Designated Mall Day

We set aside time today to make a trip to Aeon (Shimoda) Mall. The boys wanted to buy souvenirs. I hadn't realized that this mall is nine short minutes from our home. This is an important piece of information...

I often hear others say there is NO SHOPPING here in Misawa. This amuses me, as it did our older boys, because the mall here is WAY bigger than the mall we had in San Angelo. I will say that we can't always find our sizes here....but there IS shopping if you like to shop. ::snort::

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

Windy, this photo is for you. See Daiso on the right? THAT is the BIG Y100 store. Have you been to it? If not, give it a shot. I think you'll love it. It's the biggest one I've found so far. It's directly across from the playground in the parking lot.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

What I love about shopping in Japan is that I never lose the guys. I just look above the shelves. ::snort:: Americans do tend to stand out.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

Oh my word. Yes, we bought it. The string under your chin can be pulled to make the wings flap. Our beloved pig hat is falling apart.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

No, not football. Soccer!

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

No, we didn't eat here. We just took a photo. The new "Big American TEXAS Burger." I must say that they seem to love TX around here. When asked where I'm from, I say, "Oregon." I get blank stares. Then I say, "Texas," and get lots of fun reactions.

A funny thing happened at the mall. Stacia refused to use the squatty potties. I have learned that the handicapped bathrooms have western toilets. This one had an automatic door. How nice. Except the thing opened THREE TIMES while we were in there....I finally decided if I can handle an onsen, this wasn't that big of a deal. ::blush:: I'll make her use the other ones next time.

I have no clue what is going on here. I asked several.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

The numbers make me think it's a contest...there were long lines of children waiting to go on stage and have their photo taken. No one could tell me why. I wondered if it were a Japanese Santa Clause. ::snort:: Amazing lines.

These books bags are carried by young children to and from school. Young children. Check out the price....more than $248...

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

...or this one for $500.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

I guess it's tennis shoes in America and book bags in Japan? ::grin::

At the end of the mall they have a lot of NOISY, bright, games....for all ages. I'm wondering if some of them were pachinko machines. I'll have to check into it.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

Remember how close I discovered the mall to be? Erika, a friend from Bible study(the one who reminds me of my daughters), told me that she finds the best variety and prices at the farmer's market in the mall. When we first arrived Renee had taken us here. I took advantage of my chance today...oh the joy of FRESH produce in the house. I'll have to drive out there weekly. It can't take more time than running a produce co-op did.

From 2010-01-11 mall, bowling

I also bought stuff for my upcoming giveaway ::tease:: ::tease::. I need to work out a few more details before I officially announce the giveaways.

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Game Night

We finished Sunday night off with a mini-family game night.

The four older boys began a game of Monopoly that seemed to be endless. ::snort:: When the survivors were down to Josiah and Jared the rest of us began another game.

From 2010-01-10 games

This game worked well with all ages. We used words from Apple to Apple Jr. We showed the word to the audience. One person gave clues for the other to guess. We didn't keep score. We simply enjoyed the show.

From 2010-01-10 games

From 2010-01-10 games

Stacia stole the show in the round above. Nolan, as you may be able to see, is trying to get her to say snowman. He kept working at it.

"You make these when it's cold."

"CINNAMON ROLLS!!!" ::snort::

Who has the heart to tell her she is wrong when she is so thrilled to obviously have finally guessed the right word.

I'm not sure those two older boys ever DID finish their game.

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Feedburner Disruption

If your Feedburner feed is disrupted, it's because I had to remove that feed redirect so that I could slurp the blog into blurb. I have put the redirect link back in. (If this makes NO sense to you, it isn't affecting you.)

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Japanese Education

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

Aren't the cute? It was COLD, and they were all out for a walk.

I had thought pre-school was mandatory in Japan, but it isn't. Many do send their children to school at 3 -5; but they pay for this themselves.

School is mandatory starting at about six years old - they must attend for only nine years. At the end of this time, before finishing high school, each student must past a massive test. Families spend many dollars tutoring their children for this test. The pressure is immense. If a child passes the test, they are allowed to attend high school (grades 10 - 12).

High School is not free. The family must pay for their student to attend both public and private high schools. I've been told in Tokyo the private schools provide the better education. Up here, the public schools have a reputation for providing the better education. The fee is on a sliding scale with lower income families paying less to send their child to high school. 97% of students pass the test and move on to high school.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Jared's Birthday at the Yakiniku House

From 2010-01-09

This sign belongs in the "Amusing Sign" category because of the story that goes with it.

We have repeatedly heard of a Yakiniku house called, "Viking." We wanted to try a Yakiniku house for Jared's birthday, because he likes trying new restaurants in town. I asked everywhere, my Bible study ladies, strangers on the street, Akiko....When I suggested the "authentic Japanese Yakiniku houses" that my friends recommended, Akiko said, "That's where Americans go." I asked her where SHE goes, where a Japanese family would go. She asked if we'd like all the food we could eat. Sure. She sent us to Korakuen. She told me to be sure to try the Curry. We followed her directions and found it. We discovered it IS VIKING..... ::snort:: Korakuen in Japanese...Viking in English.

Duck, Josiah!

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This was fun! You grab a plate, pick out your raw meat, and cook it at your table.

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I was going to snap a photo of all the veggies and meats on the grill; frankly we ate them before I remembered.

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This little dessert was wonderful, and surprisingly easy to eat with chopsticks.

Yes, the boys enjoyed this restaurant. The youngers found food to grill and loved the dessert selection.

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It was a bit spendy, but eating out anywhere around here runs us BIG BUCKS. At least here, they LOVED IT. Some are wondering...for an adult (12 and above) it was a bit more $15.30, for a child 6 - 11 it was $9.00 and for Stacia $4.50. This isn't bad for Japanese prices.

Because I simply can't post long without a toire (toilet) photo....check this out.

From 2010-01-09

First I sanitized my hands and thought it was oh so thoughtful of them to have the sanitizer right there in the stall. Then I realized it was meant to sanitize the toilet seat. ::snort::

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Adventuring in Mutsu Bay

We drove and drove yesterday. We had a lot of fun. We didn't arrive at any of our destinations....there was a construction crew that wouldn't let us access Shipwreck Beach and a BAD storm that hit as we drove up to Cape Shiriya. Yes, we had lots of snow this a.m. Here are some photos of our "aimless" wandering.

Isn't this gorgeous? Mutsu Bay

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This huge pile of gravel...

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...turned out to be shells.

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I tried to tell Josiah that Japan was "just like Big Spring, TX - windmills"

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We stopped to make a picnic lunch by the bay in Noheji

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When we got back to town, we stopped by Miss Veedol Memorial Beach....

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Did I mention it was snowing? ::snort::

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My guys minus Jared

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My heart's desire is to find glass floats on the beaches while we're here. The family loves to tease me....taunt me...get my hopes up...only to dash them. ::snort::

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Next, we headed to the Yakiniku house that Akiko recommends...but that's another post.

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Amusing Sign

This little sign would have been very helpful in the Tokyo airport. ::snort::

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...