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. . .) 

Can I live here. . . for a little while, anyways? 

"Manzamo" 

I think I was made for the tropics. . . In the middle of August, I spent 3 days in Okinawa (a group of islands in the far south of Japan) with my friend Naomi. I've known her since I first started teaching in Osaka, when she was my student, and we quickly became good friends. We definitely enjoyed the chance to relax, swim in the beautiful, clear water (it really does look like the postcards!!) and even went to her relatives' place for supper one night! Included in our tour (yeah, it's basically the only way to travel out here -- much cheaper, and you can choose if you want planned activities or pick your own) was a boat ride out to a deserted island about an hour away from the main island. We spent a few hours there, exploring the island and enjoying the water (watching the fish, just using my goggles, was fascinating. . . I even saw a little "Nemo" in his anemone, while a bigger fish -- his dad?! -- fended off other fish from getting too close. . . I felt like I was in the movie or something!) We also visited "Manzamo", some cliffs a few hours away from our hotel, and were treated to a beautiful island sunset on the way home. . . Okinawa is an interesting place with a pretty colourful history. . . Since it used to be an independent country, the people have retained a common identity through their customs, food and language that is different from the rest of Japan. Of course, as a popular travel destination for "mainlanders", the younger generations also speak standard Japanese. After WWII, the American army also occupied these islands, and still operate a huge base there. People here also boast the longest lifespan in the world (lots of people living over 100) -- apparently due partly to their love of "goya". . . a vegetable that somewhat resembles a very bumpy cucumber, but is usually sliced and boiled before eating. . . and it's very bitter!! But, they also eat a lot of pork -- I had the chance to sample shredded pig's ear (with some kind of spicy seasoning) that they eat as a snack! I didn't tell them what we use pigs' ears for at home. . . :-s So, yeah, it was an interesting and good experience -- that ended with one last fleeting glance at the tropical waters from my plane window. . . 

Only 2 more months. . . It's pretty neat living next door to the construction site of our new church building (scheduled to be finished at the end of October). As you can see, right now they are in the process of putting up the "design panelu" (as it's called in "Japanese"), and have been doing a lot of work on all of the electrical / plumbing work inside. We even have a baptismal tank, and I can get a picture of what my new English class is going to look like!!  

The charm and mystery of Japanese culture. . . something that attracts me to this country as I'm drawn into traditions and history that stretch back many, many generations. In particular, Nara, as the first permanent capital of Japan established in 710, is a city that maintains an area of many older homes, and boasts an impressive collection of temples (including the largest wooden building in the world), and shrines (one of which the road leading towards it is lined with thousands of stone lanterns, lit once during the O'Bon festival in August). The city also offers (for a price) "people-driven" carriage rides, along with narration of the area, through it's historical streets.  

What is summer without. . . "Aisu"?!? You definitely have to look for the right places to find ice cream here, but in a "tourist town" like Karuizawa, that wasn't a problem. Not eating too much was. . . Taken with Doris (left -- the teacher I I "filled in" for last year when she was studying Japanese), and Andrea (who just arrived in Osaka this February). We had a great time together during the conference; shopping at the outlet mall, studying Japanese at the Christian language school there, and, as you can see, treating ourselves! 

my room in "the house" -- ok, so obviously I didn't get a good enough camera to show up those cobwebs. . . just don't look up! :-s 

Welcome to the ultimate in "meet & greet" social events. . . As missionaries attending the annual Karuizawa Summer Missionary Conference (in a city that has been greatly impacted by the presence of missionaries -- could I use that word any more?!), we were also given the "privilege" (??) of invitation to the big summer gala (along with all the important figures / big wigs in the area). Having not understood this before leaving for our trek out to the mountains, I can fairly say I was "underdressed" for the occassion, not to mention just slightly younger than about 95% of the guests (the 5% being the Hiebert kids), and not quite feeling like I "blended in". Although, upon encouragement from one of the conference leaders urging us to initiate conversation with business people as a great way to share about why we are here in Japan, I did manage to "target" and strike up conversations with a couple of people. On an interesting note, I learned from the website designer for Karuizawa that they hold a curling tournament here every year in February -- "mezurashii!!" (I can't imagine that happens too many other places in this country) So, that was his first connection to Canada -- what can I say, just doing my job as an ambassador for my country?!  

the OLD house -- felt like we were competing with the bugs / spiders / mice for occupancy of the place during the week I slept here. . . So, it was definitely an adventure -- guess we missionaries in Japan can't really complain about our "living situation", since we're pretty spoiled here!! This place is definitely a welcome "escape" from the mugginess that engulfs most of the mainland throughout July and August -- wanna come visit next summer?? 

One big happy family. . . out in Karuizawa (near Nagano in the Japanese alps). Yes, I can definitely say we all enjoyed the huge veranda out in front of the house -- for playing ping pong (so I realized I'm a little out of practice since my dad and I used to rally down in our basement when I was younger -- I kept blaming it on the net being too high. . . :-b), spending quiet time on the porch swing (how can you not enjoy God's awesomeness in such a beautiful place?!), or for enjoying a pancake breakfast (blueberry ones!!!) with the Hiebert family, Doris (holding pancake) and Andrea (with braided hair).