Merry Christmas!!!

How strange it is to be sitting on the beach for Christmas Eve, in a country that does not celebrate Christmas like we do. Since we are staying at a Sheraton Hotel they are having Christmas "activities", but to put things in perspective Matt and I are going to a "Very Scary Christmas Eve" party down the hall this evening. And the decorations? A coffin decorated with Christmas decorations and skulls. Don't worry there is a tree too. The servers are wearing Santa suits with their faces painted. So odd. But hey, it makes me miss my family a wee bit less since it just doesn't even feel like Christmas here.

We will be celebrating Christmas when we return back to Japan in December 27. Santa was a real nice fellow and agreed to come late to our house since it would be much easier on him and us. So make sure when you put out your cookies and milk tonight for Santa you remind him for us his promise to come just a few days late to the Jacobs' house. Sami would be really appreciative. :-)

So to all my friends and family... we love you and we miss you. Alot.

Merry Christmas!!!

"Wow" Moment

Today was the beginning of a 26 1/2 day long winter break from school. The week has been full of last minute homework, special treats, small gifts and over stimulated children. Today was filled with class parties, a dodgeball game, a middle school talent show, a 5th grade bowling party and holiday appetizers and drinks with friends. It wasn't until I had a chance to sit down tonight that I really had a chance to process what went on all around me.

Obviously I have not been clueless to the different nationalities of expats, as well as the local Japanese, living here. However, today as I watched my kids interact with their friends, I really had a "wow" moment. I never dreamed in a million of years my kids would have friends from all over the world. They have friends from Japan, Canada, Korea, India, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Taiwan, Thailand, France, Iran, Sweden and China. When I was Sam's age I didn't even know these places existed. Chris is one of the only Americans in all fifth grade (He may even be the only one since one of the kids just moved) so he really has had an eye opening experience. Emily has more international friends than Americans.

As I stood in the school today I heard their friends shout "Goodbye! Have a nice break! Happy New Year!" in English and then turn around and say the same thing to someone else in their own native language. Some kids could say it in multiple languages. I heard chatter of "where are you going over break?" "Do you have any plans" and "I get to go home!" throughout the school. There was excitement in the air, whether the kids were staying in Japan, going on a holiday somewhere or going to their home country after not being back for 5+ months. (We have friends who are going home for the first time in over 2 years!)

Christmas has been a very hard holiday since we lost Allison. And when we made the decision to not go back to the states this December for multiple reasons, I felt very secure in our decision. But I have to admit Thanksgiving here was hard. And now that the reality we are not going home for Christmas has sunk in, I am a wee bit homesick. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I feel like a bad parent not being there to visit Allison for Christmas. I miss our holiday traditions.

But, as I sit and think about today, I think of the memories and experiences we are creating for our kids. I think about how much our kids have changed since moving here 11 months ago. I think about the new memories we will create as a family, spending Christmas and New Years in Asia. I hope they will look back on our short time here with fondness, as I do so many memories from my own childhood.

Socks, socks and more socks

Believe it or not, I do have to spend some of my time doing boring, everyday chores like laundry, dishes and vacuuming. I really don't mind doing any of it except for the laundry. Laundry in general stresses me out.

Sorting, washing, folding, hanging, putting away... ugh. I hate it all. But what stresses me the most? Socks. I loathe socks. Digging around in the dryer looking for a sock's mate, when sometimes, no matter how much looking I do, that mate is lost forever. I swear two goes into the dryer! And matching a family of five socks is no easy task. So many socks look the exact same except for the color of stitching or a small marking. So how do I deal with this? I throw all the socks in a basket without matching them, leave the laundry room and run.

I have to admit, in the states I sometimes would go buy new socks just to avoid matching them. But here it isn't so easy. So last night I sat down in front of the TV, with a glass of wine, and tackled this mess.


Two hours and 151 matched pairs later I was finished.

And out of that mess, these little guys never found their mate. (See why they stress me?!)

Dear Santa

I love when kids are just learning how to spell and write. Sami gave me her Christmas list last night for Santa and I couldn't help but smile.

Can you figure out what she is asking for?

barbys
baby clos for my Jopones doll
mecopset
puleqla dolls
herstof
more books
dresup kloos
hello kite kemora

This is my translation of her list. Good thing Mrs. Santa was a communications major.

