On our way to Hokkaido

December 23rd

For Christmas, we decided to go back to Hokkaido to try our new hobby, Snowboarding, again. We went to the same place last year and just barely got familiar with what to do. Actually, last year, I skied and Jeremy snowboarded. This year, we both did snowboarding. We also had a couple of friends go with us this time. Marta and Cody also enjoy snowboarding. In fact, Marta has been doing it for years, so she was really excited about going as well.

We got a really great package deal to go up to Hokkaido for 5 nights. We spent 3 nights, up at Niseko (a ski resort known for it's abundance of Australians), and 2 nights in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. The five nights, plus the bus to and from the Mountain, and airfare, were about 60,000 yen (less than $600) It was fan-friggen-tastic!

I'm going to back up just a bit to tell you a story about Jeremy. The night before we left for Hokkaido, I had invited my Japanese family over to make cookies with me. I teach the little girls and the dad and aunt, once a week. I wanted to share my family tradition of baking cookies with the little girls. They loved it. We made, Chocolate chip cookies (in the microwave/toaster oven), no bake cookies, and marshmallow treats (with corn flakes because I couldn't find rice crispies). Anyway, while we were making the cookies, Jeremy was entertaining the rest of the family, all while drinking some shyochu (Japanese rice liquor) that they had brought us. He didn't think that he drank as much as he must have because when we had to wake up the next morning at 6am to pack and get ready to go to the airport, Jeremy spent a fair amount of time hugging the John. You should have seen him on the train to the airport.

Because of Jeremy's morning hell of a hangover, and a mix up with trains from our friends, we ended up getting to the airport and having to run, and cut into lines, and run some more, to end up getting on the plane just in time for the doors to begin to close. (It wasn't quite that dramatic, but we really did have to run around the airport with our hearts pounding, thinking we were going to miss the damn thing)

Finally, we made it on the airplane, and by the time we got to the airport, had our first taste of the famous Sapporo ramen, and got on the bus to the Mountain, Jeremy's hangover had subsided and he was starting to get amped up for the powder that was to be on the mountain when we arrived. We all were excited.

A nice Christmas dinner in Tokyo

December 21st
Since Jeremy and I were going to be spending Christmas somewhere else, we decided to celebrate Christmas with each other before our trip. At home, we opened our presents and got all dressed up and headed into Tokyo for the evening. One of my Assistants at school owns a restaurant in Nihonbashi with her husband. We wanted to check it out. It was perfect. I drank some wine, he drank some Sake, we ate a wonderful dinner and talked about the future. It was a special evening and one I'll never forget. I love this man. He may be stubborn and full of ideas that I can't even scratch the surface on, but he has a heart of gold. This night was really special for me. I realize how much more I know him now than I did two years ago. We have come a long way and have overcome a lot together. We have lived through the experience of living in a foreign country, with a foreign language. We have been together through experiences dealing with death and new life. I have seen him grow and he has taught me so much about the world, and love, and harmony.

I am looking forward to spending our lives together.

Our Christmas Party

I can't believe it has taken me a month to finally get this one done. Alot has been going on in these past few months and I didn't want to leave anything out. This year (I guess technically it was last year), I decided I wanted us to have a Christmas party for our friends. The anticipation for this Christmas was bittersweet. On one hand, we are in Japan, far away from our families, this year being especially difficult because of Grandma's death. And on the other, we have a good group of friends now, and there is something exotic about sharing Christmas in a different place with different people. I decided that if I stayed busy and kept my Christmas spirit high, it would be difficult for me to get depressed about the hard stuff. So, I downloaded Christmas songs early in the month and started getting into the Christmas spirit early on. We had a party on the 14th for our friends. We had over 15 people in our tiny little apartment. However, I think it was very cozy and enjoyable. There was SO much food. I guess I am like my father in that respect as well. I always worry about whether there will be enough. But, there were like 20 different dishes, some prepared by me, and others that were brought by our friends. Everything was great!

We started dinner with some appetizers, like ants on a log and chips and dip. When I planned the party, I asked people to either bring a dish that reminded them of their Christmas back home, or a family tradition that did. I wanted our Christmas party to be everyone's Christmas party. My familiy tradition that I decided to share was the BINGO that we always play at Grandpa Coles on Christmas Eve. I sent Jeremy to Daiso (like the dollar store) to get some interesting gifts, and because I couldn't find real scratch offs, I bought some make-your-own kind, which ended up being quite good.

We had crackers (poppers) to get the party going. They weren't the traditional style that are done in England, but the idea was there.

