of good, educational fun!


This is the mask I received from Kenji's sister yesterday. (What a nice lady and a nice gift!) It's being modeled by one of the teachers at Misaki, haha.

At school today, Kabocha-san was once again a smash hit. Oooh, and once again, bad word choice! As I write this, the office lights have been turned off temporarily so everyone can see Mayla glow. (Liz's pumpkin, not Mayla the ALT!) It's pretty funny how impressed everyone is. Makes me smile. Like a jack-o'-lantern. :)

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

...and it's not even Halloween quite yet! (Reminds me of stores in America, haha)

It's downright cold outside today. I turned the heat on in my car, which I have yet to do in my apartment, and drove to Yamane. On the way, I saw a sign that indicated the temperature -- a whopping six degrees!

Of course that's degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit, but still; just seeing that little six made me want to shiver. (I just looked it up on a handy Celsius/Fahrenheit converter site, and it turns out that 6 degrees C is 42.8 degrees F, which doesn't seem all that cold until you think about it as being only 10.8 above FREEZING.) Anyway, it's the biting wind that really gets you.

While the sudden temperature drop has made me think about winter (brrrr), the last two days have reminded me of Christmas because I've received a couple of very nice gifts!

The first is this bike...

I found it outside of my door with a note (like a present tag) that said the bike was for me, from Kenji. It used to be his daughter's, but it's mine to use now since she doesn't live in Kuji anymore. I've been borrowing Liz's bike recently, so I'm sure Liz is just as happy as I am that I have my own bike.

The timing of this gift is a little off since I don't enjoy cold air smacking me in the face, but I'm still very appreciative! It amazes me how many people I've seen riding their bikes along the street today, despite the wind.

And to tell you about the other gifts, you have to know something first....

I joined a Japanese dance team!!

I saw them perform a couple of weeks ago and loved what I saw! Plus, they looked like they were having so much fun. So with Sean interpreting, I asked if I could join their group. I was accepted with open arms! Here's a picture of my dance team performing. :)

Last night was my second dance practice (it's every Tuesday), and I really felt like part of the group because I was given my very own pair of "clappers." I don't know what the actual name of them is, but "clappers" is the best I can come up with. One of the members then placed a necklace with mini "clappers" around my neck, so I guess I'm an official dance team member now. Yay!

Here is the "clapper gift set." I'm ready to get my groove on...

A whole lot of culture

I've been busy.

In just one weekend I did all of the following things:

• Watched the movie "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."
  I recommend it.
  
  
• Enjoyed eating raw squid dipped in squid guts. Yes, again!
  
  
• Ate the best sushi I've ever had in my entire life. Granted, I haven't had much sushi in my life. But from now on, this will change!

• Went to a Hachinohe -- a town over an hour away -- with Kenji and the other Kuji ALT's to pick up pumpkins that we'll carve on Wednesday. Yay!
  


• Played two games of bowling in Hachinohe. Minus the Japanese signs on the walls, it felt like we were in America.
  


• Tried a piece of green vegetable cake. Not too bad, but not near as delicious as something like...fudge pie!! (Now that's my kind of dessert.) :)
  

• Went "festival-hopping." (as I call it) In two days, I attended four different festivals!

The last item on the list is primarily what kept me busy this weekend. These weren't festivals like the one last month, which involved the whole city and had parades with grand floats. The festivals this weekend were culture festivals, (called a "bunkasai") where students display their everyday achievements and demonstrate performing arts at their school.

Festival #1: Yamagata Junior High School -- On Saturday, I went with Mayla to see her students perform a play and sing. Neither one of us understood the play's plot, but it was still entertaining to watch. The singing afterward was wonderful! It really doesn't even matter that I have no idea what the Japanese songs mean, the beauty of all the voices in the chorus blending together just about moves me to tears.

Festival #2: Yamane Junior High School -- Yamane was my first stop on Sunday, and I stayed long enough to see my students perform a cultural dance. (pictured below) I think they sang later in the afternoon, but I had a schedule to keep, so I couldn't stay.