Barbies
Baby clothes for my Japanese doll
Makeup set
Some Japanese cartoon (have no idea how to spell it myself!)
More books
Dress up clothes
Hello Kitty Camera

So her spelling isn't all that great, but hey. She is only 6! I think I will miss the day when I no longer have to decipher what she is writing.

Kobe Luminarie

Monday night our family decided to brave the queue and head out to see the Kobe Luminarie. The kids were excited to put off doing homework and head downtown for an evening.

The Kobe Luminarie takes place every December and is a memorial to the loss suffered from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Its purpose was to help bring a message of hope and rebuilding to the people of Kobe after that horrible tragedy.

Picture thousands of people standing in lines and moving like cattle being led out to pasture around several blocks of the city. Over 5 million people see this light show over 10 days. We were given the advice to go early as it could take hours to get through the queue to finally walk through the lights. (People will start lining up over an hour before the lights are actually turned on)

At certain points police officers will stop the crowd from moving to allow cars and other people to cross through the line.
The lights themselves are beautiful. Each light is hand painted and was a gift from the Italian government.


When you turn the corner towards the end of the queue literally hundreds of people are stopped taking photos of the lights. You have to push and maneuver yourself through the crowd to just get through. As you walk through the tunnel of lights you will hear music and a story of some sort being told in Japanese.

At the end of the tunnel is another lighting, this one just as beautiful as the tunnel of lights.


Near this light exhibit are bunches of food stalls and places to buy souvenirs. You can try many different foods, such as yakitori (meat on a stick), mochi (Japanese rice cake) or even grilled corn on the cob.

It was a nice outing as a family. To us it was just some pretty lights and yummy fair food. To many of the Japanese people, the Kobe Luminarie is something that is emotional and heartfelt, remembering one of Kobe's greatest tragedies.

... And a Condom for All

The size of a man's penis will no longer be a secret if you are living in Thailand, with the launch of the Public Health Ministry's "Condom for All" campaign. A spike in the number of HIV cases in men has caused the government to take action on trying educate and help raise awareness on properly protecting oneself.

Under this program, a disposable paper measuring tape will tell guys which size condom will give them the best comfort and protection. The measuring tape records widths of between 49 and 56 millimetres - covering the "Thai penis size standard".


The thought process is if a man knows which condom size he should use, then he will be more inclined to use one because he will not have the issues caused when wearing a too small or too large condom. Not having a penis myself, I cannot say if this thought process is right or not

I am a bit unclear if the data learned will be collected. If so, and the measurement isn't being done under the watchful eye of someone, I wonder just how skewed the data gathered will be. We are talking penis size here, not the best diet pill one can find.

Having been to Thailand twice, I can understand the need for this program. While the country and culture are extremely beautiful (so far it has been my favorite place we have visited), the sex industry is incredibly sad. I can't help but giggle every time I read the tagline "A Condom for All". For some strange reason it makes me think of the ending of the Pledge of Allegiance.

John Dix Kiln

Japan is known worldwide for its fantastic pottery. Hence the reason why I brought my dining room hutch empty when we moved here. Each region of Japan is known for a particular type of pottery, such as earthenware, stoneware, glazed pottery, glazed stoneware, porcelain, blue-and-white ware, and enamelware. You can buy generic pottery at almost any store for very pretty cheap or you can go to a specific region and buy a more "homemade" piece, which can run you anywhere from $100 all the way to $2000 and above.

Today I went on a day trip with CHIC to John Dix's kiln, a little over an hour outside of Kobe. It was a beautiful drive out into the countryside.

John Dix is an American from Michigan who studied with potters in the United States, Greece, and Israel before coming to Japan 20 year ago. His work is beautiful, drawing from his different experiences.

His studio and kiln are tucked away in a wooded little corner next to an old, small shrine.

All around the grounds were different pieces that he has done, from platters and mugs to vases and bowls.

John gets his clay from Shigaraki, which is known as being one of the oldest regions for pottery in Japan. Then what makes his "firing" unique from other types is that it is all done in a wood burning kiln. He "fires" two to three times a year, depending on his needs. Firing takes about five to six days, and approximately 400 pieces are fired each time. The "firing" process as he explained it, is pretty amazing. He is set to fire between December 26 and December 31 and I would LOVE to go see it in person.

