Mikoshi Time

We finally got back into doing some fun things and seeing some new sites. The latest new site to behold was that of a Mikoshi parade, which was actually held right on Yokosuka base. Occurring annually for the last 33 years, it is one of the several open base events held throughout the year when the base is opened up to Japanese nationals without clearance. We have previously avoided any of these events and the crowds of people. But this year, not knowing what time the festivities began, we slid right onto base to desolate streets and the faint bussling spound of food stands gearing up for business. We took a spot on the curb. When the time came, the crowd of Japanese visitor (some participants and some just spectating) turned the corner and came shuffling down the empty boulevard, a somewhat bizarre sight. In the distance, we could see the first mikoshi.

A mikoshi is a portable shrine, usually made of intricately carved and decorated wood, which is used to transport deities in the shinto religion. For this matsuri (Japanese festival), the shrine is placed on long wooden beams. Willing participants, dressed in traditional outfits (which for the bravest, involves short robes and a bottom bearing thong type thing, for the men that is), carry the heavy weight on their shoulders in a long processional. But, don't expect solemn faces bearing a burden. Instead, the carriers are quite lively chanting and bouncing the mikoshi up and down in an attempt to delight the passenger onboard.

Also involved in the handling of the shrine are people who guide it along and people who keep it from crashing into the crowd (one of whom came in very handy as a mikoshi got very close to us). There are also replacement carriers on hand in case someone needs to take a break, or falls. See the guy in this photo on his way down? These people not only bounced their mikoshi, but spun it around, and this poor guy just couldn't hang. Floats carrying taiko drummers proceed the mikoshi, meant to awaken the deity, and wooden carts follow behind the mikoshi in case it needs to be set down and also carries provisions for the handlers (we saw carts containing jugs of sake and a cart loaded down with tons of McDonald's bags).

It was a major party with a ton of activity and fun. Another one of a kind Japanese experience, which was made even cooler by the mutual exchange; while they shared another one of their traditions, we shared some of our delicacies, like American style pizza, burgers, hotdogs, doughnuts, and yards of fountain soda.

More pictures on photo journal site.

Home sweet Homes

As Lacey continues to do what she does best, destroy the house, I sit down to write this long overdue post.  As usual, I feel like I have nothing and everything to say at the same time.

Let's start with where we've been.  Home.  Or one of the many places we refer to as "home"; the city that we've spent most of our lives in, the place that we rest our heads at night, the house that holds all of our belongings.  None of them feel complete.  Each duo is missing the third component.  We traveled 'home' to Louisville this summer and Gran gave us a wonderful 'home' to sleep, and eat, and shower, and rest, and play while we were there.  But, we began to miss all of our stuff, the things that surround you and make you feel like you.

Our first trip back was excellent.  First and foremost, thank you to everyone who welcomed us and invited us, and many others, into your homes to celebrate.  We did so many wonderful things, it's a task to recount them all.  But, believe me, I took alot of photos!  It was thrilling to see so many loved ones and hear your voices after 10 months of separation.  I know many of you were thrilled at seeing what 10 months did to the girls; they grew!  

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder".  This can certainly be said about the relationship I have with Louisville.  

Coming back, I wanted to see everything I had taken for granted before.  I became a hometown tourist.  We made trips to museums, got food from as many different restaurants as possible, strolled around downtown several times, stayed at the Galt House, hung out at 4th Street Live, hung out on Bardstown Road, and took in a show or two (I thought Kentucky Show! at the KY Center was excellent and, of course, Dora Live can't be beat). We had such fun and I discovered that, like a lot of the other most important relationships in my life, this move has only strengthened the one I have with Louisville.  

Now, as for Japan...

I started this post after I got home from walking Stella to her bus stop.  As we waited there, several Japanese women came out of their houses and started to sweep up the leaves that had fallen into the street in front of their homes the windy night before.  This is one of the nuances about Japan that I am fond of; the pride that is taken in the things that are theirs.  We used to have a tree in our front yard that snowed white cotton like stuff all over the place.  We never cleaned it up out of the streets or even our neighbor's yard.  Daily, you will see someone outside, with their old fashion brooms (something you'd imagine a witch riding) and their dust pans sweeping the streets or manicuring their neighborhood in some way.  I've seen groups of elderly women, wearing their mama-san aprons, gathered together to clean up a small patch of green space on a busy street.  Pride and community awareness.