Festival #3: Community Culture Festival --This was a different kind of culture festival since there weren't performances involved, and it took place in a community center. It reminded me of a craft fair because people from the neighborhood had tables displaying their handmade goods, such as these sandals...

And here's a wide shot of the festival...


I met up with my friend Kevin from church, who was working in the dining area. A variety of homemade Japanese foods (most of which I can't begin to name) were being sold at the festival by volunteers. Kevin asked me if I could stay and help serve since they were so busy. Sure!
I had fun working, and was given a to-go container of soba noodles for helping.

Festival #4: Okawame Junior High School -- I arrived at Okawame just in time to take this picture, and see all 90 of my students sing a song together.

After the group performance, each grade sang a couple of songs. Again, the music was so beautiful! I asked the English teacher what they were singing about in Japanese, and he said, "They want to fly." :)

So that was my fun weekend of culture and activity. This week I'll be teaching my students about an aspect of American culture -- Halloween! Should be a ghoul time, haha.

Showing you some Shinto Shrines...

This shrine is located near the Baptist church I attend.

While there is only one Christian church in Kuji -- the small Baptist church that I wrote about last time -- there are several Shinto shrines.

I'm not sure exactly how many are in Kuji, but I have found four different ones during my walks, two of them being only a couple of minutes away from my apartment.

All of the shrines I have discovered have been on top of a hill, surrounded by trees and somewhat hidden and secluded from civilization. They all have the same elements, which you can read about and see pictures of by clicking here.

By scrolling down on the link, you"ll see a List of Famous Shrines. The Toshogu Shrine in Nikko is toward the top of the list, and is shown as being one of the "best of the best." I saw this shrine last month when I was in Nikko, as well as the Futarasan Shrine. In Tokyo, Sara, Aaron and I visited the Meiji Shrine, where we used a purification trough and saw hundreds of prayers written on pieces of wood.

The shrines in Kuji aren't near as big and grand, and they aren't crowded with tourists like the ones in Nikko in Tokyo. In fact, I've seldomed seen people at the local shrines.

This shrine is next to the park -- the one I found a couple of weekends ago that's close to my apartment. Notice the shimenawa (the rope with papers hanging from it) that is on the furthest torii.

When I got up close to this post, I was really surprised to see that it had English on it. It reads (in perfect English, no less) "May Peace Prevail on Earth." Amen to that!

Finally...an English sermon!

The small Baptist Church in Kuji was founded by a missionary from its sister city, good ol' Franklin, Ind. The church sits on a hill, overlooking Kuji.

I've been anticipating it for a while.

More than once, I have gone to church thinking that the sermon would be in English. And every single time, it's been in Japanese.

But this past Sunday, I finally heard an English message! It was given by Kevin -- a native of Texas, who has lived in Kuji for 17 years. (As a side note, Kevin and his wife have two precious little kids, and I told them -- as in the parents --that I would be more than happy to baby-sit any time. I really miss baby-sitting.)

Anyway...

Kevin read from Colossians 1 and talked about the supremacy of Jesus. Verses 21-23: "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

So this is the first sermon in over two months that I have actually understood, which is pretty exciting. :) Usually during the sermon, I read my own (English!) Bible and study/reflect on the text.

Besides being a place where I worship God each week, going to church provides a great opportunity to practice reading Japanese. The hymns are written in hiragana, so I can practice reading..err..singing...the characters.

Many of the hymns that we sing have familiar tunes, but I don't always know the lyrics in English. However, a couple of weeks ago, we sung "How Great Thou Art," which is one of my very favorites, and I could sing it in English. I'm trying to memorize "The Old Rugged Cross," another personal favorite, in Japanese. That's a work in progress.

But even though I can't understand everything at church, I enjoy the fellowship. Just knowing that I'm surrounded by Japanese believers is a comforting thought. :)

Top 10 list of little differences

Of course you already know that there are a lot of differences between Japan and America (as well as several similarities, too -- but that's for another time).