We stopped the tour for a lunch break, which we ate in a tatami room up above his studio.


After lunch we were given a chance to see some of the pottery set to be fired later this month, as well as watch John "throw" a few pieces.
I had been eyeing this one particular one bowl from the moment I saw it. It took me all day to decide, but in the end I just had to have it. This is huge for me as I am very indecisive and until now just haven't found exactly what I was wanting. The top is oval shaped instead of round and it will be perfect for salads or dips. I just love the earthy brown colors. (The picture really doesn't do it justice)


In the car ride home, I had to chuckle with everyone about my first "real" piece of pottery from Japan being made by an American from Michigan. Who would have thought...

Kitchen Street - Osaka

On what would be the US's Thanksgiving Day, Mary Gail and I decided to venture to Osaka for a trip to Kitchen Street. Neither of us wanted to sit around home, so we decided to head out for a little adventure.

Kitchen Street is a long tunnel full of stores many local restaurants will come to shop for items to use in their places.


The stores inside Kitchen Street sell just about anything you can imagine, such as aprons, kitchen gadgets, table wear, baking items, sign boards, chopsticks, paper lanterns, contemporary furniture, and even plastic food.


There were several pottery stores, many filled wall-to-wall with bowls, plates, platters, tea kettles and chopstick holders.

I was so overwhelmed with all the cool pottery that I couldn't figure out just what I wanted. After scouring the stores for a few hours all I managed to buy was 8 chopstick holders and a wine bucket –– all costing less than ¥1900 (around $20). I will have to go back soon to select some of the pottery dishes.

After we wandered Kitchen Street we went over to Namba Parks mall where Mary Gail told me she knew of a Hawaiian restaurant that was pretty good.


I was so excited when I saw the menu. In a country where only a few import stores carry turkey one time per year, this restaurant had a turkey and avocado sandwich served on wheat bread.

I got turkey on Thanksgiving!!!

We also split the biggest basket of fries I have ever seen in Japan.

Turkey and the day with a friend -- it turned out to be a nice Thanksgiving after all.

The Best Christmas Gift Ever

Can't decide what gift to give that special someone this holiday season? Looking for something different to give this year? Then look no more! The Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois is selling Sparkling Reindeer Dung necklaces this year for holiday gifts. Yes, you read that right. Reindeer crap to be hung around your neck. And since they were apparently worried about brown being a popular color, they decided to add some glitter bling to it.

Per the newspaper article:

The limited-edition Magical Reindeer Gem necklaces will debut Friday at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington.

The $15 pendant necklaces contain dried, sterilized reindeer droppings — sprayed with glitter — on a beaded chain. They'll be available at the zoo's gift shop, or by mail for $20.

Unfortunately, the article did not contain pictures. And when going to the zoo's website, it too, did not have a picture of this lovely gem necklace. However there was a picture of the pretty reindeer crap tree ornament that apparently went like hot cakes last year.

So there you have it. The perfect Christmas gift for that special someone. Nothing says "I love you" more than dried reindeer crap to hang on your neck. Smell not included.

Passion Christmas

Christmas in Japan is much different than Christmas in the states. With less than 1 percent of the population being Christian there are no mangers, wise men, or baby Jesus wrapped in cloth. Not even a hint that to some it may exist. You see lots of bows, ribbons and tiny trees. You will hear Christmas music in stores, but most people have no clue what is being sung. And while I see very little Christmas in stores compared to what I am used to, according to expats that have been in Japan even a few years ago, there is double what used to be.

At our local grocery store there are signs everywhere for "Passion Christmas". Those two words just don't mix in my mind. After some googling, I have learned that Christmas here is about Christmas Cakes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and sex.

The Japanese are great lovers of festivals and celebrations, so it only makes sense that they would like Christmas. Christmas Eve is celebrated by eating a 'Christmas Cake', which the father of the family purchases on his way home from work. Stores all over carry versions of this Christmas cake and then reduce the price drastically on Christmas Day. This has resulted in an expression in which young girls are referred to as a 'Christmas cakes': marriageable until their 25th birthday and requiring heavy discounts to get married after their 25th birthdays.