This is not to say that it was easy to come back.  We had a surprisingly great journey back (used miles to upgrade to Business Class - Wow, what a different scene that was) and as we walked out into the airport and then outside of the airport, things seemed familiar, not crazy and foreign as they had the last time.   There are things I missed about Japan, yes, but you usually don't leave a loved one without some kind of heartache.  So, now we were back 'home' to the place where we are surrounded by all of our things and in our 'home' where we can rest our heads, but the third component is missing again, the city where we grew up.  My heart started to ache a little for Louisville.  The three earthquakes in four days didn't help the situation either.  But, we got past our jet lag and made a very fun trip to a very happnin' Zushi beach, a thing that reminded me of all the adventure that still awaits us.

Pictures on our Photo Journal site

Disney Sea is the place to be

The Jones family (along with Mamaw, who is here for a visit) spent our Memorial Day at phase 2 of the Tokyo Disney Resort - the one and only Tokyo Disney Sea.  I wish it was a smaller world than it actually is and that there wasn't 6,000 + miles between KY and this original Disney wonderland.  

Disney naysayers and pessimists can stick it in their mouseholes.  I find true excitement and wonder in these places just through my eyes, not to mention the fact that I get to enjoy the enthusiasm 

of my two young daughters and of the Japanese people.  As I mentioned before, in my post on our Disney resort visit, the Japanese are fervent Disney patrons.  We have been super lucky, if not quite good planners, in picking two low attendance days for our Disney trips.

What I love best about the Disney resorts is the attention to

detail.  What a dream job it would have been to research and design every tiny aspect of each of the themed ports, even down to the restroom signs.  I truly felt as if I was stepping from one end of the world to another as we journeyed around the park and it definately made my wonderlust grow.  I longed for more of Italy and Mexico.  And it was awesome to be able to stand in the middle of a place that's completely fictitious like the Agrabah Marketplace, Triton's undersea kingdom, and Captain Nemo's Mysterious Island. 

As I said, this is the one and only Disney Sea.  Does that make a visit to Japan a little more enticing?!

Pictures posted on Photo Journal page.

On US soil, once again

With this move to Japan, we've been able to experience a new and different culture, Nippon style - the shrines, the konbinis, the social rules, hello kitty.  But, we've also been immersed into another very new type of culture - Military culture.  My maternal grandfather served in the military for a very long time, as did all 4 of my maternal uncles (my Uncle Gary's gravesite lies in Arlington in the shadow of the Pentagon), and even my own father served for while.  But, while my mom spent her whole childhood in this culture, I have had no previous experience.  My dad's run in the Air Force ended before my time and I don't remember my grandfather or uncles being on active duty, except Gary, but his whereabouts and activities were always a secret.  I think he was some kind of spy. For real. 

So, being here, at cfay (commander fleet activities yokosuka) is a new experience and a new culture in and of itself, Naval style - the uniforms, the acronyms, the id cards, the ships.  Aw, finally the segue into the subject of my post.  

Yesterday, we finally, once again placed our feet onto "US soil" when we got to see the inner workings of the USS George Washington, the nuclear propelled supercarrier, as tall as a 24 story building, able to accomodate about 80 aircraft and over 6,000 crewmembers, that now makes it's home here in Yokosuka.  The husband of a co-worker of Trips' (who is stationed on the GW) took us on a very informative and super cool tour.  Even the girls got to go along. 

Robert was an awesome tour guide.  Not only very knowlegable (he had the patch to prove it), but very enthusiastic and hospitable.   He was the first to say, "hey Stella, why don't you jump up in the CO's chair and get a picture" or "let me put you on this helo so your mom can get a picture".  He even bought her a snickers in the galley.   From a mom's perspective, this is major and made my experience even more enjoyable.

