Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Golden Week

Golden Week in Japan runs from 29 April to 5 May. All the children are out of school and people are out of work.
During this week we CELEBRATE....and keep celebrating....

It begins on 29 April  with the Emperor's Birthday (Tennō tanjōbi) and/or Showa Day (Shōwa no hi). Showa day specifically  honors the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign.

3 May is Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpō kinenbi).

4 May is Greenery Day (Midori no hi). A day to commune with nature and enjoy your blessings.

5 May - TODAY - is Children's Day (Kodomo no hi). Traditionally this was "Boys Day" or "Feast of Banners" day. There is a "Girls Day" (hinamatsun) is on 3 March.  In 1948 the holiday was changed to Children's Day to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers.  Here's a bit more info from Wikipedia:
Before this day, families raise the carp-shaped koinobori flags (carp because of the Chinese legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon, and the way the flags blow in the wind looks like they are swimming), one for each boy (or child), display a Kintarō doll usually riding on a large carp, and the traditional Japanese military helmet, kabuto. Kintarō and the kabuto are symbols of a strong and healthy boy.
Here is a photo of our neighbor's flags. We had three little carp in our yard, but one kept blowing away. I love the idea of a celebration in honor of children.....and the blessing they are to our lives. We'll continue this celebration beyond our time in Japan.

I'm thinking Akiko bring mochi tomorrow.....

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

"Adventures"

"Mom,  do not go that way, you will get us absolutely LOST." - Oh Zander, of such little faith. I told him it was an adventure - and it WAS. We found a farm with a giant horse tied up in this little bitty driveway....


Our other adventure was a dining adventure. We've been meaning to try "Coco's," which advertises "California Cooking".  We were surprised that the place was PACKED and that we were the only Americans......whereas when you go to the "Japanese style" restaurants around here they are packed with Americans. Wonder why.....anyway.....The food was good.....BUT.....

Does that "hamburger steak" look just a bit rare? I wouldn't try it. Jared did.

Ah, it came with little cast iron hot plate.

Pancakes seemed safe to Zander and Stacia...

Ice cream and Chocolate sauce on PANCAKES???

Nolan couldn't find the French Toast, until he saw the dessert menu.

Personally, I think ice cream on beans is a bit much.

We did enjoy it and the food was good.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Do you know what THIS means?

It means it's WARMING up! This is the first time in months that we wore flip flops and went barefoot on the beach. A big improvement over snow boots.

Evidently, "Don't get all wet," means - in boy speak - "don't get ALL wet!" I couldn't really be upset with them....I understood their excitement.


Of course, anything the boys can do...
Just a tad bit cold. ::snort::

We searched for more sea glass, enjoyed the waves and the sand.....

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Hanami

Today was the last day of Golden Week (yes, I WILL write about that soon). Today is the day that we understood the excitement over Hanami - Flower Viewing - usually Cherry Blossoms.

 I invited Katie and her kids to come out to Liberty Park with us to see the Cherry Blossoms. I've never seen such a big crowd at any local spot...but it didn't feel overly crowded..... it's a big place.


We hit it RIGHT. The trees were in FULL bloom (as opposed to Saturday's photos when I thought they were in bloom  ::snort::).  We enjoyed a picnic lunch together. Katie's husband is also deployed. I sure enjoyed relaxing and visiting with an adult in the middle of the day. LOL  Katie is a couple of years older than our oldest.  Her 8 month old baby LOVES me. It's strange. I'm not a "baby" person, but the first time we met he reached for me ....and continues to do so. He made my YEAR during Sunday School. He was resisting a nap. I asked if I could walk him for her at the side of the class.... he snuggled his little head right into my neck and then would look up at me and smile....by the time the opening prayer was over he was sleeping.  We enjoyed visiting (at least I did ::grin::), Jared studied under the statue, the kids played.

Michael is such a good traveler. ::snort::







It really felt like a magical land.  I stood under the trees and they made a roof.....gently falling blossoms....










We got school done too! A full day in the sun and school....waking up at 4:30 isn't that bad, really. LOL

You know, I was feeling bad that we didn't do the tourist thing and go to the castle for Cherry Blossoms...but honestly...we are having a lot of fun simply joining in with local festivals etc.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...