A KFC Christmas Chicken Dinner has become quite popular. Some Japanese will make reservations for their "Christmas Chicken" ahead of time and then line up outside their local store to pick up their orders. Thanks to KFCs brilliant marketing effort, the Japanese believe that Westerners celebrate Christmas with a chicken dinner instead of ham, turkey or roasts.

Christmas in Japan is more like what us Westerners would call Valentine's Day. Presents will be flowers, stuffed animals and jewelry. Presents are reserved for those who we may have romantic feelings for or close friends. It is a time for boys and girls to reveal their affection for one another. Married couples (and I am sure many unmarried ones too) will book rooms at "love hotels", a very popular type of hotel in Japan where people go for just a few hours to have sex.

Passion Christmas... it had to have been thought up by a man.

Affect Technology Has on Basic Schooling

As a mom of a teenage daughter, I found this very funny. She is constantly talking to Matt and I in "acronym form".

Where's the Turkey!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. As an American, I know the whole historical significance of the holiday, but for me it has always been about family.

As a child, Thanksgiving was a very memorable time. We always went to my Uncle Bob's house in Wooster and all my aunts, uncles and cousins would be there. In my younger years, my cousin's would have a friend or their boyfriend/girlfriend with them. (Which was fine with me because my one cousin had some cute friends!) As we all grew older, the tables became full of spouses and grandchildren. The serving table overflowed with turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry relish, baked corn, sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, and homemade pecan pie. My Aunt Judy always brought the best pumpkin pie from a specialty bakery in Cleveland. I kid you not, the pie was 6-inches in height. After we ate so much that we gave ourselves bellyaches (you know, the feeling when you wish you had a few apidexin to pop), we walked from my uncles house to Wooster College's campus, before settling in front of the TV to watch Thanksgiving Day football. The year I was pregnant with Emily, my aunts threw Matt and I a surprise baby shower. Some of my most favorite memories are from Thanksgiving.

Once Matt and I started dating we used to do Thanksgiving lunch at his family's house before heading to dinner with my family, as his parents lived only 12 miles from my parents. I loved working in the kitchen with my two sister-in-law's, preparing the meal. You can do some great gossiping in the kitchen! As we all started having kids (there are 9 now), Thanksgiving became more and more fun.

It is so weird being in a place where Thanksgiving Day for us is just a regular day for everyone else. Doing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner isn't very easy. Costco does carry a small number of turkeys, but we are talking $30 for a 10-pound bird, if they do not run out. Price Club has a 25 pound bird for almost $90. And some of the fixings you normally would have–– forget it. There are a few dinners being planned by some of the other Americans living here. Saturday we are attending a Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by the Shoiya Club, an area several Caterpillar expats live. And next weekend we have a dinner planned with a few other family's that live in our area. I am looking forward to creating some "Japanese Thanksgiving memories."

In 34 years, there has been two Thanksgiving's I have not been with my family. The first was the year Allison died. That year was such a blur that I honestly cannot tell you what we did. The second was in 2007, when we stayed in North Carolina and I hosted a Thanksgiving meal at my house with two other family's in my neighborhood. This year will make the third, and I am having a bit of a hard time adjusting to that.

Next Thursday will be a bittersweet day. I will miss my homemade cranberry relish (one of my favorite parts) as you cannot get fresh cranberries here. I will miss watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I will miss Thanksgiving Day football. I will miss watching my nieces and nephews run around like wild children, hyped up on pumpkin pie and too much whipped cream. I will really miss my parents. Matt will be at work, the kids at school. The day won't be bad. It will just be –– different.

If You Only Applied Yourself

I have been taking Japanese lessons for 1.5 hours per week since arriving in Japan. Before coming here, I thought that it would be really easy to learn the language and maybe even read and write. Ummm, not. It isn't as easy as I anticipated.

I was really lucky and was assigned a teacher that basically allowed me to control what I wanted to learn. The first several weeks was spent on learning "survival" Japanese. Hello, goodbye, thank you, I would like a glass of wine, I need an auto insurance quote,etc. I learned how to order a cheeseburger with only ketchup at McDonalds for the kids and how to tell a taxi driver where I want to go. I wasn't all that interested in learning how to read, but I quickly changed my mind. Several lessons was spent learning hiragana and katakana. And although I know these characters, I still can't read much because the Japanese written language is made up of hiragana, katakana and kanji all combined. But regardless, I have managed to get by pretty well.