I've written about some of the major differences -- the language, the food and the toilets! But there are other aspects of the culture that make living here a unique experience. Just for fun, I've made a list of the top ten little things about life in Japan that came as surprises to me.

#10. The "Shoes off" policy. I knew before moving to Kuji that I would have to bring a pair of "indoor shoes" with me to each school. Otherwise, I must wear the guest slippers. (The shoes I've been wearing outside are forbidden to go further than the lockers at the front door; this keeps the school cleaner since outside dirt isn't tracked in.) However, I did not know that this rule would apply in my apartment, too. So like everyone else, I never, ever wear shoes inside my place. Fine by me since I don't usually wear shoes inside anway....besides, it keeps things cleaner!

At most of the schools, I have my very own locker for my "outside shoes." (bottom right)

#9. The trash situation. Two mornings a week -- Monday and Thursday for my area -- I carry my trash bags out to the main street and put them under a big, green tarp where everyone else has their trash bags hidden. And if I'm a minute after 8, I'm too late.

#8. The teachers' room. In Japan, the teachers move classrooms, and the students don't. So there's a teachers' room that serves as the "headquarters," where each teacher has a desk. I also have my own desk in the teacher's room at each school. :)

#7. The "Attention, Kuji!" announcements. Every once in a while, the loud speakers that are all over Kuji give the entire city a message. I never understand the Japanese announcements, and no one ever bothers to tell me what's going on, so I don't worry about them. However, one time I was in the office when there was a city announcement, and when I asked Yamadate to translate, he said, "It will rain soon." Great. So yeah, no need to worry about those!

#6. The way I pay my bills. First of all, I can't even read my bills since they're in Japanese! So I always take my bills to the office and ask Yamadate what they say...and where to pay them! You see, my electric and water bills are paid at the local convenience store. (Interesting, huh?) And other bills are paid at City Hall.

# 5. The "sick masks" that people wear. It's apparent when people have a contagious cold beause they wear a mask.(think surgeon mask that covers your nose and mouth). I've been told that during flu season in the winter, people will also wear masks to prevent getting sick.

#4. The common usage of "family names" and the absence of middle names. I'm getting to know people on a last-name basis here. (haha) I sometimes mention my boss, Yamadate. (See #7 & #6 as proof.) Yamadate is actually his "family name," or last name. I don't even know what his first name is since it's never used. Neither is anyone else's! And I just learned on Monday that Japanese people don't have middle names. Tomoki (the boy I tutor) was amazed to learn that I have a middle name! He kept saying it over and over.

#3 The "lunch time is still education time" rule. That's what I was told when I had chips to eat as part of my school lunch at Misaki Jr. High. (As a side note, the chips came from Tomoki and were shrimp flavor.) Ever so politely, the English teacher explained to me that I wouldn't be allowed to eat my chips for lunch because it sets a bad example for the students. I need to teach them to eat nutritional meals! Chips are a snack food. And besides, it's not good for me to eat something that they can't have right in front of them. Fair enough. I couldn't help but think back to my own junior high school lunch experience and the kids who would eat junk food every single day! No wonder America has an obesity problem and Japan doesn't!

I wasn't so sure about Tomoki's shrimp chips at first, but they're actually pretty good! Too bad they're prohibited at school.

#2. The lack of swimming. Where are the swimmers around here? That's what I want to know. I can't believe there is only one swimming pool in all of Kuji. It's an indoor public pool at the top of a mountain, and I plan to go there soon. And I have yet to see someone riding the ocean waves....or even just standing in the ocean. This truly blows me away!

And finally...

#1. The oh-so-generous and polite people! I'd been told by my predecessor how nice the people in Kuji are, but their generosity and politeness have surpassed my expectations. The teachers like to give me things (I recently received apples, which made me very happy); Tomoki likes to bring me things (like the forbidden shrimp chips); and the people at the office give me things, too. (other than direction on where to pay my bills!) Kuji is a nice place to live, and I'm glad I've chosen to make it my "home away from home" for a while. :)