Natsuyasumi (Summer Vacation)

Natsuyasumi, or "summer vacation" for Japanese children just started last week.  Japanese summer vacation typically starts around July 20th-September 1st.  Unlike American schools (unless maybe year-round schools), the Japanese students begin their school year in April, and end the following March.  Natsuyasumi is taken after the first trimester, so Japanese students will resume their same grade when they return to school in September.

This is a very busy time for traveling in Japan.  The trains, roadways, malls, amusement parks and almost everything are noticeably more crowded.  We were forewarned about this during our new area orientation so we knew what to expect.  I've also found that many tours, airlines and hotels have also raised their rates from mid-July through August.  This isn't too surprising since this is very typical when traveling most anywhereduring peak season. 

Wearing jinbei.

During natsuyasumi there are many local festivals (Matsuri) to attend.  Here you will find wonderful food, treasures, a cold drink (or two) and entertainment.  Not to mention, you can wear a yukata (summer kimono) or jinbei (consists of a top/short ensemble).  These traditional costumes will give any foreigner the opportunity to immerse themselves into Japan's wonderful customs and festivities.  The biggest summer festival, the Obon Festival (also called Bon Odori), will be held next month in our area.  We will be wearing our traditional Japanese clothes, working a booth, dancing and enjoying yet another Japanese experience.

De zu ni ra n do (Tokyo Disney)

Last month, the kids and I experienced "The Happiest Place on Earth" at Tokyo Disney.  It was perfect timing since we went on a weekday when the Japanese children were in school.  We only had to wait in line outside of Disney for about 45 minutes.  We've learned to be more patient here.  The Japanese wait patiently in long lines and don't complain.  Such great role models for us foreigners.  

Patiently waiting.

I liked the size of Tokyo Disney.  I had heard from many that it was very small compared to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.  I thought it was comparable, since they had the rides we wanted to go on such as:  Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Tom Sawyer's Island, Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain (although it has been since closed since last year).  There was also lots of shopping/gift stores near the entrance, in World Bazaar (like Main Street) and a good variety of food carts and places to eat.  

People of all ages were wearing Disney head wear.  There were the typical mouse ears, but many variations I'd never seen before.  The Japanese love Disney and I could tell they were really into it.  Many childless couples and groups of friends were seen with coordinating mouse ears.  So kawaii-ne (cute)!

Goofy hat.

While there were many similarities, there were also some differences compared to Disneyland back in the states.  Here are just some differences I observed:

• There wasn't a Matterhorn.
• There are various popcorn vendors in the park where you can buy interesting flavored popcorn (curry, caramel, soy and butter, honey...) and you can get refills in your reusable bucket for a small fee. 
• You can take the train from Tokyo directly to Disney.  This was so convenient especially if you don't want to drive your car.
• People laid out their blankets in the street (not in the way of pedestrians) to eat their lunch or to have a break.  I also think that some people did this later in the evening to see the parade.
• I did not see any souvenir shop where you could have you name inscribed onto your mouse ears.  

The boys and I.  When we go to Disney Sea, it will be all 5 of us!

Ice Cream in Japan

This is the first time since writing the blog that I've gone two weeks between posts.  Sorry, but I've been heading out early almost everyday for a Japanese class, or we've been enjoying the summer.  So, what better topic to talk about than......... ice cream.  You can find it everywhere here which is good for us since we all have a sweet-tooth!!

Ice cream vending machine at train station.

They sell soft serve (or cream), and regular scoop ice cream.  You can get it in a waffle cone, in a cup, and with toppings like back home.  I think the ice cream (like most sweets here) isn't as sweet, but its still a wonderful treat especially in this heat.  I think the younger boys even had ice cream for dinner a couple weeks ago since that's the only thing that sounded appealing! 

For the adventurous eater, there are many unusual flavors to try.  Here are some examples:  Purple Sweet Potato, Green Tea, Black Sesame Seed, Japanese Plum, Melon, Mochi, etc.  I've had the Purple Sweet Potato, which I think is pretty tasty.  Baskin Robbins has flavors with Pop Rocks, and another one called Easter Candy. 