Josh brought the wishbone from the Thanksgiving dinner he had. His family tradition was that the 2 youngest get to break the wishbone from Thanksgiving, on Christmas. And, pork tenderloin, that I hear was pretty tasty. And, guacamole that was really good.

Lisa brought Pommegranite martinis. It was a first for her to have to make them though.

Marta and Cody brought tacos.

Vicky brought an italian fruit cake. I think it was called a Panettone. It was good, not like the fruitcakes that we think of back home that weigh like a brick.

Jeremy's tradition was clam chowder, so I made chowder for him.

After dinner we did a white elephant gift exchange that was really fun! Everyone brought silly gifts, I thought it was great. Perfect, in fact!

Then we had the Pommegranite martini's and finished off the night with dessert. I think everyone had a great time, and I LOVED it!!!! We will definitely be having Christmas parties for our friends, wherever we live, for a long time to come.

The night ended with the wishbone breaking, done by the babies... Elizabeth and Cody. I think Elizabeth won. That part of the evening is a bit hazy ;o)

Nabe

I am not sure whether to call Nabe a dish or an event. It is a mixture of both in my opinion. It's an autumn and winter dish, kind of like soup. Basically, you have this special single-stovetop that sits in the middle of the table and is ran by a propane tank (sorta like a campstove I guess), and that is where you cook the dish. There are many different broths you can use as a base, and then you just chop up a bunch of vegetables, and the meat you want to use and put them on top of the broth and cook it. Trying to explain it makes me feel like it's just a pot of soup, but there is something fun about getting a group of people together and making this 'soup' for everyone to enjoy. I guess when you throw a few beers into the mix, it become more entertaining. But, there are so many different kinds of Nabe you can make. There is also something called Shabu-Shabu, where you use the boiling broth to lightly cook thin strips of meat, shrimp prawns, or other seafood by dragging it with your chopsticks amongst the broth for a few seconds before eating it.

Many Japanese families have Nabe parties. I wanted to try it out myself, so we invited some friends over and had a little party. It ended up being more of a drinking party than a soup party, but I have a feeling that's how it's suppose to be :o)

This winter I have been especially drawn to the Nabe. I love it. It's healthy, it keeps you warm, and its fun to do together.

** PS... after looking through my pictures to post with this blog, I realized that I only have pictures after the nabe was finished and the drinking was well on its way... but I guess you get the idea. ha ha!

Happy Birthday Grandma

Today has been a sad one. It's Grandma's Birthday, and it's the first year I can't call and wish her a Happy one. This year is the first year I couldn't hear her voice, tickled to hear from me... (as if she were actually surprised that I called). It's the first Birthday since she left us last August.

I don't know if it has been because of the holidays that I have been thinking about her so much lately. Or, maybe it was the anticipation of her Birthday coming up that has had my thoughts filled of her. But, I'm pretty sure it may have something to do with her death finally catching up to me. The shock is over, and now I just miss her. I miss the phone calls... I miss hearing her tell me how much she misses me. I miss her voice, and her laugh.

She was and will always be very special to me. So today, I will remember well my love for Grandma. Happy Birthday...

Kamakura

Last fall, we went to Kamakura twice. The autumn changing of the leaves has always been a favorite time of year for me. I remember back at Western how beautiful the campus looked with the brick buildings and the fire red leaves everywhere. It was by far, my favorite time of year there. Here in Japan, this season is very special. People plan trips just to go enjoy the beautiful colors. To go on such a trip, I believe, is called Momijigari. It kind of means autumn leaf picking.

Kamakura is a very old and historic place in Japan. It was once the capital of Japan, for a short time, very long ago. It contains many old and beautiful temples that were unharmed by the war. The two seasons of O'hanami (cherry blossom season) and Momijigari (the red leaves season) are very VERY beautiful there. Almost two years ago, Jeremy and I were taken to Kamakura during hanami by our friends, Matt and Dori. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous! This year we decided we wanted to go during the Momijigari.

The first trip was okay. We saw a few nice looking trees, and a lot of neat temples. However, the weather was bad, and it wasn't quite yet time to really see the pretty trees. We decided we needed to go back. Kamakura is about 90 minutes from our house by train, so it isn't so far for us to travel on a Sunday.

