December reflections. . .

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! We were all surprised to see how much snow there was this week (I was very excited, others weren't so much!) Although it melted rather quickly, it made for a very pretty world of white, and. . . I think Christmas is just better with snow!

At the beginning of December, there was a baptism at the church!!! Yohei (jr. high student) and Cambria Hiebert (part of the missionary family here) took the plunge! Very exciting to hear their testimonies, and be encouraged about how God is working in their lives

Playing games together after the "Canadian Christmas Dinner" we hosted last weekend. . . interesting how quickly the salads went (as compared with meat!!), but I think everyone really enoyed it! Of course, in keeping with the theme for the night, I had to introduce them to a truly "North American" game (?!) -- spoons!! I think it was a little on the "wild" side for a few, and I hope I didn't ruin the "Canadian reputation" over here (after all, it's a pretty big responsibility!! ;-)

Food as an art. . .

It most definitely is more than just "eating" here -- the beauty, colour, shape and appearance of the (many) dishes are just as important as the taste of the food, which of course often relates to whatever is "in season" at any particular time (menus in restaurants frequently change here!)

A more traditional Japanese "set" meal.

A step up from your basic "Ichiban" or "Mr. Noodles" -- the Japanese version of "fast food". . . there are noodle shops in trains stations where you can stand as you slurp (which is polite here) down the noodles, leaving just enough time to catch your train!
Once again, the cakes are no exception to the "beauty in the details" that is prided by Japanese people. They may be small, but they look amazing!! Actually, most people here, if you ask them about Christmas, one of the first things they mention is "Christmas cake", since it's become popular to order a cake and eat it with family on December 25th.
Some squid and other seafood up for sale. . . you also often see packages like this filled with Japanese "pickles" -- NOT my favourite part of the cuisine, but they enjoy them on the side with many meals.
And, of course. . . what would Japan be without SUSHI?! Actually, these are wax models of the "lunch boxes" the store is selling inside. . . quite handy for foreigners, since at many restaurants you can decide what to order before even stepping inside the door!

These things are everywhere. . . standing out in front of some houses next to the gate. . . you are never more than 300 metres away from one. . . and at train stations sometimes you find whole rooms full of vending machines -- everything from hot (milk tea, coffee) and cold drinks (pocari sweat, calpis -- which, I happen to like by the way, even though it is, umm. . . fermented milk :-s) to ice cream, noodles, energy bars, hamburgers, and probably whatever else you can imagine. . . They even have digital displays showing beautiful Japanese cartoon women bowing in gratitude for your purchase!!

Not exactly your "traditional" Japanese cuisine, but I thought it was rather amusing how the McDonalds here are trying to portray their "healthy image". . . by comparing the amount of calories in other Japanese dishes with that a Big Mac, apple pie or fries. Guess the new "trend" to at least look healthy is universal. . . only here they've started from the other side!
A shop selling bars of jellied sweet beans -- with flavours ranging from green tea, brown sugar, "cherry blossom" (whatever that really means) and the ever popular "red bean" flavour. And, I do have to admit, once you've been here for a while, you start to crave it too. . . no longer are beans only a vegetable. . . :-)

So, everybody here thinks that. . .

. . . just because I'm from Canada, the fall leaves here must pale in comparison. . . I beg to differ -- and can you argue? Seriously, the brilliant colours covering the mountainsides, and the fact that you can find every shade from green to deep crimson on the same Japanese maple sometimes is incredible to me. I still love my Manitoba, but. . .

My parents and I spent a week travelling together, taking in some of the sights (lots of Japanese gardens -- you can't help but appreciate the Japanese attention to detail and beauty, and intensive labour!), enjoying the hot springs here (yes, the ones without bathing suits!), putting my "translation skills" to the test. . . :-s, visiting some students and friends they met last time in Osaka, including my "Japanese parents" (I'm being well "taken care of" here too!).
Some of my students felt mom and dad should get in on traditional culture and bought some 2nd hand kimonos for them (afterwards they explained that actually the one my dad is wearing is "underwear" :-b) Being a young person and teaching a high percentage of people closer to your parents' ages than your own, it's understandable they're interested in meeting those who brought such a wonderful human being into the world (that, or finding out some dirt that you'd been able to supress so well with no intereferance from the "other world" -- ie. Canada). (Actually, I do sometimes end up making "liberal generalizations" about "Canada" -- well, when they look on you as the expert, it is a pretty big boost to the self-esteem -- and was "corrected" the other day when my dad was listening in on one of my conversations -- so much for that "image". . .) Either way, we sure felt the immense kindness and warm hearts from students, as we visited together in class, and got together for a (sukiyaki) party one night.