Although we haven't tried any of these more unusual flavors, I see that they are ready available for consumers in Japan.  These would be for the people who try something at least once:

Wasabi Ice Cream

Octopus Ice Cream

Trivia:

• Japan has the most Baskin-Robbins locations outside the United States.
• Cornflakes can be added to bottom of a cone to prevent ice cream from leaking.
• Haagen Dazs was first introduced in Japan in the 1980's.

Just A Few Things To Survive Summer (Natsu)

It is starting to get very hot and humid in Japan. It went from warm, to incredibly hot very quickly. I hear its supposed to become much hotter. We missed last summer which had record breaking temperatures. We are doing our best to stay cool.  Here are some things that people do/use to beat the heat:

Hand Towels (Hankatchi)

Small hand towels are very popular here.  Everyone seems to use one.  They are generally the size of a washcloth, sometimes smaller.  Not only are they convenient in the summer to pat your face and wrap around a cold drink, but they are useful year round because most restrooms do not have paper towels to dry your hands.


Japanese Hand Fans

I have seen many people using paper fans in the heat. Both men and women will whip out their fans when waiting for the trains, buses, etc. The folding fans are nice because they are compact. I always thought these fans were strictly for decoration, but they have a dual-purpose.


Parisols 

I've blogged about how everyone uses umbrellas here when it rains.  Many Japanese women also use a parasol, or sun umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. They are a little smaller than regular umbrellas, sometimes frilly, and often times have UV protection in the material. The other day I even saw a woman riding her bicycle carrying a parasol. She was quite the multi-tasker.

Stick Close To Water

We will be spending many days here this summer.

To stay cool we've been taking advantage of many water activities such as:  going to the beach, going to the pool and going sailing.  We are very fortunate to be able to rent paddle boards, kayaks, boats, windsurfing equipment, etc for a reasonable price on base.  This weekend we are going to watch a friend's windsurfing lesson at the beach.  One certain family member really wants us to buy a windsurfing board ..... but I think we'll have him take lessons first.

Car Talk

You don't want your car to have this type of sticker on it!

 The van we purchased back in February has been working out just great.  When we bought it, we had until  June 2011 to renew the registration/JCI (Japanese Compulsory Insurance) which we thought was ideal.  Basically, we were able to shorten the Japanese car-buying process because the vehicle had months before it needed to be inspected and registration renewed.  We knew that the registration was due this month but failed to look at the exact date until we were pulled over at Main Gate the week before last.  Unfortunately, our registration expired 4 days earlier.

We were ordered to pull over at the vehicle inspection area and told that we would not be able to drive the vehicle on or off base. The car was impounded (we didn't have to pay, and it was not it a locked area) but we did have a nice yellow sticker placed on the front window and was only to be removed by base police.  This was a bit problematic at the time since I was supposed to drop Justin and the two younger kids off at school that day, volunteer, and go to lunch with a friend.  Needless to say, most of those plans went by the wayside.  I did end up calling a friend who lives on base to see if she could pick the kids and I up. 

I talked to a friend who told me the steps I needed to take to get this situation remedied.  Here they are/were:
1) Go to City Hall to get temporary plates (good for 5 days) so that we could drive the vehicle to get on-base inspection. 
2) After returning to base, I needed to talk to base police/security to have them remove sticker on the car so that I could drive it to base inspection.
3) I was able to get the car and drive it to get a base inspection.  The inspection was to take 2 hours and I was hoping it was going to pass inspection.
4) Vehicle DID NOT pass inspection.  Needs new front brakes and the parts do not come in until the following day.  Since we have temporary plates, we are able to drive around base and home which is good.
5) The next day I have to take car back in to get brakes done.  The parts don't come in until noon, but the car is ready for pick up by 3:00p.m.
6) A few days later, I have a friend who does LTO (Japanese DMV) runs for foreigners up to Yokohama.  I basically pay her fee, the toll fees, and all other fees for registering the vehicle.  Luckily, the registration is every 2 years.
7) After the LTO run, I gave the temporary plates back to my friend who will take them back to City Hall, go to VRO (vehicle registration office) to update our new registration and go to insurance company (all in the same building) to pay for another 2 years of JCI and to also add my oldest son as a driver onto our car. 