So right before fall break, my super sweet, young, go-with-the-flow teacher, told me that she was moving to Tokyo and that I would be getting a new teacher. I wasn't very excited. I knew I had a good thing going and didn't want to give that up. Sure, my lessons were starting to get harder, but I was still comfortable with what I was learning. And honestly, I felt like I was making good progress.

Two weeks ago I had my first lesson with my new instructor. My teacher is an older lady, very nice, patient, and good, but she also is much more strict and assigns me homework –– lots of it. I really like her, but I knew that my "getting by days" were over.

Last week I canceled my lesson due to being unable to move the day following the hike. (My lessons are first thing Monday mornings) So this week I turned in my homework, which I admit to doing at the last minute, and my teacher informed me that she and my old teacher had a discussion about me. Apparently, I have alot of potential if I only applied myself more and took the time to study. She said I need to work on speaking more Japanese while living here. Can you say flashbacks to high school geometry?

So I guess I need to stop telling my kids the importance of studying and working hard in school and practice what I preach, huh?

Washi Covered Tea Box

Today I decided to try something different from tours and cooking classes and try a washi covered tea box class. Basically you are taking this special Japanese paper and covering a wooden tea box. Imagine a cross between wallpapering and gift wrapping, both of which I am not good at, and you have a washi covered tea box.

There are many different sizes of tea boxes. Our class did the smallest one, which will fit 10 CD cases. You work from the top down, which means you start with the lid, then the lip of the box, the body and then the bottom. More advanced box coverer's can use different papers, cords and other embellishments.

The lid was the hardest. I am horrible at geometry, so imagine my frustration trying to measure, wrap and cover. However, surprisingly, I managed to do a decent job. (sorry the pictures aren't the best quality. I used my iphone, as I had forgotten my camera)

The next part is measuring and cutting the paper for the "lip" of the box. First you have to get the paper just right around the whole lip.

Then you have to tuck under and cut and wrap the corners just right.


Throughout the whole project, you have to keep taking wet clothes and press out all the air bubbles and wipe off all the excess rice glue.


As you can see, there is alot of measuring involved in this project.

Finally, I have my main piece cut out and ready to wrap the box.

Now all that is left is to finish the bottom.
After 3 hours, the bottom is glued on and my box is finally complete. (It is sitting upside down in this picture)

Here is our class's finished products. The two ladies in the front were our teachers –– Debbie and Debbie.

My goal is to make each of the kids a large box to take back to the United States to use as a "keepsake" chest of sorts from our time here. I may need to practice a few more times before I graduate to that project though.

Lebanese Cooking Class

One of the really cool things that CHIC offers here is cooking classes. Each semester there are always several classes to take, from Japanese to Chinese to Thai to Indian. Usually there are a few other cooking classes being offered that have to take just to see what they are all about, like Lebanese, Persian and Dominican.

Today I went to a Lebanese cooking class. The food was fantastic and the recipes were ones that I actually could make at home. Our teacher was this cute little lady from Lebanon, who has lived with her family in Japan for 20 years.
We learned how to make several Lebanese dishes.

Fattouch - Lebanese Salad made with lettuce, tomato, peppers, radishes, purple onion, mint leaves, parsley, cress and pita bread croutons. The dressing lemony balsamic. Very easy and delicious.


We then made homemade hummus and baba ghanoush. I have never had homemade hummus but it was very simple and so delicious. Baba ghanoush is a creamed eggplant dish. Surprisingly, I really liked it.

The main dish was Riz Be Djaj. This is a chicken rice dish, with ground beef added. I was surprised that the main spice in this dish was cinnamon. On top was slivered almonds and pine nuts. It wasn't as easy to make as the rest of the dishes, but I think I may be able to do it on my own.

We also learned how to make a cucumber yogurt sauce, similar to what you would get with a gyro. I already have plans to make this sauce over the weekend.

For dessert we had a Lebanese Semolina Cake. I would describe it as a sweet cornbread, with walnuts. Different, yet good.
Here was our lunch.

Next week I have signed up for a Chinese cooking class. I can't wait.