It was an awesome experience to see something so out of the realm of our ordinary, everyday life.  Not only the everyday life we were used to in KY before we moved here, but the everyday life we are experiencing right now in Japan and in life on the base.  There are many, many people who make the GW their workplace and home and it's something very different than what we know.  

I suppose, though, with each new experience, whether Nippon or Naval, the ordinary, everyday life we were used to is changing and evolving, as are we.

This is not my photograph, which is pretty obvious, but I thought I'd add the disclaimer anyway.

My pictures posted on our photo journal page.  

Haru in Japan

As the days get closer to our visit home, so ends our first year in Japan.  One of my favorite things has been discovering the seasons in a different country and how they present themselves.  With the arrival of Spring, came our first proof of the glory of something very ingrained in the Japanese culture - sakura.  I was so pleasantly surprised, and relieved, to find that the cherry blossom are everywhere and as beautiful as all the hype had led me to believe.  Pink dotted the previously winter scarred mountainsides and lined the streets.  Mother Nature makes quite an entrance here and the cherry blossoms are her showiest costume yet.  Even the building stuffed Naval base was alive with nature when all the trees bloomed pastel.  Sakura hanami, picnicing under the fluffy canopy with konbini sushi rolls, onigiri, and Japanese potato salad was excellent and a very Japanese experience.  I supplemented the traditional sake intake with Coke zero.  Being surrounded by the color pink was a glorious addition to warmer weather, open windows, change in wardrobe, and chocolate bunnies.  Ah, yes, Spring had Sprung.   

We had a wonderful Spring Break with T out of school.  The celebration started with what turned out to be one of my favorite experiences.  Our neighborhood held their annual sakura mochi pounding party.  Mochi starts as a glutinous rice cake.  It is then pounded into a paste in a mortar (usu) with a wooden mallet (kine).  Two people are required for this task.

  One person strikes a blow then the other moistens the rice with a wet hand.  Back and forth, back and forth.  The team must work in some kind of rhythm as to avoid any injuries.   Chants are called out in cadence.  Herein is where the fun lies. Back and forth.  Trips and Stel both tried their hand at the pounding.  I was never offered the opportunity.  I don't know if that's a thing or not - no women.  Maybe the men do the pounding and they give the children a turn for the novelty of it.  I did see an elderly women heaving away.  Anyway...I don't think I have ever been welcomed to a place so enthusiastically and hospitably.  As we approached the site, our neighbor Tsuchiya-san (he was one of the organizers) greeted us and ushered us to open spots at one of the tables.  I don't know, but there seemed to be a bit of fervor in the air when we got there.  The new gaijin had arrived.  I don't mean to suggest they were eager to please the new Americans, but I do think they were eager to introduce and share their traditions with us.  As we were seated we were brought plates of mochi and cans of Ichiban beer.  It was really yummy - mochi covered with red bean, a pepper and sugar mix, and several other flavors.  There was also super yummy miso soup and  takoyaki (octopus dumpling balls).  We met several wonderful people.  Neighbors who once lived in the US or work in fields that required such knowledge - mostly older gentlemen.  We had two great hours of comradery, then 13:00 hit and tents started coming down and the clean up began, in true timely Japanese fashion.

We finally got to Tokyo Disney during the break and, even though the girls won't remember much in the long run, they had a GREAT time.  We took a tour bus from base and spent 12 hours at the park.  It was great to be back in a world of Disney.  I truly felt young again with memories of my childhood Orlando trip rushing back to me.  Stella is still wearing her height requirement wristband 10 days later.  Although she went on the

Haunted Mansion ride, and loved it (I just let her fascination with ghosts be what it is), did the Star Wars simulation twice, and rode a smaller roller coaster (daddy had to do Space Mountain alone), she absolutely refused to go on the Snow White ride with me, even though I pestered her all day to do so.  Something about the evil queen really put a fright in her.

I loved Tokyo Disney mostly because the visitors add to the magic.  The Japanese are very

enthusiastic and the souvenier shops make a killing here, I'm sure.  Mickey/Minnie ears everywhere!  I would estimate that 1/3rd the population that day was decked out in some kind of Disney attire/adornment.  