While this was a little inconvenient, it was no one's fault but our own.  I tried to laugh about it because it wouldn't help to get upset.  I'm just happy to be able to share all of the lessons we've learned/are learning with others.

Japanese Thingamajiggers

While we have had a most spectacular and eventful time in Japan, I must do a quick blog about Japanese Thingamajiggers.  According to the Urban Dictionary, a thingamajigger is something we call an item when we can't remember it's name.  In our Japanese home, we refer to anything that crawls as a thingamajigger (thanks to my youngest son).  Not using the "actual" name of the pest seems to lessen the visual picture we have permanently embedded into our head.

I wanted to ignore and believe that no thingamajiggers would ever invade our tropical paradise.  I thought that we were going to be the lucky ones that would just enjoy this nice, warm, and humid climate without any unwelcome house guests. Unfortunately, my fantasy was short-lived and we had a couple experiences worth sharing.

Last weekend, we had our first experience with a thingamajigger.  My youngest son woke up to a mukade, or centipede crawling on his hand.  This was quite traumatic, and we were fortunate that he was unharmed.  We were told that these critters bite, travel in pairs, and are hard to kill.  Justin found the thingamajigger when he returned from Tokyo, hiding in a box (they like dark places), under my youngest son's bed.  Needless to say, I had my Japanese friend go with me to store to find some Boric Acid powder.  This powder is supposed to be sprinkled around the perimeter of the house.  I bought the waterproof kind, so hopefully it will do the trick.  We are still unsure how this thingamajigger got into the house.  It could've come in with the laundry I hang out, or possibly, in a crack in the house. 

Example of gokiburi trap.

When I was buying the Boric Acid powder, I also bought gokiburi, or cockroach traps as a preventive.  Since these thingamajiggers like water, and food items, I placed them in various locations in the kitchen and bathrooms thinking I was on top of everything.  A couple nights ago we came home to find a large gokiburi walking around the room where the sink and washer/dryer are.  What the heck!  The thingamajigger was quickly removed from the premises and I'm hoping they will never return.  Many of these critters fly, so we have to be careful to close our doors when it's warm here.  I've also felt first hand the effect of the ka, or mosquitoes, which are out in full swing.  I will likely blog about them at a later date.  Until then, I'll be equipped with my potent bug spray and  wearing the mosquito patch! 

Trip To The Dentist (Haisha)

Card we use to check-in (at a machine) for appointments.

We were originally going to go to the Dental Clinic on base to get our teeth cleaned, but the waiting list was way too long (we were 100 out of 600).  So instead of waiting, we opted to try a Japanese dentist.  The Dental College outside of the base was recommended to us by our friend.  It's good that we had a recommendation because there are tons of dental clinics to choose from in town.

The process to see the dentist was pretty easy.  As long as I had my phrase book to help me get my/our needs across, everything went well.  Luckily, the pediatric dentist and the adult dentist we were assigned to both spoke Eego (English).  They were very professional, thorough, and made us feel comfortable. 

Most things were similar such as: waiting rooms, x-rays, etc, but the one main difference was that the dentist did the teeth cleaning.  The dentist used an ultrasonic teeth cleaner, a toothbrush with some tooth cleaner to clean my teeth, floss and then 2 types of damp swabs inside my mouth.  It was a very unique way to clean teeth, but it seemed to do the trick.

Along with teeth cleaning, the pediatric dentist was able to repair Cutter's permanent front tooth.  He chipped his front tooth the night of the earthquake (not related to the earthquake) after a bike accident.  The dentist was able to repair the tooth in one visit, and it looks as good as new.

Our records, etc go into these blue bags.