One of the reasons I love Toyota is the fact that within a few minutes' walking disatance from my house I can find trails up into the mountains. . . you just don't get that in Osaka. So, when we hiked up to this lookout point nearby, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the area! Can't help but praise our amazing Creator! It's already the middle of December, but there are still leaves on the trees here. . . definitely makes winter feel shorter! But, I'm glad I'll at least be back to enjoy a "white Christmas" again this year. . .

Open Sunday. . .

These past 2 Sundays have been our official "Open Sundays" for the new church. . . something that has been anticipated and prayed for by many here both in Japan and North America. God has given (through the prompting and generous support of many people) us a beautiful building, but much more than that, a church family of believers here. I am so thankful for each of the people worshipping here, and it is exciting to see how God has worked in strengthening relationships through this building process, and making us more aware of how we need to be a living example of what the church is . . . This past Sunday, quite a few families who have never been to church or rarely attend came to the worship service. We also had a special kids' program during the service and made advent calendars together with over 20 kids (some came back from summer kids' club and other students from English classes! :-)!! Pray with us that these kids will think about the true meaning of Christmas as we anticipate this special season, and will join us again for the Christmas Eve candlelight service, or Christmas morning. Though we can do nothing on our own, we know Who holds both our and these precious lives. 

Best birthday gift ever. . .

Ok, so it was almost 2 weeks ago already, but having my parents arrive just in time for my birthday (on the 17th) was pretty exciting!!!! :-D I felt like a little kid again with all the anticipation, all the stuff they spoiled me with ;-), and having the amazing opportunity to spend time together for these past couple of weeks (they leave this Saturday). Though I hope the pictures and stories on this blog give you an idea about my life here, it is great to have someone come and share in that, and experience those two worlds come together in a special way. . . Praise God for He is so good!! 

You can't live here without. . .

. . . having caught a sense of the Japanese love and pride for their "Fuji-san" (Mt. Fuji). Although it may become more than a beautiful piece of nature to some, being able to see this magnificent mountain (clearly) from my hotel window for the 3 days I spent at the Church Planting (CPI) conference was wonderful!! Not only that, the conference itself was amazing!!! God definitely used the speakers, words spoken and the people I met there to encourage, refresh and challenge me. Sometimes even the most basic ideas, spoken again or in a new way, have a way of meeting us in a special and fresh way. Praise God. . . that He is working here. . . and that He is using people (Japanese and missionaries) accross the country who are passionate about Him to share from their heart. Pray that we foreigners will be "out of work" here. . . I want to challenge you with a quote from this conference that has impacted me deeply, and I pray that I will remember daily as I realize how Jesus is working in and changing my life. "You cannot commend what you don't cherish." May we cherish our Saviour and Lord above all!!! 

Halloween party!!

So, I have to admit, I was pretty proud of Cambria and I. . . for our amazing powers of creativity and ingenuity in costume creation this year, not to mention "cultural appropriateness" (since hearing "onigiri"(rice ball) and "kani" (crab) don't quite get the same reaction from Canadians!). The youth party we had for Halloween at the church was a great time of all kinds of games (finding candy in a bowl of flour), crafts (jack-0-lanterns out of balloons), singing, laughing and finding out a bit more about Jesus together. One of my students and her friend even came for the first time, which was super exciting! Let the good times roll. . . 

Slightly different than your average "Turtle Derby Parade"

For those of you who have no idea what the "Turtle Derby" entails. . . are you ever missing out!! :-b If you've ever seen a small town parade, you can picture what I'm talking about! Somehow our floats look a little shabby next to these elaborate ones displayed on the temple grounds. (see next pics for more explanation on that. . .) 

Two little boys sitting uptop one of the floats, having fun throwing down confetti on those walking down below. 