One of the students that I correct blogs for lives near Kamakura and generously offered to show us around. We accepted her offer and brought Cody and Marta along to see it all with us. Masaho san was so kind. She showed us many places and talked to us about what they meant or why they were significant. We hustled to as many places as we could and even were able to enjoy a nice short hike up this beautiful mountainside. It was incredible. It was like being in a dream. It was the essence of what Jeremy and I both think of in regards to Japan. We don't think that Japan is the hustle and bustle that we see day to day through our jobs and teachings. We think of Japan as a very cultural and historical place filled with beauty, and overflowing nature. Sometimes I think it's a shame that we live so close to Tokyo. Sometimes I wish we lived in Hokkaido, or near Kyoto. The feeling of those places is really different.

Anyway, back to Kamakura; we had an amazing time that day with Masaho, Marta, and Cody. We rode the Enoden train, had sweet potato ice cream, saw the ginormous buddha, many different temples and hundreds and hundreds of beautiful trees, on the verge of shedding their leaves for the winter. I would really like to go back for Hanami this year.

One of the temples we visited, I believe its name was Hasedera, had all of these virgin mary like statues. Each one represents a child that died at birth. Apparently, this is a resting place for those souls, and people visit this temple to pray for those souls.

When we went to the Giant Buddha, it was after the sunset, so it was getting dark but the sky was still a nice blue. It was perfect for a nice picture. The Japanese really do appreciate nature, some places are so pretty.

Labor Thanksgiving Day

Around the end of November, there is a holiday here called Labor Thanksgiving Day. I wasn't so sure of the meaning of the holiday, but I looked it up on wikipedia... thank God for that website. Anyway, we live right next to a pretty popular shrine, like right next to it. During the weekend of that holiday, there was a small festival. The streets and alleyways were lined with lanterns made from tealight candles encased by drawings by children at the local elementary schools. I believe that the purpose of the holiday is similar to the American Thanksgiving in that it is an opportunity for everyone to be thankful for what they are blessed with. A long time ago, it was a holiday to celebrate the rice harvest.



We were very busy those couple of days. I had to work on Saturday (as usual) and didn't get home until late, but we had dinner plans with our couchsurfer, Georg, along with Marta and Cody. Well, on our way to dinner we saw the end of the festival.

Now, I'm not sure what these characters represent, but Marta and Cody had been drinking before they got to our house so they were not shy about introducing themselves. It made for a good photo opp.

While waiting at the train station, we caught a glimpse at the performance happening on a stage built behind the station especially for the festivities. I'm not sure what's going on here, but it looked nice and peaceful.

Meanwhile, the local volunteers were walking around, blowing out and gathering the lanterns for the evening. Marta was doing her best to help.

And here, Georg, Cody, and Marta are doing their best impressions of the drunk salary men passed out on the trains.

Needless to say, we had a good night...

Happy New Year!!!

I know that I still have a lot of catching up to do as far as blogging goes, which means that these are all going to be out of order, but as they say in the Japanese world, Shoganai (oh well). We had a nice New Year's Eve together. We went out to our favorite local 'gaijin' bar and enjoyed the company of a couple of our friends, Vicky and Kyousuke. The bar was hoppin and we danced and drank corona's and had a nice countdown!!! It was a lot of fun, and it didn't cost $300-$400, like going into Tokyo would have ended up getting out of us.

2008 had a lot of ups and downs.
*Getting to know Jeremy more and more and loving him more and more every day.
*Aunt Christy coming to visit us!!!
*Jack Johnson at Akarenga Park in Yokohama, AND at Columbia Meadows in St. Helens
*Getting a new job, and LOVING it!
*Figuring out that Japan ain't so bad to live in (and I can speak a little)
*Meeting boyfriends and husbands of friends that I miss dearly.
*Births / Pregnancy's of some of my closest and dearest friends.
*The death of my beloved Grandmother (the lowest of all lowest points for sure)
*Learning how to Snowboard
*Seeing my class from last year
*Missing out on Thailand
*Spending my Birthday at HOME!!!
*Meeting my baby brother's love.
*Going to Hokkaido, Kyoto and Nara

All in all, I must say that I am ready for what 2009 has to offer and grateful for what I experienced in 2008. (All except for the Grandma thing) I'm waiting for my courage and strength to grow more so that I may be able to write her blog someday. It's been hard so far, SO hard, and with her Birthday rapidly approaching, I think I still have a few emotional battles to get through. However (I know I'm on a tangent), her death has helped me to realize how alive she is. She is so alive in me and I have so much to think back on and remember, things that will live with me until the day I die and live on through our children and theirs as well. .... the rest for another day ...


Happy New Year to everyone! May 2009 bring you happiness, good health, and lots and lots of love from lots and lots of people!!!!

Our love,
Sarah and Jeremy