happy thanksgiving

We had some friends over yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Japan. Thanks to imported ingredients that Nicole and Mike brought us a couple weeks ago, we had mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet potatoes, chicken, and no-bake pumpkin pie. Our first time hosting a Thanksgiving meal and it was here in Japan! With no oven! Of course almost all of the foods were out of cans and boxes... :) But it was great. Jesse even downloaded a couple of last week's football games to watch as we ate and played games. Although of course we missed being with our families, it felt very nice and family-like.
Going in a left-ward circle starting in front: Donna (teacher), Romanda and Meaghan (teachers and friends of Tessa's), Tessa (teacher), Fukiko (Matt's friend), Shogo (he teaches Japanese at the high school where Jesse used to teach English once a week), Jessica (teacher), 1/2 of Reika's head :) (one of our school managers), Manami (a school manager), and Matt (teacher). There were a couple more that are hiding.

shichi-go-san

November 15th is Shichi-Go-San in Japan, a holiday that honors three, five, and seven-year-old children. Girls who are three and seven, and boys who are five, often dress in traditional clothing and visit shrines with their families in hopes for a long, healthy life. Most families visit a shrine on one of the weekends near November 15th. So last weekend, when Mike, Nicole, Jesse and I were in Tokyo, we stopped by Meiji-Jingu shrine to see the kids dressed up. It's a pretty big deal for the families (and can be a big expense). A lot of my kids are in this age range, so I'm looking forward to seeing pictures that their mothers promised to bring in.

On the left, a five-year-old boy taking pictures of his family. On the right, a seven-year-old girl walking with her father.

A large (for Japan) family all celebrating with their seven-year-old sister/daughter, in the middle.

The weekend before, in Nikko. A seven-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother leave the shrine after a ceremony.

Bonus: There was also a traditional wedding going on at the shrine.

takumi and natsumi

I met these kids while walking around Sakura, a nearby city, when I was there last week with our friends, Nicole and Mike. It was so fun for me to chat with them and somehow became a really memorable time. I couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to kids in Japanese, as compared to adults. They spoke at a good pace and we could understand each other well. They showed us the bugs that they had in their plastic bottle, and then we found a praying mantis which I think they put into shock with while "playing" with it. In the end, they covered it up with leaves and put it to bed. I hope it was able to wake up. :) We talked mostly about bugs and their favorites. And they had fun taking some pictures with my digital camera. When we left, they followed us. For a long ways. I started to get nervous that we were going to be accused of kidnapping, and kept asking them which direction their home was. Eventually, the boy (Takumi) said it was time for them to go and they headed back. I spend time with kids all the time as a teacher, but it was really fun to spend time with kids just as a normal person...especially kids as sweet as these two (I'm sure the praying mantis has a different opinion).