Okay, so I'm a little behind here. . .

"Koromo Matsuri" -- the annual fall festival here in Toyota took place in the middle of October. Isn't this little boy (Yuuto) the cutest ever?? I became friends with his parents since they have a hair salon nearby where I've been going (hence the highlights and permed hair on this little guy!!) Although they were working this day, her parents offered to take Yuuto and I.
Apparently these "floats" are each maintained by individual communities within Toyota, on the Saturday of the festival paraded around in these areas, and then Sunday (before we arrived) brought to sit at the big temple near the city centre. The paper you see strewn around that Yuuto is throwing is the confetti that they shower on the floats as they enter the temple grounds. 

Sports Festivals are a big thing here. . .

. . .held in the fall at every kindergarten and elementary schools (as well as some jr. highs), the kids prepare and perform songs, chants, dance routines, and various athletic feats (well, I watched the kindergarten level. . . ;-)
The "kiiro-gumi" (yellow class) is the one Hikaru, my little host brother is in, along with 5 of my English students, so it was pretty fun to see all of them out there having a great time!


Let the race begin. . . the kids ran from one end of the field to the other (mind you, a little scaled down ;-) and into their teacher's open arms. The boy on the left and 2 girls are come to my English class! I even got to participate in one race (putting together a giant puzzle of Chip and Dale) with Hikaru.


This was an activity for the oldest group of kids (ages 3 to 6 attend this kindergarten, since kids here can go for up to 3 years -- 2 is pretty much standard. Kindergartens are completely separate from elementary schools.) Grandparents and kids from 2 "teams" competed in throwing these "bean bags" into the bucket on top of a pole. They also had a "tug-of-war" for the parents to participate in.


My (host) sister and I watching the action. . . well, you never really know with Moe. When she wasn't trying to get in on the action with the "big kids", she spent time exploring the grounds. Her face really says everything. . .

Little Hikaru on the far left with some of his buddies at school, celebrating with their medals after the festival was over. :-)

Progressive supper anyone?

So, basically no-one here has ever heard of a "progressive supper" minus the pastor and his wife (fellow Canadians). Ok, maybe nobody at home has any idea either, except those of us who went to "youth" at church when we were younger (basically all the "cool" people. . . :-b) Yeah, I decided to ask people from church if they'd host part of the supper IN PERSON, and was pretty glad about that, considering some of the confused looks I got. "Kekkyoku" (in the end), it turned out to be great -- all I have to say is "praise God"! We had 11 kids, which is double how many usually come, and it was so exciting to see people from the church open up their homes (that isn't a very common practice here), kids bonding with one another and connections made from both sides. It's so easy, even in a small church, for programs to get disconnected from people who aren't directly involved. . . and this seemed to bridge that distance. We spent some time talking about food, and how there is more to life than just basic physical survival. Some of the most thoughtful comments came from the non-Christians in the group. Continue to pray we would all thirst after the Water that can truly satisfy us. :-)

Expo 2005 Acihi Japan . . . along with the "oh so loveable" mascots. . . Kikkoro and Morizo! 

A view of part of the huge site 

Outside the Iranian pavillion. . . people were just jumping in between these two musicians (who, by the way, were singing basically only 2 Japanese words -- "hello" and "cute"?!?) to get their pictures taken. . . but I restrained myself ;-) 

The modern (?) side of African dance 

I have to admit, I first heard of this whole Expo thing from my parents, and by the sounds of "World Expo '68", I was pretty sure it was some kind of "peace and love" gathering for hippies. . . So, first of all, not only was I surprised the "Expo" was still in existance, but that it was going to be practically right in my backyard here in Japan. As I heard more about it, saw ads and it got closer to the opening (March 25th), my interest definitely grew. I bought a season's pass. (For those of you who may still be "in the dark" as I was, the Expo is basically the biggest multicultural festival/event in the world. I think it was started as a way of bringing countries a little closer together, and displaying the latest technology.)After my ninth and last time visiting the site yesterday, it's a little sad to see everything coming to an end this Sunday. Between the dozens of musical / dance performances taking place everyday at the pavillions and stages around the site, displays and people from 120-some countries taking part as well as some great pavillions by Japan and major companies here (Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Toyota), there were lots of things to learn, see and take part in (not to mention a chance to eat great food from almost anywhere -- except Greece, still a little upset about that. . . I will definitely miss the food!!) The theme of the Expo was "Nature's Wisdom" and how we need to learn from nature in the ways we live, produce, use and interact with the world and others. I think it's great we're becoming more conscious of taking care of the world that God has entrusted into our care. . . I just pray that they might know Whose wisdom is behind the beautiful nature. 