The next day, we headed back to Tokyo in our car to check out Tama Hills Recreation Area - a perfect complement to a day at Disney, nature.  This place is an annex of nearby Yokota Airbase.  It's a really quiet atmosphere with trails and campsites.  We stayed in the lodge this time, but they also have some pretty cabins that we are anxious to try out.  There are outdoor activities available like miniature golf, horseback riding (Stel took her first pony ride), paintball and archery fields, and an 18 hole golf course.  The area also boasts a historical background with it's previous life as a WWII Japanese ammunitions factory site.  Several ammunitions bunkers still stand on the property.  

Lastly, the week ended with Easter.  Stella got to do an egg hunt on base, well, it was actually not so much a hunt, but a field full of plastic eggs.  We spent Easter day at a wonderful party at Stella's Sunny Hill School, which is actually at the amazing home of her teacher and the rest of the Short family.  Sunny Hill has been incredible and we are saddened that it won't be around next year, as the Shorts are transferring, but are so grateful for it's presence in our first year here in Japan.

So, that's the rundown on the Jones' first Spring Break in Japan.  It was chock full of fun, even if completely exhausting.  

Check out the photo journal site - there are 6 new albums.

Recent Beauty that has Blessed my eyes and lens

Completely Unadulterated Creativity

Beautiful Blues eyes among the Brown

The pride and reward of Accomplishment

Mother Nature and her fickle nature

Grand and Majestic, singular

small and delicate, vast

Teeny, tiny toes of two sisters

Tasty treasures that tantalize, nightly

More photos posted on our photo journal site.

Lacey talk

Lacey talks alot, and knows what she is saying (she's been saying the same phrase over and over for 2 days now) - we just can't understand her yet.

Lacey's car boogie

Update on the girls

The girls have been busy little bees as of late. Lacey has taken her first steps! I would say she's only taken about 20 more since then, though. She still prefers her arms with her legs as her primary source of transportation. But, I am so proud of her still. I was also relieved 'cause I had really hoped she'd walk before the milestone of her first birthday, which we will celebrate tomarrow! The dancer has also been coming out of her lately, which also makes me beam. Yay, Lace.
The video below was not of her first steps, but of the several proceeding.



Stella is on her way to becoming a jack (or jill, I guess) of all trades. Along with Sunny Hill School, which she attends on Tues. and Thurs., she is also taking an art class, ballet lessons, and is participating in the smart start basketball program onbase.
Here's are links to her art program and an article about her 'sensei'.
www.kazukoasaba.org
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070512a1.html


The other day, while we were driving to her first ballet lesson, Stella says to me, "Oh, this is so great! Now, I can be an artist, a ballerina, and a basketballer when I get big!"

This video was of her first day, so we hadn't yet bought her anything to wear. I know seeing her in her ballet attire made my heart melt, so I will post some pictures when I get them.

On another note, I got a really good affirmation on our choice to take this opportunity and move to a foreign country. Stel was watching Kung Fu Panda last night and she asks (with more indignation than curiosity), "If they live in China, then why are they all speaking English?". Her view of the world is broadening and that makes me so proud.

We are looking into schools for next year, her last year of preschool. We go to see an international school on Monday and will check into the co-op preschool onbase. I'm not too keen about sending her to a Japanese yochien, as I've been told that education parallels the Japanese idea of the group consciousness with structured play and proper social behavior. Although, I am sure this course has it's merits, I am more apt to want to put her on a more creativity driven and expressive course, especially since we do not have long term plans for living in Japan.

But, of course they aren't all days full of wonder, excitement, and joy! Stel is seriously 4 going on 13 and Lace is like a moth to a flame when it comes to dangerous &/or destructive situations. I'm wondering if perhaps we have the opposite situation going on here. Stella was such a good toddler who stayed out of trouble, for the most part, but now, whew, man. So maybe the terrible 3's and 4's won't be so intense with Lacey. Hmmm. We'll see and I'll keep you updated!

Until next time (and I'll try to make it sooner rather than later)...