So, I couldn't resist. . . Among all of the interesting things here in Japan, one is definitely the "mini culture" that so many of the 18+ year old girls live in. It's all about fashion (there is a HUGE variety here -- walk into any store and it's hard to find 2 of anything! BUT, even though it may seem like anything goes with their layering and mixing + matching. . . I made the mistake once and tried pulling it off. . .yeah, there's some trick I'm have yet to figure out), cell phones (chatting, messaging, surfing, taking pictures, lots of dangly straps hanging from the phone, and sometimes a stuffed "Winne the Pooh" cell phone cover, making it a little hard to slide in your back pocket. . .), make up (which fits conveneintly into the oversized pink plastic bag, along with half of a full-sized mirror, to be used to apply that powder/mascara/eye liner and/or curl eyelashes perfectly at opportune times, such as riding the train, waiting around at the station, etc.), gel nails (ok, hers were each a different colour), and time and money to blow (while mom and dad are paying for university / room and board). Although, I do have to admit, for basically the first 18 years of their lives, most kids here are working incredibly hard, often sacrificing socializing and fun in order to study for and excel in school, which will eventually lead up to entrance exams into university. Unlike our universities, which are harder to get "out of" than "into", here the opposite is true -- it's extremely competitive and difficult to get into (especially top) universities and graduation is pretty much a breeze (I've heard). So, university is definitely the time to let loose and enjoy life. . . fair reward after all those years of studying?! Anyways, thought you might enjoy this shot on the train (the green seating goes along with the expo ;-). Hey, I'm here for 2 more years, you never know what I might come back looking like?!? :-b  

My first-ever English-student party (outside of class) was. . . a hit?!? Well, I don't know how the students felt, but I enjoyed it anyways (haha!!) No, I took it from their smiles that everyone had fun, even though (notice the one guy in the picture -- yeah, he's 20. . . and all of the women are about my parents' age or so -- not that that's OLD mom and dad, but. . . ) I felt a little bad for Kentaro. 8 of my 13 adult students came out to my house for the evening near the end of August, which was also fun to "host" something at my place (since, although it may not look huge from the picture, I have a VERY nice / spacious little house for being in Japan, and compared to my accomodations in Osaka -- it's just small here, and so I feel really blessed!!). I should mention though that the 2 ladies at the end of the table came over an hour before the party and basically put together everything for the okonomiyaki (they call it "Japanese pizza", but don't believe it!) you see on the table. . . Okonomiyaki is actually a specialty of Osaka (known for it's creative culinary delights, including balls of batter with a chunk of octopus in the middle fried golden on the outside -- you can just ask my dad how much he enjoyed the one bit he took. . .) and so I sometimes miss eating it as I'm no longer an "Osakajin" (Osaka person -- a special "brand" of Japanese people). Anyways, inside okonomiyaki you will find an assortment of food, ranging from squid, shrimp and pork to deep fried pieces of tempura, pickled ginger and noodles, all topped off with a sweet brown sauce, mayo, and flakes of both seaweed and bonito fish. Needless to say, it is delicious (and that's not sarcasm!) Even though these students were from 4 different classes, they seemed to become comfortable with one another as the evening went on, so I was excited to see that taking place. For those of you who know the "bowl game", I also subjected them to performing that combination of Taboo and charades during the evening (as their teacher, I have the right to do these kinds of things. . . haha!!) I just can't help but praise God for the wonderful people that He has brought to my classes, and look forward to the times we have to relate to one another. . . Although it was the first time I've done this, it definitely won't be the last -- any ideas for next time?  

See you again, Okinawa?!? (Sorry, I didn't know how to get these 4 pictures on one post, so you'll have to read the commentary below. . .)